Public Interest Registry Names Andando as 2023 .ORG Impact Awards Finalists, Padma Lakshmi to Host

Public Interest Registry (PIR), the people behind .ORG, named the finalists for the 5th annual .ORG Impact Awards and announced that Padma Lakshmi—activist, author, and host/producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation—will host the awards ceremony where the winners will be revealed on November 16 in Washington, D.C. The program recognizes and rewards outstanding mission-driven individuals and organizations from around the world for their positive contributions to society.

Andando is named as a finalist in the Community Building category for their outstanding work in Senegal aiding rural communities to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and create lasting positive change especially for women and girls. This is the first time that Andando’s achievements are being recognized at the global level which is both an honor and a great opportunity for a larger audience to engage with their work.

Andando’s women’s gardens, health posts, schools, and microloans work together to help communities to lift themselves out of poverty.

Andando’s holistic, community centered approach to poverty reduction has affected over 50,000 people in some of the most remote and underserved villages in Senegal.  Partnerships last a minimum of 5 years and can include interventions in food security, healthcare, school infrastructure and microfinance, all depending on the needs and desires of each community. To date Andando has constructed and supports 40 women’s cooperative gardens, 65 classrooms, 45 latrines and has distributed over 2,000 microloans.

“We are honored to welcome our 2023 .ORG Impact Award Finalists into our growing community of changemakers, who inspire us to make the world a better place. We created the awards to celebrate those within the .ORG Community who work tirelessly to uplift their communities—and this year’s finalists represent hope for a brighter future” said Jon Nevett, President, and CEO of Public Interest Registry.

From food justice to health advocacy, Lakshmi is a passionate and outspoken advocate in the mission-driven community

“We also are thrilled to have Padma Lakshmi join us to celebrate the immense impact of the OIA finalists, winners, and .ORG community at our awards ceremony. A changemaker herself with an inspiring advocacy background, Padma will bring new energy and celebration to this year’s awards.”

Andando’s Executive Director Garrison Harward along with Development Director Crystal Kelley will travel to the .ORG Impact Awards celebration where the winners will be announced. 35 finalists, out of nearly 1,000 candidates, will attend the ceremony where the .ORG of the year winner will receive a donation of $50,000 with the other category winners each receiving $10,000.  

“It’s an honor to be a finalist for such a prestigious global award. If we are lucky enough to win our category or even .ORG of the Year 100% of the funds will go directly into life changing projects for a new rural community in Senegal. Beyond that though we hope that more people will see what we are doing and want to get involved. The impacts we’re achieving are truly incredible.”

- Garrison Harward, Executive Director

Public Interest Registry (PIR) is a nonprofit that operates the .ORG top-level domain—one of the world’s largest generic top-level domains with more than 10.8 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG is open to everyone, providing a global platform for organizations, associations, clubs, businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life. PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet for two decades with a clear mission to be an exemplary domain name registry, provide a trusted digital identity and help educate those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. PIR was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA. Visit www.TheNew.org for more information.

MICRO Loan, BIG Impact!

A farmer and his son seeding their peanut field with the use of a horse and a pull-behind seeding machine.

We often call Andando’s method the Whole Village approach, and that’s because the problems our partner communities face are multi-faceted, making it incredibly difficult to solve one need without addressing many others along the way.  Our microloan program is one of our oldest and is an integral component of this approach, ensuring that once each community has access to nutrition, education, and healthcare, they also have access to resources for sustained economic growth.

One of our microloan recipients, Tidiane Sakho, with his family outside their home. They used the proceeds from their harvest to make improvements on their home as well as increase their food security.

It’s hard to fully explain the difficulties that Senegalese families face in rural villages.  Like families anywhere, they need to put food on the table, pay for clothes, buy school supplies, and cover other household needs.  But in rural areas, access to consistent income, banking, and credit is rare.  Most families rely on farming for their food security and yearly income, and the months leading up to the rainy season can be very lean times. 

Many farmers supplement their income by growing peanuts, a cash crop in Senegal. Using their loans to diversify their crops gives farmers more options and security when it is time to harvest.

