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.