From the Director - October 2023

·       A potential new partner school in the neighboring commune of Ndiedieng, next to Keur Soce.

40 gardens, 14 health posts, 65 classrooms, 45 latrines, and over 2,000 microloans to date.  These numbers are impressive but what is the real limit of what we can do together?  How many more people can we reach?  How can we grow without losing the personal touch and care that has made Andando so uniquely successful?  What is next for Andando? These are questions that I ask myself constantly and with the completion of our 40th garden this feels like an important moment to step back, take stock, and share our vision for the future.  

Some of the amazing Podor team standing in front of our newly completed tree nursery, which will drastically increase the rate at which we can build new gardens.

It is nothing short of miraculous what Andando has been able to achieve over the past 15 years, but there is still so much more work to do. We’ve been in the incubator together, so to speak, building a community of supporters and developing our methods and partnerships.  What we do works, and we have a moral imperative now to reach as many communities in need as we can.

The incredible Keur Soce team after a strategic planning training this past August.

To this end we are investing in our local staff, who have always been key to our success, building their capacity and giving them the tools and training to tackle larger projects in the future.  We are working with regional government leaders to assess our current impacts and develop long-term plans to address the remaining needs in Keur Soce and Podor. And we are looking for Andando’s next region, or regions, to expand into, where our unique and dedicated approach can impact even more remote and neglected communities.  

Podor Tree Program Manager Alassane Ba (Gorgui), taking our new office computer for a test drive.

We are poised and ready to expand and there has never been a better, or a more needed time to support Andando.  Whether through the auction, monthly contributions, volunteering, or spreading the word, your support is not just another drop in the bucket, it directly impacts what we do every day and how big our vision for the future can be.

“Jéréjëf!” – Thank You!

- Garrison Harward, Executive Director

Meet Maguette, Garden Technician

Continuing in our series, we would like to introduce you to another member of our team who works on the ground in Senegal every day to build resilient, thriving communities. We think they are pretty amazing and are sure you will agree. This is the 14th in a series introducing the people that make it all possible. (Click here to see others in this series.) Meet Maguette, Garden Technician

Maguette joined the Andando team in 2018.

Maguette Marone joined our team in 2018. She is the second youngest in her family with five older sisters, one older brother, and one younger brother.  She grew up in Keur Soce and remembers when Andando first started working in the area.

“We can say that Andando was founded in front of me.”

— Maguette

A vital member of our team, Maguette brings a unique perspective and talent to both the Podor team (pictured here) and the Keur Soce team.

Maguette’s early education career was in one of Andando’s first partner schools.  She has fond memories of playing renga boulu* with her friends on the school grounds.  Maguette would often help her mother, Dibi, in her shop after school.  Dibi was one of the first entrepreneurs to build a business using an Andando microloan!

Maguette clearing brush at the Andando training center garden area in Keur Soce.

After completing school Maguette joined our team in Keur Soce as a Garden Technician.  With a passion for health and also watching her mother build a successful business she brings a unique perspective and talent to the team.

“My role is to guide women and show them how they can earn without using a lot of money.””

— Maguette

Using her life experience, Maguette helps women develop their own agriculture and entrepreneurial skills for success.

In July of 2020 Maguette married Ibrahim and they live in Keur Soce.  When she is not working Maguette enjoys watching movies and has a passion for health and wellness. 

Celebrating her marriage, Maguette (second from right) with two of her sisters and her little brother at her wedding in July 2020.

Your support enables Maguette to help her fellow citizens. Thank you for investing in their future!

Click here to meet other staff.

Celebrating Andando's 40th Garden!

·Women from the Wouro Kelle gather under the shade of the single tree in plot to dance and celebrate the start of the garden. Even out here smart phones are at the ready to record the festivities.

The village of Wouro Kelle in Podor is located in the vast flood plain of the Senegal River, known locally as the Walo. With rich soils and abundant water this land is ideal for rice cultivation, but unfortunately the same yearly floods that the village relies on for farming also causes it to be isolated for much of the year.  A little more than 700 people live here with the closest market town being about 10 miles away. Though the people of Wouro Kelle work hard to provide for their families, circumstances are stacked against them and there is simply not enough access to fresh fruits and vegetables to provide adequate nutrition, especially for young children.

This barren plot will soon be a lush permaculture garden providing a permanent source of nutrition and income for the whole village.

Photos show the barren roads leading to Wouro Kelle, scouting the site with local officials, and the village preparing the land for the installation of the garden.

Gardening is not new to the village, but it is seasonal.  As flood waters recede the heavy clay soil holds enough water to grow a single crop of sweet potatoes and pumpkins on the banks of the river before the hot season arrives and dries out the land.  Without access to irrigation or fences to keep out free-range livestock it’s nearly impossible to continue gardening activities year-round.  This is where Andando comes in. After months of meetings, planning, and construction Wouro Kelle is now joining Andando as our 40th women’s garden! Garden President Fatimata Sekk had this to say to our generous donors:

“We thank the lord we thank everyone who helped to create this condition. Where you come from is far, if you were not determined you would not reach here. We have wanted to have a garden for a long, long time… Now we are so determined to have it succeed. Everyone let’s stand up and lets work… We pray for our garden to be among the best in this area. We are so happy, there is no limit for our happiness.”