This is precisely the time when farmers need to make their largest investments (equipment, seeds, and fertilizer) but for many the money from last year’s harvest has run out.  Predatory lenders with high interest rates fill the need for loans, but at an extreme cost to farmers’ profits, all but ensuring that the next harvest won’t sustain the family for the full year.

This year we were able to DOUBLE the number of loans bringing our total to 200! This picture is of just some of the microloan recipients.

Our microloan program eases this burden by providing small zero-percent interest loans ahead of the rainy season so that farmers can purchase what they need to start their crops on time and maximize their yields and profits.

“This loan allowed me to buy a variety of seeds and fertilizer.  After harvest I bought cement to start adding on to our home.
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— Tidiane Sahko, Loan Recipient

This program has been running successfully for over a decade with a better than 99% repayment rate, and this year thanks to the generosity of our donors we DOUBLED the number of loans distributed to 200! We are so excited to see the impact this will have, and we hope to reach even more farmers next year.

See more about our microloan program.

Message from a Microloan Recipient [Video]

Our oldest program, microloans provide interest-free loans to farmers and their families and continues to yield great results. We firmly believe in helping the whole village and our programs complement each other to help break inter-generational cycles of poverty.

Entrepreneurs are vital to growing local economies but access to credit is extremely difficult and expensive in rural areas. This year we provided 100 zero interest loans to farmers helping them to purchase needed supplies at the start of a particularly early rainy season ensuring their success and a good harvest for their families.

Hear directly from one of our microloan recipients, Issa Ndiaye, on how the microloan program has benefited him and his family. (Click here to watch the video in YouTube.)

“Before Andando I used to go and try to get money to prepare myself for the rainy season, sometime I was late, when it rained I didn’t have the seeds ready and in the ground. But since I have been working with Andando I have all my items ready, ready before the rains, so all my crops produce faster.”

— Issa Ndiaye, Microloan Recipient

“Before I could not have a big farm. Now I can!”

Mamadou Senghor with his wife and some of the multiple generations that live in their home.

Mamadou Senghor is a father, grandfather, and farmer in Fas Toucouleur.  His village is 3 miles from the main road and historically has limited access to electricity and running water.  As the eldest son, he is responsible for the care of everyone in his household. (In Senegal it is common for multiple generations to live together on a family-owned piece of land.)

In one of Mamadou’s fields, he grows corn, millet, and peanuts.

A long-time farmer, Mamadou struggled, as many in this area do, to get the supplies needed at the start of the planting season.  Because of this he could not use his fields to their full potential, which limited the amount of food he could grow for his family and the amount of income he could gain from the sale of cash crops, such as peanuts.

“Before I could not have a big farm. But since Andando helped me, I have increased my farm. Before I had maybe 1 hector (2 1/2 acres), and now I have 6 hectors (approx 15 acres). I have something to give to my family to eat and something to sell. We solve our economic problems and pay back the loan.”

— Mamadou Senghor, Farmer

Khady, Mamadou’s wife, proudly standing outside her new kitchen.

Having a robust and diverse farm gives Mamadou security for his family.  He uses the extra income to replace the huts on their property (comprised of clay walls,  thatched roofs, and dirt floors) with more durable buildings.  Raised off the ground with concrete floor and walls, and topped with a metal roof, his family no longer suffers during the rainy season.

Mamadou shows the remaining clay hut; all the rest have been replaced with concrete structures with metal roofs.

Having a robust and diverse farm gives Mamadou security for his family.  He uses the extra income to replace the huts on their property (comprised of clay walls,  thatched roofs, and dirt floors) with more durable buildings.  Raised off the ground with concrete floor and walls, and topped with a metal roof, his family no longer suffers during the rainy season.

“I thank the supporters of Andando and pray for them...because we know how much you help us, and how you have lifted us up.”

— Mamadou

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There are many more farmers like Mamadou who would benefit from a little boost to improve the quality of life for their families. You can make a difference, donate today.

Microloans in Action- Interview with Samba Mbaye

Each year over 100 local farmers participate in our microloan program. They each receive small (about $150 USD) interest-free loans that they use to improve their farms, increase their yields and revenue, and ultimately provide a better life for themselves and their families. We are honored to introduce you to Samba Mbaye, who has benefited from this program. He would like to share in his own words what this program means to him, his family, and his larger community.

Samba working in his millet and peanut fields.

