100 fields

Farming in Senegal is a risky business-and one that many Senegalese depend on for survival.

As we became involved in the lives of villages through our micro lending program, we learned about another segment of village life that was vital -and very precarious. Subsistence farming is a fact of life for many Senegalese and as in many other areas, farming is a struggle. Most farmers have to borrow at exorbitant rates if they want to buy seed and fertilizer and often end up in a cycle of debt from one year to the next.

We discussed this situation with friends, farmers and colleagues in Senegal and came up with our Seed Loan project. The farmer gets a loan of seed and fertilizer according to the size of his field and repays this loan after he has sold his harvest, either in seed and money, or in money, and with no interest.

We are now in our third season of seed loans and have achieved remarkable success with 100% loan repayment. Senegal has had good rainy seasons for the last two years which has helped the farmers tremendously. Another advantage that Andando has is our wonderful Senegalese partner, Diegane Ndiaye. Diegane works diligently with our loan recipients. Thank you Diegane for your hard work and commitment to these projects!

This year we are hoping for good steady rains again as we launch our biggest expansion of the Seed Loan Project so far. The community of Keur Soce and some smaller surrounding villages are the recipients of this year's seed project. With help from generous donors, Andando has been able to help over 40 farmers with seed and fertilizer.

Planting is happening right now in Senegal and this year there will be about

100 Andando fields!

Thank you for your support of this great project. You have been instrumental in restoring dignity and hope to our farmers and their families.

( Photos above are from the recent seed loan distribution ceremony in Keur Soce.)

baskets

Maybe you didn't know about our special baskets that we sell to help support our child feeding program in Sierra Leone. (See our website for details http://www.andando.org/)

Each basket costs $25 and they come in two styles, the traditonal round bolga or the oval market basket.

The purchase of one of these baskets will feed a child in Sierra Leone for six months!

In the last two years we have sold hundreds of these baskets at fairs and festivals. We will be selling them all summer long at the fairs in the previous post as well as a few other places.

We can also mail you one. Just email us your color preferences- they come in a wide variety from solid to partially striped, to totally striped blues, reds, greens, purples. Add $5 for shipping.

Or if you live nearby, we can arrange to bring some to you! Email us and let us know what you'd like. theandandofoundation@gmail.com

Get yourself a new basket for summer markets and picnics and feed a child for six months at the same time!

summertime

The season of spring/summer festivals is approaching and with it comes the chance for Andando to be out and about , sharing our stories with people and selling some cool stuff from our wonderful African artisans.

Our first festival is this weekend! And it looks like the weather might cooperate!
We will be in the lovely little town of Scio, Oregon at the 75th annual Lamb and Wool Fair. May 14-16 www.lambfair.org

On Saturday June 19 , 9-2 p.m. we will be at the Day of the African Child in Portland. This event takes place adjacent to the Portland Farmers Market www.harambeecentre.org

The following weekend you can find us at the WorldBeat Festival in Salem, June 26 and 27. This is a super fun event celebrating cultures from around the world.
www.worldbeatfestival.org

We will participate in other festivals through July and August and will keep you posted.

a village in Senegal

Life in a rural village in Senegal is challenging. There never seems to be enough food, enough water, even enough time, especially for women. Women have millet to grind, water to fetch, babies to nurse, and always many mouths to feed. The majority of the men are small farmers and that is always a risky business in an area where the rains come intermittently and sometimes not all. As a result of all these conditions, many of the men of the village are forced to go to larger towns looking for work, usually with little success. Some of these men will end up with new wives and children to support in the town, making a bad problem worse.

Since it's beginning , Andando has been looking at ways to improve life in the local village, ways to give people a hope and a future right where they are. That is why we have focussed on micro lending and farmer loans as ways to encourage people to stay in their villages and build stronger famiies in the process.

Keur Soce is a village where Andando has been working for about three years. We began work there with a church partner, Doxology. On our first visit we met with the local chief and had some great discussions about the needs of the village which resulted in some aid to the school. the drilling of two wells, installation of two neighborhood taps and help with starting a huge market garden. As the relationship has grown, Andando has targeted Keur Soce for the newest round of micro loans and in March we distributed 45 loans in Keur Soce. These loans average about $100 and are for projects such as a small shop, a hairdresser even a small restaurant.

Dibe Diouf is one of the loan recipients. In order to supplement their meager income from farming, Dibe used to go out in to the bush to find wild fruit which she would then take to sell in the nearest town. This was sometimes difficult and dangerous. She did not know when she might encounter wild animals and snakes. With her micro loan, Dibe has opened a small shop where she sells sugar,rice and oil, things that people used to have to travel further to buy. Dibe's family will all benefit from this new venture.