— Fatimata Sekk, Wouro Kelle Garden President

Garden President Fatimata Sekk verifies that all infrastructure is completed and functioning properly.  This garden draws water from the river, which turns brown with silt after it rains.

We are so happy as well to be partnering with such a deserving community and look forward to seeing the transformations that their work will bring to their families and community in the coming years.

With the fence, basins, and solar pump system complete the women of Wouro Kelle are ready to start their first ever dry season gardening campaign.

Update from the Field

I have just returned from Senegal and there is far too much good news to wait for the next newsletter!  We were fortunate to have good weather during the trip, not a guarantee in the rainy season, so we were able to see most of the new projects that we’re working on and how they’re coming together.  This is just a quick overview so stay tuned for more in-depth information soon on all of these amazing projects!

Garrison and Gorgui standing with our new deep borehole well in the desert.

In the Keur Soce area work is nearly complete on our first ever school garden at Keur Soce High School.  The fence, basins, and storehouse are done, leaving only the water connection to our nearby Thiako garden whose members are generously contributing their water to the school.  We are so excited that this will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program!  Work should be completed here by the end of the month, and we will share more pictures when classes start in October and garden activities begin.

The completed garden storehouse stands in front of the beautiful Keur Soce High School classrooms.

A fish basin inside Keur Soce High School Garden with Mandaw, Garden Program Manager.

Watering basins will be connected to the aquaculture system so that nutrient rich fish water can be used to water crops in the garden.

Renovations begin at Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School.

Also in Keur Soce we got to see the beginning of renovations of three classrooms at Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School.  The local municipal government is constructing two new classrooms here this year but didn’t have the means to upgrade the existing classroom building which has a leaking roof and cracked walls. So at the request of the village Andando stepped in to renovate the current classrooms so that all students will have a safe and proper learning environment for years to come.  We will also be adding a new block of latrines hare as well this fall!

Students from Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School in one of the classrooms that is now being renovated.

Adjacent to the existing classrooms is a temporary classroom where some students have to study in difficult conditions.

Due to the collaboration between the community and Andando all students will now study in proper safe and secure classrooms.

Madame Sekk, the head nurse of the regional hospital, facilitates a community meetings in the village of Bida in preparation to start construction on a new health post there.

In Podor we finished the selection process for our next health post which will be built in the rural community of Bida.  This village is dedicated to community health with several healthcare workers already operating a seasonal clinic here out of temporary structures which must be rebuilt each year.  We are proud to be working with such dedicated partners and can’t wait to see the impact that a proper health post will have on their ability to care for their community. We will share more about the incredible story of this village when we start construction here in November.

A boy from Togane stands with the papaya tree he helped plant this spring.

We are also nearly finished with construction on our new tree nursery and agroforestry center in Podor.  Our borehole well drilling was a complete success, and we now have a high output water source with a solar well pump system which will enable us to produce a minimum of 50,000 beneficial native trees here each year.  With these tree we will be able to speed up the implementation of new gardens and provide trees to all of our schools, health posts, and partner communities to bolster their food security, improve quality of life, and help them to restore the ecology of their lands. 

Photo Descriptions: 1) Clean fresh water flows from our new well in the Podor Tree Nursery. 2) Fruit tree seedlings in the Keur Soce Tree Nursery, which has started over 15,000 trees this year! 3) Podor Tree Nursery complete with basins, storehouse, water reservoir, solar panels, and restrooms. 4) A woman from Togane stands proudly with her Moringa trees. This is the first time that this village has ever had access to this miraculous and nutritious tree.

The children of Wouro Kelle verifying the water system. This garden draws water from the local river which turns brown from runoff during the rainy season.

Last but certainly not least we visited the community of Wouro Kelle to see the completion of Andando’s 40th garden!!  We are privileged to have this dedicated and deserving community join Andando at such a wonderful milestone and we can’t wait to share their story with you. Stay tuned for the next newsletter where we will profile Wouro Kelle and tell you more about the impact that this garden will have there. We would never have gotten to this point, or be able to reach such remote villages as this, without the steadfast support of our dedicated community of donors and volunteers over the past 15 years. Our hats off to you!

The women of Wourou Kelle celebrate the completion of their new garden.

It’s hard to believe but it’s already “Auction Season” for Andando, and if any of these projects resonated with you, please consider contributing in some way to help make the auction a success! We always have many more projects up for consideration than we can accomplish each year, and the success of the auction is the deciding factor on much of our yearly programing.  Whether you can help by volunteering, donating auction items, spreading the word to new potential donors, or attending and bidding on some of our amazing auction items, we appreciate your support so that we can continue this vital work in Senegal. 