My name is Samba Mbaye, I have a wife and six children including three boys and three girls, I am a farmer and at the same time I assume the function of city councilor in Keur Socé.

Personally, I have received micro-loans from Andando. I use these funds to buy fertilizer to enrich my millet and peanut fields because I keep seeds very often. I have been able to fertilize four hectares (approx. 10 acres) of fields thanks to the accompaniment and support of the Andando staff who reinforced my motivation to profit from this unused field perimeter to hope for a good production.

Samba with his wife and children in their home.

The funding had a big impact on me. All of Andando’s actions impact on me. The loans have positively benefitted my family, because after the harvest we manage to preserve food (peanuts and millet) until the next winter. Andando supports us at a very important time in the life of the farmer because at this time it is difficult to access financial assistance.

Farmers at the annual microloan distribution.

Andando's actions impact my community because they really feel his support in many areas because Andando is open to everyone, he has no borders with anyone. It helps all the vulnerable layers of my community (women, children, farmers, etc.).

Eating a family meal around a communal bowl.

The support of farmers has an impact on the community, because after harvest farmers can sell to their community so they have something to eat, this contributes to nutrition, and food security, and has an impact on the economy as well. Andando’s projects have an impact on all communities, because Andando provides service to the whole community.

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There are many more farmers like Samba who would benefit from a little boost to improve the quality of life for their families. You can make a difference, donate today.

From the Director - July 2021

Early last month, we distributed nearly 100 microloans to farmers in the Keur Socé area. Our microloan program is one of the earliest programs we initiated in Senegal. Over ten years old (!) it has grown to be one of our more successful – and popular programs! – having reached well over 1,500 people!

Some of the farmers who received microloans at our June distribution.

This year’s recipients will take advantage of early pricing for crop inputs ahead of the rainy season. At just over $100 each, these interest-free loans help farmers in a big way to avoid exploitative lending practices that can eat up most of their profit at the end of the harvest season. The farmers keep more of what they grow in their own pocket, and build toward a better future.

A farmer with his son seeding their peanut field in anticipation of the rainy season.

“The funding had a big impact on me and my family. After the harvest we manage to preserve food (peanuts and millet) until the next winter. Andando supports us at a very important time in the life of the farmer because at this time it is difficult to access financial assistance.”

— Samba Mbaye – farmer and past microloan recipient in Keur Socé

With a 100% payback rate over the last several years, loans are recirculated in the community again and again, keeping the money and the growth local. This program embodies our philosophy of helping people help themselves, and meeting them where they are. We are proud of our team for safely and efficiently coordinating this program along with local authorities. Now we hope for rain and wish the farmers a happy and healthy growing season!

“Jéréjëf!” – Thank You!
Lewis Kiker, Executive Director

Microloans, Horses, and Goats

Some of the farmers that received microloans at this year’s distribution in June.

Over 100 local farmers received microloans to expand their crops which will increase their financial security.

Modou showing us his field where he used the purchase of a horse to increase his crop yield.

We touched base with one of last year’s recipients, Modou Sakho. He used his loan to buy a horse which increased his crop yield. The additional crops bolstered his family food rations and he sold the extra. With the additional funds he bought goats which he will be able to breed for meat as well as to generate income.

““Que Andando amoul morom. (Andando has no equal.)“

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— Modou Sakho, Microloan Recipient

Farmers and their family members working the fields.

Microloans have been a boost to the economy of rural Senegal. Without access to credit, it is very difficult to make investments for the future. Over the last 12+ years over 1,200 loans have been distributed with a payback rate of over 98%!

Thank You From a Father, Husband, and Peanut Farmer

Mamadou Ka is a 50 year old husband, father and farmer in the community of Sama Toucouleur (about 2 miles NW of Keur Soce). A recent microloan recipient, Mamadou saw a plentiful harvest which allowed him to increase his farm and repay his loan. This loan will be given to another farmer in next month’s distribution.

We sat down with Mamadou to learn how he increased his farm and how this impacted both him and his community.

How did you use your loan?

When I received the funds, I used it to buy peanut seeds and other inputs to properly prepare for the winter farming season.

How was your harvest?

I harvested 1.6 [metric] tons of peanuts (just over 3,500 pounds)!!

