March 2000

Update on The Hunger Project's work in Senegal

Dr. Fitigu Tadesse, Africa Regional Director

Senegal

Since the October 1999 Board meeting, THP-Senegal has expanded to cover the entire northern region of the country. The region covers more than 200 large villages with an approximate population of 250,000 people. This expansion made it possible for THP-Senegal to increase five-fold the number of villages where it carries out SPIA programs.

Strategic Projects

THP-Senegal is currently engaged in the following programs:

• Vision, Commitment and Action workshop: Since October 1999, the Country Director of THP-Senegal organized several VCA workshops for approximately 500 people from 50 partner villages. The purpose of the workshop was to select and train the first group of village animators in the principles of SPIA and self-reliance. At the end of each workshop the Country Director selected those people to be further trained to become animators who will go to villages and empower the population to become self-reliant in their work for the end of hunger.
  

• Education and Literacy program: THP Senegal has extended this program to more than 50 villages, including more than 2,000 people, 98% of whom are women. Because of the program’s success, THP-Senegal will progressively extend this program to all 200 villages in the region. The program is being conducted in the two local languages of Ouolof and Pulaar, and is currently in great demand among the women. The increase in women’s literacy is very important for their savings facilities at the rural banks to ensure that they have sustainable access to credit.

• Income-Generating Activities

i. Market Gardening Groups for men and women have been formed in numerous villages in the northern region of Senegal. These projects have increased the production of potatoes, onions, pimento and tomatoes, with the average yearly income per village presently at US $630.

ii. Women’s income generating activities have expanded in terms of quantity and quality from the production of tie-dye for clothes and dress making, to poultry farming, small business, and cattle fattening. This ensures a continuous source of income for their families living in the northern part of Senegal. As a result of the increased income earned, the women have invested in the construction of a cereal bank and made an additional investment of almost one million FCFA in the construction of added poultry farming, small business and animal fattening for the local market. In addition to these activities, women have also planted several acres of fruit gardens, set up small businesses, and built a village shop (boutique) to sell various good to the villagers.

• Economic Empowerment of Women: THP-Senegal has made sure that women’s groups in the 200 villages will have access to credit that will enable them to undertake lucrative activities of their own choice. However, in cooperation with the African Woman Food Farmers Initiative, led by Mrs. Fadiop Sall, the National Coordinator for Senegal, THP-Senegal feels that extensive credit will be available to many women’s groups enabling them to undertake income generating activities such as poultry farming, dyeing/sewing, small business, and agriculture. So far, the rate of return on their credits is around 98 %. In addition, women are encouraged to create a voluntary savings program using their own income, so that they keep sufficient funds in the rural bank.
  

• Revolving Credit: The micro-credit program is one of the women’s most requested support systems. This credit is vital to improving income and therefore the quality of life of the entire family. Over the past year, many of the women participating in THP-Senegal's programs have invested their income in small business ventures (43%) followed by revenue-generating activities related to food production and food security, construction of cereal banks and other activities such as sewing and dying. The new revolving credit system that has been put in place by THP-Senegal is ensuring a better and higher rate of return so that by the end of the year the women can completely repay the capital and the interest. This new credit system is designed to enable THP-Senegal to increase the return rate while enlarging the credit base for continued lending to additional new villages. Our credit system involves:

i. Progressive return of capital

ii. 5% interest on capital which is paid into the original account of THP to sustain the life of the revolving fund

iii. 5% interest on capital as savings by members to contribute for funding of their new activities.

• Health and Nutrition: The Nutritional Recuperation Center for Mothers and Children, built in Mpal Epicenter in partnership with the population, is now fully operational. The regional representative of the Ministry of Health is currently running the center, which is addressing the nutritional needs of children and the nutritional education of mothers in the area. The Center is now serving meals to more than 50 children a day and vaccinating some 60 children a day against polio, TB and other diseases.

• Rural Banks: Since the first rural bank was built by the Community in the Mpal Epicenter, other communities in the new villages are in the process of raising funds to establish similar rural banks in their areas. THP-Senegal and the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative are working in partnership to allocate the initial money for the revolving fund which will enable women to have immediate access to credit. In the meantime THP-Senegal has created a committee in charge of the management of the rural bank and is giving them training by a credit and saving expert from the Ministry of Finance.

• Future Expansion: In the year 2000, THP-Senegal will focus on the entire northern region of Senegal and consolidate all the existing programs in over 200 villages. In addition, THP-Senegal will work closely with the Women’s Initiative to ensure that this initiative is well established in the northern region such that the women are fully empowered to achieve their goals of self-reliance in the shortest time possible.