Please consider contributing through our annual auction fundraiser. Whether you can help by volunteering, donating auction items, spreading the word to new potential donors, or attending and bidding on some of our amazing auction items, we appreciate your support so that we can continue this vital work in Senegal.  More info at www.andando.org/events.

Seno Bowal Health Post is Open for Business!

Women from the village of Seno Bowal celebrating the grand opening of the health post.

Seno Bowal is open for business! This past May we had the immense pleasure of witnessing the inauguration of our Seno Bowal health post, Andando’s 14th overall. 

Seno Bowal is a remote village in the northern region of Senegal. Accessible only by driving off the highway and then 8 miles into the desert on sand paths, the remoteness of this community really comes into focus.

Driving off the highway and then 20 kilometers (8 miles) into the desert on sand paths, the remoteness of this community really comes into focus.  We actually ended up passing the village because the paths had changed since our last visit, showing just how tenuous and unpredictable travel in this environment can be. 

We eventually found our way and when we arrived were greeted by a beautiful site, a crowd of cheering women in front of a gorgeous new health post: the bright sturdy structure seeming to stand proudly in stark contrast to the cracked and dilapidated hut that it replaced.  

Mane Fall, a mother and member of the village, shared with us the reality and risk of giving birth before the health post was completed.

The women of the village rolled out brightly colored mats and started playing traditional drums and soon the spontaneous dance party began.  The joy of this moment was palpable as the women laughed and sang, continually trying to one-up each other’s dance moves. 

During the planning and construction process for this health post we heard countless testimonials of the difficulties women in Seno Bowal and the surrounding villages face when seeking healthcare.  They opened up to us saying how hard it is to travel by donkey cart to the local hospital while in labor, or about giving birth in the dark without any electricity or running water, and even about the loved ones who they had lost because they weren’t able to get the care that they needed.  The exuberance of this moment seems to be joyful manifestation of relief, that hopefully life will be just a little bit easier from now on.  

The new health post includes clean running water. Something so vital that we easily take for granted.

After the initial celebration died down, we were treated to a tour of the new health post.  We saw the consultation room, the private delivery and recovery rooms, and got to wash our hands with clean running water; something so vital that we easily take for granted.

Sitting down with the community to hear how they are already using the post for community health outreach and primary care.

We then sat down for a meeting with the community where they told us how they are already using the post for community health outreach activities and primary care treatments.  It speaks volumes to this community’s dedication and enthusiasm that as soon as the paint was dry, they opened the doors and started seeing patients. In fact the first healthy baby was born here just a few weeks after our visit!

The Andando team standing out side the completed Seno Bowal Health Post with the head nurse.

We congratulate the entire community and everyone who helped us to make this possible. Here's to a healthier, happier Seno Bowal! As we move forward, Andando will continue to work with the community to ensure the sustainability of this health post. We’ll help train the staff and organize community health programs. We remain committed to improving access to quality healthcare for the people of Seno Bowal and other similar communities. This may be our 14th health post, but each one has its own unique story, and we are excited to share more stories of other communities in need as we continue to expand our rural healthcare initiatives.  

Volunteers Needed!

We are gearing up for a fabulous auction in October and we need your help to make it the best EVER! Whether you want to volunteer remotely, or in person, a lot or a little, we need you.

How can I help?

• Contact businesses to secure auction items

• Sign up to bake something for the infamous Dessert Dash!! (We are also seeking someone to help coordinate all the bakers)

• Day-of set up & clean up

• Day-of guest check-in

• Help bring people to the Auction by serving as table host

• And more (If you have a skill that we don’t know about let us know!)

For more information or to sign up to volunteer contact Crystal:

Crystal@andando.org
(541) 224-7990 (call or text)

From the Director - July 2023

We are on a roll! It feels appropriate that with the lush growth of another rainy season, so many projects are coming to fruition for Andando. 

The inauguration of Seno Bowal Health Post, Andando’s 14th overall.

Our Seno Bowal health post, Andando’s 14th overall, was officially inaugurated on May 10th, and the first baby was born there less than a month later! This post was entirely funded by generous donations from Hub City Church, and we are so proud to be partnering with them to create life saving access to maternal healthcare in rural communities. 

Midwives and nurses standing outside the newly renovated health post in Thiemene Taba.

We are thrilled to report that the repairs of our first health post, Thiamene Taba, are complete as well! Altrusa International of Albany helped us to realize this rapid response to the damage that occurred here during the last rainy season, ensuring that this post will continue to serve the area for years to come.

Drilling the borehole in Podor for the new native tree nursery.

In Podor we successfully drilled our first borehole well in the desert last month, which is a crucial milestone towards building our new native tree nursery and agroforestry center.  This location will soon produce 50,000 beneficial trees each year thanks to a grant from Rick Steve’s Europe!