What is the benefit to you and your family from this harvest?

With the sale of the peanuts [$425 USD] I was able to do a lot. I built two rooms onto my house for my family. We are very comfortable now and sheltered from the heavy and disastrous rains.

How have things changed in your community?

The community is really benefiting from the help of Andando. Besides myself, several other farmers also received loans this year to increase their outputs. The women of the village work a market garden set up on the outskirts of the village. With the produce they are able to feed their families and make an income. Two years ago a health post was completed to provide health care and allow women to give birth without having to walk the 3 kilometers [2 miles] into Keur Soce.

So, yes, the Andando funding has benefited me and my community.

I thank all the team of Andando: technicians who helped here in Sama Toucouleur; Mr. [Boubou] Sy who recommended the market garden, the health post, and selected the farmers to receive microloans; AND the donors in America, thank you!

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Info on microloans: For the last 10+ years, we have been investing in the economic development of rural Senegal in the form of microloans. These small, no-interest cash loans (usually around $100 USD) are used by the recipient to start a small business or otherwise actively pursue the opportunity to turn this small amount into something larger.

These small loans can have a huge impact, and they are almost always fully repaid with a paid back rate of around 98%. To date we have administered over 1,000 microloans.

Summer Loan Distribution- Just In Time For Planting

Recipients of this year's microloan distribution, many of which are farmers, will be able to expand their plantings and harvest - just in time for the rainy season!

We recently had a loan distribution event where dozens of local farmers received a loan to assist with the planting of their fields as the rainy season progresses. We have been doing this program for over 10 years and have experienced life-changing results for many involved. With over a thousand loans going out over the years, we have had about a 98% pay back rate!

Ibrahima, a second-time loan participant, took his $100 loan and turned it into $1,000!

This is Ibrahima Gueye, a farmer who lives in the village of Keur Diene, near Keur Soce. He is a father of eight, four boys and four girls. We recently sat down with him to ask him about his participation in our microloan program. Many of these farmers cannot afford the inputs to plant their fields, or end up going to exploitative lenders who then eat up all the profits they might have gained. With Andando’s no-interest loans, people are able to keep what they earn and begin to emerge from this cycle of poverty.

“Andando has been instrumental in this area, not only through this financing plan, but also in the areas of health, education, and agriculture.

This past year I received a loan of $100.  With these funds increased my farmable land to 1.5 hectares [approx. 3.7 acres] by having it plowed.  This cost about $40. From there, I used $15 to buy watermelon seeds, and the rest of the money went toward other inputs to build up the other maize fields I had planted. That is how I spent the money, then I worked the fields and waited.

Andando staff, Camara (pictured left), recording the loan distribution amounts and repayments.

It was incredible, because after the season, I earned over $800 by selling the watermelons and sold 10 bags of maize for $200. This means that I had an overall income of $1,000 during the overwintering period, and it is directly thanks to the loan that brought me all this output and great returns. In addition, I also kept nine bags of maize for my family's sustenance during the dry period. So, the loan has brought me a lot of economic change, but also sociological, by contributing to my dignity, my being and the improvement of my income.

“The loan has brought me a lot of economic change, but also sociological, by contributing to my dignity, my being and the improvement of my income.”

This project has been very beneficial for us and our community. It is helping us to be more sustainable in our lives. We must in turn make this program sustainable by always respecting the time of payment of our loans, think about our material and financial empowerment, and then Andando could develop new programs to allow others to benefit from the loan.

Andando staff Camara (left) and Mandaw (right) along with the mayor of Keur Soce distributing funds to this year's loan recipients.

I want to thank Andando very much, because this is the second time I have received a loan. I thank the whole Andando team and staff for working for the success of the project and the commune of Keur Soce."

From all of us at Andando, thank you for supporting these life-changing programs.  

We Will Work Hard, Our Whole Community Will Benefit

With very little access to capital, how can an entrepreneurial woman in rural Senegal start or grow her business? For the last 12 years, part of our efforts are directed toward economic assistance, allowing those in West Africa a chance to have access to capital in the form of microloans.

These tiny cash loans, averaging $60, are used by the recipient to start a small business or otherwise actively pursue the opportunity to turn this small amount into something larger. They are almost always fully repaid, with a paid back rate of around 95%.