Andando is currently raising funds to help the farmers of Keur Soce get 'seed' loans for this years' planting. The farmers will be able to get enough good quality seed for planting their fields. After they have sold their harvest, they pay back their loan with no interest. This method opens up a door of hope for farmers who were previously 'enslaved' by high interest loans which they had little hope of ever repaying.

These two projects are infusing the village of Keur Soce with hope! At Andando we too are hopeful as we walk together with friends there and look to a brighter future for the people of this village.

well, well, well

We recently returned from a trip to Senegal. During that trip we distributed forty five new micro loans... but we're saving that story for it's own post..
First we want to tell you about the water/well project.
Andando has had an onging project in the village of Keur Soce with a church partner, Doxology in Corvallis, Oregon. Over the past few years Doxology has worked with the school in Keur Soce on various projects including bringing school supplies, building a basket ball court- even bringing 600 pairs of shoes for the village kids.
While building relationships there through these activities, Dox became aware of the need for access to water in some of the village neigborhoods and the need for several wells in the village and in outlying villages.
Along with Andando, they began to work with the village leaders and as a result there are now two neighborhoods in Keur Soce that have a community tap where there was none before, and a new deep water well that will supply water for decades to come. This well will also supply water to a one hectare garden right next to it. By this time next year, this garden should be supplying produce for the whole village.
Another well has been dug in a nearby village, Diam Diao. This village had been depending on an older well that had many cracks and the ground around it was being degraded by the many animals that would come to the well each day.
We have been able to dig a brand new well in this village that will be used exclusively for people. The older well is being repaired and will be used for cattle. The well diggers will also run a pipe from the well to a new large drinking trough so that more animals can be watered at once.
Thanks to this great partnership -and to many individual donors, several thousand people now have access to clean, sweet water -and several hundred cattle too!

mosquito nets

One of the biggest killers of children in Senegal, and in all of Africa, is malaria. When treated bed nets are used, the incidence of malaria decreases dramatically.

Andando wanted to help make nets available to the communities we work in , so last year one of the gifts you could purchase from our Christmas Catalog was a mosquito net. This proved to be a popular gift and we raised enough funds for several hundred nets.

We really wanted to make sure the nets were going to be used effectively so we wanted to also supply training and follow up .
With this in mind we have entered into a partnership with the Against Malaria Initiative and the US Peace Corps in Senegal. Against Malaria has access to nets at a far cheaper price than we can get and the Peace Corps is distributing the nets in Senegal. They go in small teams to villages, do a training and a few weeks later go back and do a follow up to make sure the nets are being used correctly.

Your gifts continue to make a real difference in the lives of people in West Africa and through this new partnership, we are able to make your gifts stretch even farther AND ensure excellent training and follow up!

Loans

We've recently received some great reports about our micro loan program. Our amazing Senegalese director, Diegane Ndiaye is reporting 100% repayment on the last round of loans!
All of these funds have been recycled and are back out in the community again. Diegane is a huge reason for this success rate. His commitment and dedication to this project is impressive- he manages all of this on a volunteer basis while holding down a full time job and raising a family. Thank you Diegane.

Another reason for the success of this program is that we make NO INTEREST loans. We have heard from several loan recipients that this is a huge blessing for them as previously they only ever had access to moneylenders who would chrage 25- 50% interest. This usually meant that the borrower was never going to be in a position to fully pay back what was owed and would continue in a cycle of debt. With an Andando loan they can establish some security for their families and make plans for the future.
Following are a few comments from some loan recipients-

The project allowed me to set up a little business with an oil press. I would buy peanuts and make oil to sell in the local markets. I made profits that allowed me to improve our family's diet and address key needs.
I thank Andando for allowing me to improve our living conditions.

With the loan I bought some livestock (sheep)that have recently given birth. I have sold some and have some more to rear. This project has transformed my life.

Diegane also reported that in one of the villages there was a young man who was facing difficulties. All the loan recipients got together to help him buy a sheep. Today he has paid back all the ladies and has his own sheep now to rear. This example of "walking together" is something to celebrate!