Workers frame up the rebar for the concrete aquaculture basin in the Keur Soce High School STEM garden. Construction is nearly complete on our first-ever school garden at Keur Soce High School, which will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program.

Back in Keur Soce work is nearly finished on our first ever school garden at Andando’s Keur Soce High School, which will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program.  We are still seeking funding to hopefully build a laboratory, classroom, library, and computer lab to continue to support this amazing school.

Breaking ground at Andando’s 40th(!!) garden located in the extremely isolated community of Wouro Kelle.

And last but not least, in the community of Wouro Kelle we just broke ground on Andando’s 40th garden!  Wow!! We never could have gotten to this point without the generous support of so many amazing people who partner with us year after year to help the people of Senegal. On behalf of all of our staff and partner communities,

Meet Yaya, Garden Technician & Fish Program Manager

Continuing in our series, we would like to introduce you to another member of our team who works on the ground in Senegal every day to build resilient, thriving communities. We think they are pretty amazing and are sure you will agree. This is the 13th in a series introducing the people that make it all possible. (Click here to see others in this series.) Meet Yaya, Garden Technician & Fish Program Manager

Yaya joined the Andando team in 2019.

Yaya Sow joined our team in 2019. He is the youngest in his family with seven older brothers and sisters.  He grew up in Tiguere Cire in the norther region of Senegal (about four hours southeast of Andando’s Podor headquarters).

Yaya attended elementary and middle school in his home town.  To attend high school he moved in with his uncle’s family in Matam, a larger nearby town. A good student, he went on to University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography.  He went on to attend ISAE (Institute of Agriculture, Biology, and Ecology), an exclusive school that only accepts 29 students each year.

Yaya studying at University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography.

With a vast field of opportunities before him, Yaya chose to participate in a 3-month training with Andando.  At the completion of this training he stayed on as a Garden Technician.

“I’m not somebody who is changing a lot, when I find something I like to stay there. I am determined. If I work on something, I work on it until it’s finished. ”

— Yaya

After graduating from university Yaya joined Andando as an intern and completed a 3-month training in Keur Soce.

Currently Yaya manages two gardens and recently took on the additional responsibility of overseeing our Aquaponics Program, which has produced over 500 pounds of fish so far.

A successful fish harvest at the Lamarame Garden. Yaya has helped the four pilot program gardens raise and harvest over 500 pounds of fish so far!

Managing the fish in the four (soon to be five) gardens takes a different set of skills and is a  unique challenge.  “Sometimes it’s nice, sometimes it’s difficult. For the fish, sometimes it gives you stress because it’s something alive that you have to observe.  It was not a part of my training so it’s a plus,” says Yaya. 

Yaya works closely with garden participants to ensure the fish get the appropriate food to maximize their growth while also keeping costs low.

When he is not working Yaya enjoys playing futbol (soccer).  He also enjoys hanging out with this friends and visiting villages where he previously worked.  Because our technicians live in the villages where they work, they build lasting relationships that not only benefit them socially, but also keeps Andando connected to these communities helping ensure their long-term success.

Your support enables Yaya to help his fellow citizens. Thank you for investing in their future!

Click here to meet other staff.

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.
”

— 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.

Back Up and Running: Thiamene Taba Health Post Repairs are Complete!

Health care workers outside the newly repaired Thiamene Taba Health Post

We are thrilled to share that our repairs on Andando’s oldest health post, Thiamene Taba, are complete!   This post has been a vital community health resource for over a decade providing a safe environment for births, along with access to primary care for numerous day-to-day health needs.  (Click here to see the previous blog post on Thiamene Taba.)

Thiamene Taba Health Post: BEFORE & AFTER

The dedicated staff here hold monthly programs to screen for malnutrition, provide vaccinations, and ensure that all children in the area are healthy and developing properly.  When the COVID19 pandemic broke out they lead the charge to educate their community about the situation and were even able to advocate to have vaccines administered from this post to keep their village safe.  

During Covid-19, health care workers were essential in keeping communities safe through education and instruction on proper hand washing techniques.

In 2022 alone Thiamene Taba saw over 2,500 patients including 39 healthy births.  The incredible community health workers here did all of this as unpaid volunteers, relying only on small donations from surrounding villages to support their work. We are incredibly proud of their dedication to the health and well-being of their community, and when we got the call that Thiamene Taba needed a new roof after one of the harshest rainy seasons in decades, we knew we had to find a way to keep this essential community health resource thriving.

Andando is lucky to have amazing partners both in Senegal and back in the United States.  Altrusa International of Albany has been a long-time supporter of our work so when we got the call, we reached out to them to see if they would be willing to sponsor the repairs.   They enthusiastically agreed and because of Altrusa’s support we were able not only to replace the roof with a brand-new sturdier steel beam supported metal sheeting, but we also patched and painted the entire structure, updated old plumbing, and hooked up the post to the electrical grid which just recently arrived in the village.   