We recently caught up with a few of these women in the town of Podor, in the north of Senegal. We sat with them and learned more about what they do and hear their success stories.

Podor Microloan Ladies

Dibor Faye used the loan she received to make ice cream. It is not the conventional kind like we think of, but a mixture of fruit from the Baobab tree (called Monkey Bread), combined with water and sugar and then frozen. It's quite delicious and fairly simple to make. While knowing there would be a strong demand for it, she had no money or resource of any kind to buy the ingredients, including sugar and little plastic bags used to make single servings to sell. Her loan was for $50, part of which she also used to rent a small freezer space from a nearby shop.

Over the next few months, she developed a clientele. It is very hot and dry in Podor, so people liked being able to buy a small portion of this "ice cream" for a few pennies.  She eventually turned her $50 loan into $290, for a profit (after she repaid the loan) of $240!

Awa Diop used her loan to buy and raise a sheep, which gave birth to a lamb. She fed them both with special feed to get them ready for the annual "feast" or meal celebration, not unlike our Thanksgiving.  She sold them both for a tidy profit of over $200.

In talking about what she had planned for her new income, she motioned toward a young child, who was handicapped. She was able to buy medicine and clothes (the child cannot walk and wears out clothing by crawling around on hands and knees). She took the girl to a doctor and paid her medical bills. It was a life-changing intervention that cost very little. Further, Awa is very proud that she was able to earn this money through her own hard work and take care of her family.

Khadidiatou Ndiaye

Khadidiatou Ndiaye used her $45 loan money to buy seed to grow rice. She planted on her local small farm patch where she grew and cared for the rice, and eventually harvested thirty 50 lb bags of rice. She borrowed a local donkey cart to transport the rice to her house.

She sold all the rice one bag at a time from her home, as local people came to buy from her. Because the rice was locally grown and very good, she sold out (she kept some seed for next year). She made over $300 -  more money than she has ever made!

She was very pleased with results and thanked Andando for the help.  Now that her loan is paid back, someone else in the community can borrow the money as the loans revolve in order to give everyone a chance.

She concluded her remarks by saying: "We want to escape from Poverty.  We will work hard.  Our whole community will benefit".

These encouraging stories illustrate a key principle of how Andando is operated - a little bit of money goes a long way.  You don't have to spend vast amounts of money to make a big difference, indeed the opposite is often true. And we don't have a lot of overhead, in fact very little.  We like to keep things efficient and productive.

It doesn't take a lot of money to change someone's life.

Weaving Success and "Le Projet"

We have another great field report from our intern - Miriam - on people in Keur Soce participating in our micro-loan program. We are excited to announce another round of loan disbursements will take place in the next week or two, which we hope will lead to more stories like these. Further, borrowers in Keur Soce will be participating in small business classes in the coming months as part of the program in an effort to boost productivity and profit.

Ndiaya Diasse

Ndiaya Diasse with her new baby 2

When Ndiaya Diasse first started buying fruit wholesale in Kaolack to sell in Keur Soce, she had to borrow money from family members to be able to afford the large bulk purchases. Her two loans from Andando for 50 000 FCFA each have helped her gain financial security and feel at peace with her finances, and her fruit business has been growing. Ndiaya used one of these loans to purchase a larger table, allowing her to increase her merchandise and thus her sales. She now makes about 5 000 FCFA profit from each bulk purchase she makes, and says she never runs out of clients but often runs out of fruit.

Ndiaya’s increased income has ameliorated other aspects of her and her family’s life. She uses her profits to pay for school fees and to buy schoolbooks for her five school-age children, which she often struggled to afford in the past. Her 6th child, Pape Kebe, is still an infant and slept soundly through our interview. She said he is nicknamed “Projet,” the French word for “project,” because Ndiaya was working in Andando’s gardens while she was pregnant with him; Andando’s work is often referred to as “le projet” throughout Keur Soce and the other villages where we work. Naming a child after someone is a great honor in Senegalese culture, and Ndiaya wanted to thank Anando for the support she has received.