Thanks to all of you who are a part of making this micro loan project work. You are changing Lives!

andando means walking together

The name of our foundation comes from the Wolof word for walking together. Wolof is the main language of Senegal, the country where the dream for Andando was born, out of a desire to walk together more closely with people there and in other places around the world

In keeping with the name, two intrepid hikers have committed the summer to 'walk together' the entire length of the United States from Mexico to Canada .They began on April 30 and are now about 600 miles in on their 2650 mile journey. Follow along with them on the journey through the link to their blog on the right.These guys are amazing!

They are also doing this walk to raise funds for Andando. They are seeking sponsors who will support them by the mile-a penny a mile is $26.50 per person, $53.00 for both or any amount you would care to donate. You can donate through paypal by going to www.andando.org or you can send checks to Andando PO Box 542, Jefferson, OR.97352

summer fun!

We want to let you know about a couple of upcoming events that Andando will be participating- both on the same day!
One is The Day of the African Child on June 27 from 10 -5 at the World Forestry Center in Portland. There will be lots of organizations there involved with African children in some way. We will be there with Saah Joseph sharing about our feeding program in Sierra Leone and our micro lending in Senegal. We'll also be selling our kids' dresses, baby wraps, bags, and baskets.
Did you know when you purchase one of our baskets, you feed a child in Sierra Leone for one MONTH?

We will also be at the WorldBeat Festival in Salem that same weekend. That event runs all day Saturday and Sunday. It has an gloabl theme with countries and cultures fromm all over the world represented. It's in a beautiful setting in Riverfront Park by the Willamette river. On Sunday there are dragon boat races on the river!

Hope to see you at one or both events.

an evening with Saah Joseph

This Thursday evening , May 14th, we are looking forward to a special time with the volunteer coordinator of our Buedu Feeding program. Saah Joseph from Liberia(see photo in previous post) will share about the program the kids and also some of his own fascinating story of years as a refugee in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The event starts at 6.30 p.m.

There will be a silent auction with some great prizes, including a fishing trip and an airplane ride! In addition, the Andando store will be open featuring new products from our artisans.

If you have not yet received an invitation, and would like to attend, please email us at theandandofoundation@gmail.com and we'll send you directions.

Where the Money goes

A young girl taking home food to share!

Just a few of our 900 kids - a lot of mouths to feed!

You can never have too much rice.

Our friend Saah Joseph

In January Andando made a trip to Africa to our sponsored feeding program. It's in Buedu, Sierra Leone and it's not an easy place to get to. It is located in a remote corner of Sierra Leone near where the Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone borders come together. On previous trips we had traveled through Sierra Leone to get there.- on very bad, almost impassable roads. This time we thought we’d try a different route going through Liberia. Well it turns out the roads were only slightly better. It took about 15 hours to get to Buedu from Monrovia, about half on dirt roads. Fortunately it was the dry season . During the rainy season, May to September, this road would be impassable.
We were greeted in Buedu by what seemed like a million children and definitely more than the 600 we thought we were feeding! We estimated it’s closer to 900 kids in the program, but the folks there are doing an amazing job. They are feeding these kids five days a week, cooking on open fire. Two hard working women (volunteer positions) do most of the cooking. We had some great discussions about the program and ways to improve it. Since our last visit to Buedu, many people have started farming again since peace has returned to the region, so there is more food available locally.

We discussed the availability of local rice. In the past we had to ship rice there which added to the cost. We've changed that. Now the feeding program is going to start using local rice, which is more nutritious because it is not processed. This will also help the local economy. Another way we are able to help the local economy is by buying bread once a week from a local baker and using bread instead of rice. We were also able to bring school supplies and medicine for the kids.

It was a really encouraging and worthwhile trip. Thanks so much to our amazing partner there, Saah Joseph. Several years ago Saah shared this need with us and he has been faithful to continue working with Andando, again as a volunteer. Without his commitment and vision the feeding program would not be possible.

On the same trip we made a quick stop in Senegal to visit with our micro loan partner there, Diegane Ndiaye (another amazing Andando volunteer). Once again, without our in-country partner, our program just would not work. Diegane has administered our micro loan program for a year now and we have seen an almost 100% return on our loans thanks to his diligence and faithfulness. He is now in the midst of making this years’ round of loans with the the previous years money being recycled again into the community - and the new money from your generous gifts being added to it.

You can be a part in bringing hope and dignity to these wonderful people in Senegal and Sierra Leone. Join us if you can, and thanks to those of you who already have!

Christmas for Africa

We did a "Christmas catalog" for the first time during December and it was a wonderful success. To everyone who contributed to Andando during the Christmas season through our gift catalog - Thank you ! Over 150 gifts were given and $6,000 raised!