The transformation is incredible.  Here is what Fatou Thiam, the head midwife of Thiamene Taba, had to say about the project:

Fatou Thiam, midwife at Thiamene Taba Health Post, pictured outside the building during repairs (April 2023).

“Before the repairs when it rained no one could give birth here because water was leaking in everywhere and everything was wet. We couldn’t work in those conditions. Women would have to go far to Keur Soce to give birth and sometimes they didn’t make it in time and would deliver on the road on the way there.  This health post is very important for the community, and we thank God it is in a good condition now.”

Because of our ongoing commitment and connection to communities after a project is complete we learned about the need as soon as it occurred. This mutual trust and communication is what makes long-term project success possible.

This success story is only possible due to Andando’s continued connection with our partner communities and the continued support of our donors and partner organizations.  We learned about the need as soon as it occurred, were able to find support within just a few short months, and then completed a total renovation well in advance of the next rainy season.  This kind of direct project monitoring and rapid response to problems is rare in the development field and it’s a testament to the dedication of Andando’s partner communities, in country staff, and generous donors. This was a huge success for everyone involved and will have a positive impact on Thiamene Taba and the surrounding communities for generations to come. Bravo!

Meet Thiam, Podor Program Manager

Continuing in our series, we would like to introduce you to another member of our team who works on the ground in Senegal every day to build resilient, thriving communities. We think they are pretty amazing and are sure you will agree. This is the tenth in a series introducing the people that make it all possible. (Click here to see others in this series.) Meet Thiam, Podor Program Manager.

Thiam joined the Andando team in 2018.

Hamedine Thiam, goes by Thiam (pronounced Cham), joined our team in 2018.

He is an only child and grew up in Donaye Walo in the norther Podor region of Senegal. When he was only five years old Thiam’s father died but he was fortunate to have a close family and his grandmother stepped in to help. He attended elementary school in his home village and continued on to high school in Podor.

With a real knack for mathematics, Thiam moved to Dakar and received technical training from Maurice de la Fossee with a specialty in accounting.

A photo of Faty and Thiam from their wedding in 1980. They are celebrating their 43th wedding anniversary this year.

He met and married his wife, Faty Thiam, and they have celebrated over 40 years together. They raised their seven children (4 boys and 3 girls) in Dakar where Thiam worked for various financial institutions.

A respected member of the community Thiam (pictured right) builds and maintains relationships with community leaders to ensure the long-term success of our programs.

With extensive experience in accounting Thiam excelled as a trainer in microfinance and rural development. After 34 years, he retired and returned to the Podor area. Their oldest son stayed in Dakar for work. Their other children returned with them to get married, work, and go to school. Fun fact: Thiam’s granddaughters attend the high school Andando constructed in Donaye Taredji!

Putting his skills and experience to good use he joined the Andando team to manage our Podor microloan program. Now he coordinates the Podor Region programs and provides accounting support for all of the Andando initiatives.

Thiam listens to the needs and ideas of our program participants to improve our initiatives to better serve communities.

“My passion in life is to be of service for the good of society. My hope is for Andando to continue to grow in Senegal in order to fight malnutrition, strengthen health and education, and reduce unemployment and the heavy work of women.”

— Thiam, Podor Programs Manager

Thiam brings his decades of accounting experience to help teach financial literacy skills to our women’s gardens.

When he is not working Thiam manages the family’s poultry farm and agriculture activities. He also enjoys listening to and watching soccer and wrestling.

Your support enables Thiam to help his fellow citizens. Thank you for investing in their future!

Click here to meet other staff.

The Best Time To Plant A Tree?

Established trees in the Lamarame Garden help fortify the soil and protect from harsh weather conditions.

…was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now! This old proverb still rings true, especially for our work in Senegal’s northern region of Podor. This part of the Sahel has been devastated by deforestation, and with climate change leading to longer hotter dry seasons, it feels like the Sahara Desert is right next door.

The village of Belel Kelle, in the northern region of Senegal, experiences longer and hotter dry seasons due to deforestation and climate change.

Starting a garden in this environment is a leap of faith and planting a tree is an act of defiance, that we need not accept what is, we can create a better life for ourselves and the world around us.

At the Ouro Madiaw Garden established trees, such as mangoes, papayas, and bananas, improve the soil while protecting the people and crops from harsh conditions.

Trees are the foundation of every Andando garden. They protect people and crops from harsh conditions, raise ground water levels, build new fertile topsoil, and create permanent barriers against livestock. Trees keep Andando gardens flourishing year after year without any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, and help infrastructure to last as long as possible so that upkeep is gradual and manageable at the local level.

Live-fencing provides the same soil regenerating benefits as other trees while also creating a permanent barrier against livestock and making upkeep gradual and manageable.

To date Andando has established over 50,000 native trees in our gardens and surrounding communities. That’s not only incredible for our partners but represents a huge amount of carbon sequestered out of the atmosphere!