Elhaji Modou Diouf

Elhaji Modou Diouf with his wife and new baby

After five agricultural loans of 60 000 FCFA with Andando, Elhaji Modou Diouf is proud of his fields. During a trip to Keur Soce, Elhaji took us to visit his corn, millet, and peanut fields and show off what he has been able to do thanks to Andando. Elhaji picked up Refilwe, Boubou, Mandou, and me on his older brother’s donkey charette to bring us to his fields in a village just one town over from Keur Soce. We passed through dozens of open fields planted with a variety of crops until we reached Elhaji’s area, which stand apart from the rest because it is surrounded by a fully-grown live fence. Live fencing is especially advantageous because it is self-sustainable, and Elhaji does not have to pay for repairs to maintain the fence. In addition, it is a very environmentally friendly option as opposed to typical fencing with wood or plastic.

Elhaji has luckily never had problems with crops failing or poor weather conditions, but in the past he often had trouble finding enough money to buy seeds for the new planting season. With his Andando loans he purchased seeds, allowing him to focus his efforts on other parts of his fields, like his living fence which took 5 years to grow to full size and the small hut he constructed in case it starts raining while he is there.

Elhaji Modou Diouf's fields 3

In addition, Elhaji’s wife, Syra Mbodji, has been sick for over a year and only recently regained her health. During that time, Elhaji had to grapple with the additional costs of her extensive treatment, as well as the loss of the income she brought in from her business selling soap. Nevertheless, with his agriculture strengthened thanks to his Andando loans, Elhaji has been able to manage and additionally has been saving money on the side to prepare for the construction of a new home on his own land. Elhaji currently lives with his older brother and his family, but he dreams of being able to build his own home for himself, his wife, and their 5 children. Currently, he has purchased the cement blocks needed and is now saving up to pay for the labor.

Yande Ndiaye

Yande Ndiaye

Yande learned to sew when she was growing up in Ndoffan, a village near Keur Soce. Every Thursday a group of Nuns would come to the Ndoffan church to teach the girls there how to sew with a machine and by hand. When she was about 18 years old, Yande started sewing to sell for a profit, and has been sewing since. When she got married at age 20, Yande’s husband bought her a sewing machine as part of her brideprice, but unfortunately now it is broken so now she mostly sews by hand. She uses a different type of thread, more like yarn, to create colorful patterns and designs on stark white bed sheets, pillowcases, and other materials.

Yande’s creations are very popular in Keur Soce and the neighboring towns, and she sells them too quickly to be able to stock a boutique. For now, she is happy to be selling from her home. Usually she makes merchandise for clients who order specific items, but sometimes Yande makes extra merchandise and is able to sell to people who visit her or hear about her goods. Yande reinvests her profits back into her sewing business by purchasing new items like needles and stencils. In the past she has also used profits to purchase a goat or a chicken, which provide additional income for her family. She can sell the goat’s milk or chicken’s eggs, as well as breed them and sell the offspring.

Yande’s loans with Andando allowed her to make her first foray into agriculture and diversify the income she makes to support her large family, which now includes grandchildren. She used her first loan to purchase peanut seeds and fertilizer, and she takes the peanuts to Kaolack to sell. Yande told me that her peanut fields provide her with extra monetary security; since her sewing sales are principally based on orders she is not guaranteed to have a steady income, but peanuts are sure not to fail. Though she has not had an Andando loan in years, Yande continues to cultivate peanuts to protect her and her family from hard times. She can now express herself creatively through her sewing without worrying about providing for her family.

Micro Loan Success!

Djigo

We recently reported our most recent round of farmer loans going out into the Keur Soce community. Here are some success stories of women and men who have been involved in the program. It is a fantastic program that can really benefit families across the community and we are excited about where this is going. Special thanks to our intern - Miriam - for these great borrower stories. Faour Djigo

Faour Djigo comes from a long line of farmers. She learned how to farm when she was younger from helping her family in fields, and now she teaches the children in her family. Especially in rural areas, like Fass Tocouleur where Faour lives, farming may be a family’s primary source of income, so everyone, including women and children, help out in the fields.

With a loan from Andando, Faour has been able to increase her own plot in her family’s field. She is a peanut farmer and now, with her loan, can buy additional seeds to plant on more area. Faour earns a small profit from the extra harvest she is able to sell after she saves part for her family’s consumption. But Faour told me that life can be difficult, so she makes sure to put money aside just in case. Faour saves half of her profits to be used in case of emergencies, like if a family member falls ill or her peanut crop fails. The other half she uses to buy ducks or goats that she breeds and sells for additional profit. Faour is now on her third loan with Andando, and she always feels prepared to deal with life’s uncertainties.

