APRIL 2001

Update on our work in Senegal

Above, our country director Aboubacar Kourouma visits Senegal's "torch bearer" for the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative, Coumba Diaw, and her family during the rice harvest (January, 2001).

Since the October 2000 Board meeting, within a period of six months, THP-Senegal has expanded to cover the northern half of Senegal. This region covers more than 90 villages and has an approximate population of 500,000 people. The work is now carried out in five major Epicenters: Dahra, Koul, Mpal, Saly-Vélingara, Ross Bethio and several new sub-epicenters of Ndéréppe, Dendèye, Labgar and Doji. 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 focusing on the literacy program in the new villages, because it has raised the consciousness of people as to the work of development, and has spurred on the creation of voluntary savings facilities and credit banks. It is this way of thinking that will result in the rural population in Senegal becoming self-sufficient and enable The Hunger Project-Senegal to move rapidly to expand its work in the southern part of Senegal.

Here, the leadership team of The Hunger Project's Dahra Epicenter, gather for a group photo after the VCA workshop on 25 January 2001

Since October 2000, THP-Senegal has organized several VCA workshops for approximately 3,635 people from all five epicenters. This workshop was essential in providing training in the technology of THP, the Principles and Methodology of self-reliance, to many groups of village animators who lead and further empower the rural population to become self-reliant in their work for the end of hunger.

Women from the 12 villages surrounding the Ndéreppe epicenter participate in the VCA workshop on 7 February 2001.

THP-Senegal has extended this program to more than 200 villages, including more than 2,000 people. Because of the program’s success, THP-Senegal will progressively extend this program to as many villages as possible in the northern region of the country. 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 to make it easier to train them in the concept of leadership, credit and savings management and access to rural banks. It also empowers women to have confidence to continuously use to credit. During this period, THP-Senegal has graduated 422 literate women in both Pulaar and Ouolof local languages.

i. Market Gardening Groups: These groups of men and women have been formed in many villages in the northern region of Senegal, such as Mpal, Mbatiass, Saly-Vélingara. They are using credit and technical know-how that is provided to them by THP-Senegal. These groups specialize in producing potatoes, onions, pimento and tomatoes with the average yearly income per village of approximately US $650.

  1. Women’s Income Generating Activities: The activities include tie-dye for clothes, dress making, poultry farming, small business, and cattle fattening These activities are an important source of income and provide a way to create wealth. They have dramatically expanded during this period in terms of quantity and quality of the production. Through these activities, mainly undertaken by women, they have continuously increased their income for their families and their savings in the rural bank of THP-Senegal. As a result of the increased income earned, the women continue to invest in any activity of their choice which is vital for the community such as the construction of a cereal bank, the expansion of poultry farming, development of small businesses and fattening of animals for the local market, planted several acres of fruit gardens, and built a village boutique to sell various good to the villagers. In each of those areas, women have increased their income and saved more money in their bank accounts.

The Hunger Project-Senegal has made sure that women’s groups in 200 villages have access to credit so that they can undertake lucrative activities of their own choice. In addition to this, THP-Senegal, in close cooperation with the African Women Food Farmers Initiative (AWFFI), led by Mrs. Fadiop Sall, the National Coordinator for Senegal, have made available extensive credit programs to many women in several epicenters. The credits are currently enabling them to undertake lucrative income-generating activities such as poultry farming, dyeing/sewing, small business, and agriculture. To date, the rate of return on their credits is at least 90 % on time and 98% with a grace period.

The micro-credit program is one of the women’s most requested support systems. 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 (45%) 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 THP-revolving credit system that has been put in place by THP-Senegal is ensuring a better and higher rate of return at the end of the year and the women are completely repaying the capital and the interest on their loans. 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

  1. 5% interest on capital which is paid into the original account of THP to sustain the life of the revolving fund
  2. 5% interest on capital as savings by members to contribute for funding of the own new activities.

As a result, the Belgium government gave to THP’s rural bank in Mpal additional funds of

US$83,000. These additional funds have enabled the rural bank to increase the number of people and the amount of credit available not only to our partners in Mpal but also to the other regions of Senegal where THP-Senegal is active.

Thanks to the well-organized HP credit program, the first rural bank in Mpal, created in 1995 by THP-Senegal with an initial capital of US$12,000, has now reached a total balance of US$61,000. This success is possible because of the thorough trainings in building management capacity given by THP-Senegal, and the commitment of the women leadership to make possible an exemplary and successful rural banking module. Indeed, their vision and commitment was rewarded when the government of Senegal recognized in October 2000 the Mpal rural bank as an official financial institution in Senegal. The recognition was indeed crucial in attracting additional funds from other sources. As a result of these new funds, the bank has now given out to the community five-fold more funds than before.

Given the successful example of community banking in Mpal Epicenter, the other five epicenters have raised funds and established similar rural banks. THP-Senegal and the AWFFI are working in partnership to ensure that women have access to credit and that they have support to launch their income-generating activities. In each epicenter, THP-Senegal has created a committee in charge of the management of the rural bank and is providing them training by a credit and saving expert from the Ministry of Finance to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the bank’s operation.

The local committee meets with the country director at the new, expansion epicenter in Dahra, 1 March 2001.

The success of our work in Senegal has created so much enthusiasm and such high expectations that many communities in Senegal have requested THP-Senegal create an epicenter in their communities. Based on their requests and their commitment of self-reliance, THP-Senegal will create in 2001 and 2002 additional epicenters or sub-epicenters in Touba Cador, Mayaye, Dékhlé, Peuhl and Namene Amar. In addition, THP-Senegal will continue to work with the communities in the other epicenters to consolidate all existing many programs and to work closely with the AWFFI to ensure that this initiative is well established in the entire northern region of Senegal in the shortest time possible.