Planting and tending to the seedlings sheltered inside the Tree Nursery in Keur Soce. A second nursery will be built in Podor, the northern region of Senegal, next month.

We are breaking ground next month on a new tree nursery in Podor so that we can expand and accelerate our tree planting program. This location will soon produce tens of thousands of trees year round helping to jump-start new gardens and allow Andando to begin reforesting this vital region on the front lines of climate change. The time is now, and we are excited to get to work!

From the Director - April 2023

It’s always exciting to report the new things that Andando is doing, new projects, new partner communities, bigger impact numbers, etc. I want to take the opportunity today though to give you a little insight into what happens after the fanfare ends.

Celebrating our successes with the garden leadership from our Podor Region gardens.

We talk a lot about walking with the people of Senegal for the long haul and we mean it. Our programs are concentrated together both to maximize their impact and to make sure that we know about the challenges our partners face and can help them to find solutions. This is why after 15 years of doing this work 100% of Andando’s gardens, schools, and health posts are still operational. Our impact numbers are impressive but I’m equally proud that as we’re growing, we aren’t leaving any of our communities behind.

Keur Ngor Marone - our first-ever garden is still thriving!

To this end, after listening to the needs of our gardens, we are providing additional support this year to help modernize all infrastructure to our current designs. Over the years we’ve learned a lot about best practices for our projects, and sometimes that means that we need to go back and update older work so that it can stand the test of time.

Something as small as upgrading old valves helps prolong the life of infrastructure and conserve vital water resources.

This goes for all of our sectors, and we are also working this year to renovate one of our oldest health posts, Thiamene Taba. This post is heavily utilized, seeing over 2,000 patients last year alone, but their roof has started to leak making it difficult to provide quality care.

Visiting one of our very first health posts, Thiamene Taba, constructed over 10 years ago.

Thanks to the help of Altrusa International of Albany we are replacing their roof with a new stronger metal sheeting that is part of our standard design now.

By establishing and maintaining strong relationships, we work with the local communities to ensure projects are successful for the long-haul. Fatou Thiam is the midwife at Thiamene Taba, and first alerted us to the needed repairs.

We want all of our projects to last for many years to come so that they can create truly lasting change in our partner communities. Your continued support allows us to do this while still growing to reach more people in need.

Andando Receives Climate Smart Commitment Grant from Rick Steves’ Europe

We are thrilled to announce that Andando has been awarded a $30,000 grant, through Rick Steves’ Climate Smart Commitment, for the construction of a tree nursery and agroforestry center in the Podor region of northern Senegal, West Africa. Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. Their Climate Smart Commitment is an initiative to help mitigate the environmental impacts of travel by investing in non profits that work directly on climate smart agriculture, conservation, and agroforestry in underdeveloped countries. We are excited to join this initiative and provide a way for thoughtful travelers to create positive lasting change through their journeys around the world.

Communities in Podor are enduring longer, hotter dry seasons as a result of deforestation and climate change.

The Podor region, on Senegal’s northern border with Mauritania, is on the front lines of the climate crisis and represents a particularly vital area for ecological conservation. Hundreds of years of destructive colonial agricultural practices, deforestation, and overgrazing have led to severe top soil loss and increasing desertification of the region. This coupled with higher temperatures and disrupted rainfall patterns, due to climate change, makes life extremely difficult for the people who live here.

The site of an Andando garden before construction.

The same location 5 years later after establishing over 800 beneficial trees!

Andando’s primary tool to support communities and restore local ecology is our women’s cooperative garden initiative. Our gardens create lush oases’ in harsh landscapes, and provide permanent sources for income and nutrition for thousands of women and their families, all while sequestering substantial amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere. This is possible because Andando gardens do not use any pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers, relying instead on a host of regenerative permaculture techniques, including the establishment of at least 500 beneficial and native trees in each garden!

A proud garden member in the Kouthieye women’s garden showing off her plot which is filled with beneficial trees.

Our Keur Soce Tree Program Manager, Francois, surveying the nursery after a day of seeding.

The tree nursery and agro-forestry center that we are building with this grant will help Andando to establish more women’s gardens at a faster pace. We set a lofty goal of reforesting 100,000 native trees over the next two years which will allow us not only to support our own gardens but to plant a substantial number of trees in the surrounding communities to fight deforestation and climate change. We are already well on our way with over 15,000 trees started in our Keur Soce region so far this year. Once the new Podor tree nursery is operational as well, we expect to meet and even exceed our goal! After over a year of preparations we are excited to be breaking ground in May!

““This grant from Rick Steves’ Europe is allowing us to do something that our partner communities in northern Senegal have been wanting to do for years.  There is so much excitement around this project that the Chief of Donnaye Teredji, the village where the tree nursery will be located, doubled the size of the plot they’re giving us in the hopes that Andando will have room to increase production in the years to come.” ”

— Garrison Harward, Andando Executive Director

Our sincerest thanks to Rick Steves’ Europe for their generous contribution to this project. We will be sure to keep you updated as construction begins and as we continue to expand our programs to fight climate change in the Sahel, for the benefit of our partner communities and all of us around the world.