Ndaw

Adam Ndaw

Adam (pronounced ah-dah-m) Ndaw, one of Faour Djigo’s daughters, lives in the village of Fass Toucouleur, not far from Keur Soce. Though Fass Toucouleur and Keur Soce are only separated by a few kilometers, they are composed of different ethnic groups who speak different languages. Fass Toucouleur is predominantly Fula and Pulaar-speaking, while Keur Soce is predominantly Wolof and Wolof-speaking. Though Adam is of the Fula ethnic group and speaks Pulaar as her mother tongue, she also speaks Wolof as it is invaluable should she travel to a neighboring village.

Adam is married, though her husband lives in Spain for work and she lives in Senegal with his family. This is an unfortunate reality for many women in Senegal, whose husbands must travel far for work and leave their wives and family behind. Adam and her two twin sons live with her husband’s family to help out with the housework and upkeep of the family.

Adam earns money from her small business selling soaps. She sells powdered soap and bar soap from her home. After her first loan of 25,000CFA (about $50) with Andando, which she used to purchase more soap, Adam used her profits to buy chicks that she raised for her family’s consumption as well as to sell in the village. Adam’s chicken business gives her family additional income from the sales as well as additional nutrients for their diet; in many rural villages in the area, meals consist of mainly millet with little other added ingredients to provide nutrition, as other additives like fruits and vegetables are relatively expensive when cooking for large Senegalese families. Adam has recently received her third loan with Andando, and both her soap and chicken businesses are thriving.

Ndiaye

Ibou Codou Ndiaye

On Tuesday, the market day in Keur Soce, I met with Ibou Codou Ndiaye among the hustle and bustle of buying, selling, and bargaining. Ibou is a peanut and millet farmer and also raises livestock, like donkeys that can help cultivate in the fields or pull carts to transport goods. Ibou is currently on his third loan of 60,000CFA (about $120) with Andando, which he used to purchase peanut seeds for his fields. Before working with Andando, Ibou often did not have enough money to buy enough seed. Now, he doesn’t worry about providing for his family with the income he earns from farming.

Ibou has even started to innovate his farming techniques to maintain a steadier profit throughout the year. With his most recent loan, Ibou purchased two different types of peanut seeds. One type of seed will germinate in two months, and the other in three or four months. A diversified harvest means steady peanut sales and a steady income for Ibou, his two wives, and eight children.

With his increased profits, Ibou has been able to purchase a small cow that helps him cultivate in the fields, which drastically cuts down on the manual labor that he and his children must carry out while farming. In addition, Ibou must no longer pay to borrow a cow to assist with cultivation. Ibou plans on using the profits from this harvest to purchase goats or sheep to breed in preparation for Tabaski, the Senegalese name for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha that will take place in October. Senegalese generally celebrate Tabaski by killing and eating sheep and goats, so Ibou is preparing early for the business that is sure to come.

Trip to Senegal

Several of us gathered in Senegal over Christmas and New years and in to the second week of January. We weren't all there together all the time but we were all together some of the time.... Scotty and Crystal were there first arriving Christmas day. They had a great reunion with old friends. You may recall that Scotty and Crystal spent a year in Senegal helping Andando with miscellaneous projects. Then on the 30th Lewis and Ruby arrived from Swaziland. They also had previously spent time working for Andando in Senegal. I joined them later that day. Then on the 30th Ken, Mary and Kevin arrived to complete our group. We worked on a variety of projects while there and also spent a lot of time catching up with old friends.  Our first couple of days were spent doing a kids camp for over 60 kids. The kids came and spent the day. Our theme was Christmas, and we played games, read stories, did crafts, watched movies, and ate lots of good food.

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Our next few days were spent in the Keur Soce area, visiting several projects, including the construction of a health post in Thiawandou. We are excited about what a huge difference this building will make in the life of this community. More about this soon in its own post.  We also visited some new wells, and water projects.

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Another part of our trip was spent checking out some micro loans. We are consistently pleased and encouraged by the ingenuity and hard work of our loan recipients.