And already most of these gifts have found their way to Africa. We have already begun the new distribution of Micro loans and and farmer loans in Senegal and we have sent funds for the next six months of our feeding program in Buedu. Not only that, we've supplied 600 kids in Sierra Leone with school and medical supplies. Later in the spring we plan on working on our mosquito net distribution in Senegal, in time for the rainy season there.
Thanks again to all of you who participated.

Teaching Business in Africa

Recently, I had the privilege to teach business fundamentals to a bunch of African small business owners - a first for me. This was in a village way out in the boonies, and it was something that I was anticipating for some time. As you may know, Fiona and I were on the road for quite a while traveling all over Africa, so I had some time to plan this out. The challenge as it was presented to me was that these guys (and gals) - can't read, can't write, and they can't count. A rather challenging environment for business development ... It wasn't quite like that, they were really pretty sharp in their own culture, and I was pleased to find out they have all done well with their projects. In addition to the challenges, I had to work with a translator, as shown in the picture above

You see, these are the participants in our Andando micro loan program, and they've had a few months now to utilize these small loans for the purpose of making a living. My goal was to help them improve their business by teaching a fews key business points. It went well, except it was really hot inside this building, I mean like 100 degrees. It was a concrete building with a tin roof in the middle of the African bush, no air conditioning or power or water. It was also very humid, but they didn't seem to mind (I did!).

But I was delighted to hear their success stories and most of them are doing pretty well already. In fact they have paid back most of the micro loans already and we can now expand the program. It was a long day, and after an "African" lunch, where everyone sits on the ground and eats out of a communal bowl, we visited some farms nearby where some of the loan recipients work their land.

It was a great day, very hot, rather exhausting, but very rewarding - Kevin

Now is the time to buy!

Why are these ladies so happy? Because they just found some incredible bargains at the Andando sale! Don't miss it - many things are marked at 50% off.
This is for a limited time only, so rush on down for those choice items you have been wanting and waiting.

Only Eight Days left to Christmas!

If you have any thoughts about getting an Andando Gift for Christmas, now is the time, as the 25th is drawing near. We've had good sales in December, even with the recent snow and ice. We value our customers and we think they are pretty unique. Our balafons are a fantastic gift! Also, we have a terrific selection of nativity scenes.

It's A Busy Time of Year

Quiz time - What's the difference between Bazarr and Bizarre?

Okay, so here's a sample sentence that may give you an illustration: I went to a semi temporary market with lots of stalls selling a variety of very unusual and offbeat articles that were way out of the mainstream. I went to a bizarre bazarr. So who got the answer right? Will you make it as a contestant on Jeopardy?

This time of year, we have been taking advantage of opportunities to sell wonderful Andando articles at one Bazarr after another. These are pictures of some of the activity. Also, the shop has been pretty busy.

And the Christmas Catalog has been generating a lot of buzz. Like people are noticing that it's pretty cool and worthwhile, and feeling like they want to be a part of it. Ain't life grand?

Don't Miss Out!

Our Christmas Catalog has met with great success! Everyone is jumping on the band wagon, and you don't want to miss this chance to give something with meaning. It doesn't have to cost much, and it's so easy. Call (X) to get your copy of the catalog. You can even contribute on-line with Pay Pal. Hey, it's what people are doing these days ... find out why this lady is smiling!

The Christmas Catalog

Andando has published a Christmas Catalog - here's how it works - you can buy a present for someone and give it to someone else. In other words, you buy something of a humanitarian nature to help those underprivileged overseas, and give in on behalf of your friend or recipient.
For example, you want to give your Aunt Ethyl a gift for Christmas, but she already has everything she needs, and you don't want to give her another trinket, so you purchase a feeding sponsorship for a village in Africa, and you send it in her name and she is thrilled to be a part of this effort and proud that her name is associated with such a fine endeavor!

This Zebra shops at the Andando store

He likes our unique selection of interesting products, and he loves our reasonable prices!

Andando Grows on the Internet

In the matter of a few short days, there has been a growing presence of Andando on the World Wide Web, otherwise knows as http://www.....com/ or the web, or the internet, or online, or whatever you may choose to call it.

Son Lewis has now put up a facebook page at The Andando Foundation as a facebook group, I'll trust that you know how to find this, if not, sent a note and we'll help you.

The picture above is from Senegal, in West Africa, where we went recently and found out to our delight that there was a local mobile phone store with a promotion going on - and since Andando is an African word, they were using it on their t-shirts for their promotion (with an extra "O" at the end).

Keep in touch and watch this space for more news!