Click here to learn more about our women’s cooperative garden initiative.

NYC Showed Up for Andando!

Congrats to the First, Second, and Third place teams of our Inaugural Pétanque Charity Tournament!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who supported our first NY fundraiser! We are now 1/3 of the way towards building a new rural health post.

Were you unable to attend the fundraiser? No problem, you can still help us reach our goal. Donate today to bring life saving healthcare to another remote community in Senegal.

Health workers at the Mbidi Health Post who are dedicated to keeping their communities healthy and thriving.

Even Health Posts Need a Little First Aid Too!

The First Aid Cross is an internationally recognized symbol of neutrality and protection.  Those seeking first aid or care know they can take comfort and safety inside the walls of a health facility.  This is what Andando health posts provide in rural communities, a place where locally trained professionals can render appropriate aid and comfort for those needing help.  But over time, even the structure itself needs a little first aid too!

The health post at Thiamene Taba is one of Andando’s first health posts, constructed over 10 years ago.

The village of Thiamene Taba is home to one of our first health posts constructed over 10 years ago.  The design is simple: a raised concrete floor to prevent seasonal flood waters from entering the building, brick walls to provide protection from the harsh heat and wind, all sheltered by a metal roof that keeps out the heavy rain and punishing sun.

Fatou Thiam is the midwife at Thiamene Taba. She is pictured here in front of the health post built over 10 years ago with some of the neighborhood kids.

Fatou Thiam is the midwife at Thiamene Taba and she shared with us how the health post helps her keep her community healthy; “It’s very good for the population here because before people use to give birth in their rooms and we would meet them there.”

After faithfully serving the community and surrounding villages for over 10 years the roof at the Thiamene Taba health post has developed leaks which make it virtually unusable for several months every year:

“When it rains you cannot assist anyone with a birth. If someone has an injection that needs to be done they have to go maybe seven or eight kilometers to Keur Soce to get their injection. If they have any first aid needs they go to Keur Soce. That’s what we mean and how it is here Please help us, we need help.” ”

— Fatou Thiam - Midwife at Thiamene Taba Health Post

Thankfully members of the Altrusa Club of Albany and the Altrusa International Foundation were excited to help fund the roof repair, “Altrusa of Albany is very happy to support Andando. It is amazing to us what they are able to do with the funds we give them. The recent gift will fix the roof on the Thiamene Taba Medical Clinic.  It is SO important to maintain the health clinic because it is the only medical care within many miles and the only way people have to get there is to walk. Thank you Andando for all you do!” said Linda Tedisch, International Chair Altrusa Club of Albany.

Repairs are underway and Fatou is looking forward to resuming services in the center.  Check back for updated photos.

Andando Receives Grant from The International Foundation

The International Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Andando! The purpose of this grant is to build an innovative STEM focused school garden at the newly constructed Keur Soce High School, which we finished building earlier this year. The International Foundation funds “US-based non-profit organizations who partner with poor communities in the developing world to improve their health, education and incomes, while strengthening local capacity to sustain their benefits.”

The first photo of the fully complete Keur Soce High School. These 8 classrooms serve over 1,000 students who previously had to travel far distances to continue their education or, more commonly, had to drop out of school due to a lack of resources.

This grant will help to pay for the construction of a substantial one-acre teaching garden that will be used to facilitate practical lessons in biological sciences, mathematics, and business skills while substantially improving the food security of the student population. 

Selecting a site with community leaders for the first-ever teaching garden which will be incorporated into the new Keur Soce High School.

In a first for any high school in Senegal the garden will also incorporate an integrated aquaculture fish farming system.  Fish are a staple of Senegalese cuisine and increased dry land fish farming has the potential to greatly benefit inland economies and food security without contributing to over-fishing of coastal water or polluting watersheds.  

During a hands-on training, participants in our aquaculture project learn how to assess fish for health and growth.

Andando currently operates 38 women’s cooperative gardens in Senegal which produce over 500,000 lbs. of organic produce each year.  As with our other gardens we will provide the school with a trained local garden technician to help to establish the garden and fully integrate it into school curriculum.     

“The International Foundation’s support will help students at Keur Soce High school to gain invaluable practical experience and learn skills that will set them apart as they continue their educational and professional careers.”

— Garrison Harward, Andando Executive Director

Madame Marone and her students in one of the new classrooms at Keur Soce High School. 

Indeed, due to Andando’s continued investment in this school the Education Ministry has decided to designate Keur Soce High School as a science academy that will feed directly into a new Agricultural University in the regional capital Kaolack.  Andando is proud to be partnering with such prestigious institutions to substantially increase the quality of science education in the region for years to come.  