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A good trip!

Micro loans in Swaziland

Our first round  of micro loans in Swaziland was initiated on April 1. On October 1 the loans were repaid and we wanted to share just one of the loan recipients stories with you. Thanks to Ruby for this report.

Khanyisile Simelane was an inspiration from the start. Her affability was contagious and proved to be one of her best business assets.

Khanyisile Jele

She received her loan to start a small business out of her home on April 1. Almost immediately she suffered a setback  when the freezer she was using broke down. She learned one of the first rules of business- flexibility. Rural life is demanding and highly unpredicatable and she quickly realised she would need a business partner to share the responsibility of running her small store. This proved to be her best decision.

A partnership was built with her neighbor and they were off and running. The store was moved to a more central location to maximize traffic and the product mix was improved to reflect needs in the community. They have been diversifying and improving their selection weekly and are already a social hub. Her friendly nature has transformed their small enterprise into the perfect gathering place for community members and her shared business responsibilities has proved highly sustainable.

Her 6 month loan was repaid 100% and on time and the business has not skipped a beat. This small business has allowed her a feeling of stability, a few small luxuries and most importantly, pride in what she has accomplished.

Swaziland!

We recently opened a new project in a new country- Swaziland! First a quick geography lesson. Swaziland is a tiny kingdom surrounded by South Africa on three sides and bordered by Mozambique on the other. It is ruled by king Mswati lll, is one of the poorest African countries and has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS on the continent. 75% of the population depends on subsistence farming and 60 % live on less than $1.25 a day.

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Andando is starting small in this small country with fifteen micro loans in one targeted community- Nhulweni. In many ways this is a typical small community in Swaziland, rural, no electricity or running water. But there are some hard working folks here who are eager to improve their lives and their community. We hope that this small beginning will grow into bringing long lasting sustainable change to more people and communities in this beautiful little corner of Africa.

Here are a couple examples of the loans-

Majahonkhe Bhembe borrowed $120 to buy pipe to access irrigation for his garden and will also use the water access for his chicken project where he is raising broilers for sale.

Majahonkhe Bhembe

Khanyisile Jele also borrowed about $120 to start a small store from her house to sell chickens, fruits and vegetables.

Khanyisile Jele

These loans are for a six months duration and are interest free. When they are repaid, they recycle into new loans in the community.

If you are interested in donating to our micro loan fund, click on the donate button and follow directions. We make loans from $30- $400 depending on the project.

Micro Loan multiplication

We have been doing micro loans in Senegal for more than four years now.  Over time we have shared some of these stories on this blog, on facebook and on our website.  Just yesterday we put up a short video on facebook from one of our loan recipients. We have had great success with this program. Out of about five hundred loans, fewer than ten have not been repaid. Some of the loans were for a small business start up, some were for farmers and some were for projects.

Just recently we heard from one of our loan recipients with absolutely the most gratifying story yet.  Djibi had received a loan from us several years back and repaid in a timely manner. He has since built a solid tailoring business and is very diligent about budgeting and saving his money.

Djibi has observed the Andando loan program in action and has learned much from it. So much so, that he recently informed us that he is starting his own microloan program based on the Andando model, back home in his own village.  He has saved money over time and believes he is now in a position to help others , thanks to the help he received from Andando! 

With his own savings, Djibi has made his first four loans and is hoping to do more. We are humbled and gratified by Djibi's generous spirit and his desire to pass along the blessing he received. 

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Continued success to you Djibi!

Modou Sakho

In summer of 2010, we visited some of the farmers in the Keur Soce area that had received seed loans from Andando. Modou was one of these farmers and the day we visited he was working with  two of his sons in their beautiful peanut field. Modou was looking forward to a good harvest and the ability to make a profit, thanks in part to the no interest loan he had received from Andando.

Fast forward one year and once again Modou is hard at work in his peanut field. But this year he a has a horse to help him with the plowing! With last year's profit he was able to purchase a horse  which has helped him and his neighbors immensely, not just in farming but in transportation also.

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Little by little, step by sustainable step, life is getting a little better for Modou and his family. Now they can dream of a future that has hope and possibility, thanks to one of our micro loans.

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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.)

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.

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!