Andando is a US-based non-profit organization that works to alleviate poverty through community development in rural Senegal. Learn more about Andando at www.andando.org.

About The International Foundation:
The International Foundation was created in 1948. Like other early foundations, our purpose was “to promote, foster, encourage and further non-profit, non-sectarian and non-political educational, medical, philanthropic, humanitarian, scientific and literary enterprises of all kinds.”

In its many years of grant making, the International Foundation has worked with thousands of US-based 501(c)3 organizations to bring knowledge, resources and compassion to individuals and communities around the world. Our strategic mission has evolved in concert with the exponential growth in the United States non-profit sector and rapid evolution of the discipline of international development.

“At the core of our mission is the concept that charity alone isn’t enough. We must take charity to a level that delivers measurable and sustainable change that is “owned” by the project participants and that leaves broad, lasting benefits. We prioritize the principles of self-determination, local engagement, and sustainability, both as means to and ends of our philanthropic goals. More and more, this requires grant-maker and grantee to share a common view of the challenges, optimal solutions, and ultimate objectives of our partnering efforts.”

How to Build a Health Post in the Desert

Two of the health care workers who will continue to serve their community in the new health post at Seno Bowal.

Access to health care is an essential component of our holistic approach to helping communities thrive.  When health resources are inadequate or inaccessible, routine medical needs can turn deadly.  This is especially true for pregnant women and their children. Senegal has the 47th highest infant mortality rate and the 35th highest maternal mortality rate in the world.  Fortunately, Senegal has a robust healthcare system with qualified doctors, nurses, and midwives who can drastically improve positive health outcomes for rural communities.  The problem isn’t expertise or personnel, it’s infrastructure, and this is where Andando comes in.

As with all of our projects, a new health post starts with a conversation.  We meet with regional Health Ministry doctors to discuss their needs, and together we identify underserved areas in need of infrastructure.  Next comes the first of several visits to prospective villages. 

We meet with women, midwives, and village elders (video above) to hear their stories and learn about their needs and desires for improvements.  Once a village is tentatively selected, we verify with the Health Ministry that trained personnel will be assigned to the post upon completion, and we sign agreements with the village for the use of land and water and their contribution to assist with construction.  

The health post at Seno Bowal will be replaced with a new structure with running water, electricity, and private rooms.

One of the health care workers inside the existing health post at Seno Bowal. The existing buiding will be replaced with a new structure with running water, electricity, and private rooms.

A waiting area outside the health post at Seno Bowal. The existing building will be replaced with a new structure with running water, electricity, and private rooms.

The excitement really begins when we secure funding and can start construction.  We are currently building a new post in the community of Seno Bowal which is funded 100% by a generous donation from Hub City Church.  They have sponsored many of our health posts and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support!

Delivery of construction materials such as concrete and rebar to the new building site for the Seno Bowal Health Post.

Water for mixing concrete has to be brought in by donkey cart until the site can be plumbed.

Bricks are formed and cured on-site. These will be used for the foundation and walls of the Seno Bowal Health Post.

We are still in the initial phase of building bricks and laying the foundation, but in just a few short months this post will have running water, electricity, multiple rooms for consultation, delivery and recovery, and will be a game changer for access to medical care for 12 villages with over 4,000 people. We will keep you updated as construction finishes and all the benefits to the village and surrounding areas start to come to fruition.

From the Director - On the Ground in Senegal - January 2023

Enjoying the company of some of our Keur Soce based staff. We have a great team on the ground in Senegal who are incredibly knowledgeable and fun to be around.

Thanks to the incredible generosity that our community showed last year at our fall gala fundraiser and through our year-end giving campaign, we are able to hit the ground running in 2023! I am currently in Senegal working with the team to finalize plans for our yearly projects which will include at least four new gardens, a health post, and two new schools.

Seynabou, one of our technicians, will manage our new STEM focused teaching garden at Keur Soce High School.

At the request of Keur Soce High School, we are also building our first ever school garden this year. The administration wanted to improve their science curriculum, and together we decided that a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focused teaching garden, with an integrated aquaculture system, would help to give students valuable skills for their educational and professional careers.

Gorgui, a technician in Podor, is our new regional Tree Program Manager and will oversee the construction of a new permanent tree nursery and training center in Podor.

Seynabou Ndao, one of our phenomenal technicians who we profiled last year, will manage the project and help teachers to develop a new garden-centered STEM curriculum. Seynabou has a degree in physics and chemistry from the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, and we are so excited to see the positive impact she will have as a resource and role model for students.

In Podor another one of our technicians Alassane Ba, who goes by Gorgui, is stepping up as our new regional Tree Program Manager. This year we are constructing a permanent tree nursery and training center in Podor in order to combat severe deforestation and desertification in the region. Our tree nursery and Gorgui’s work will help to strengthen our gardens and the ecology of our partner communities against the effects of climate change.

It’s a joy to be able to share not only our exciting projects for the coming year, but also how our staff is growing as they take the lead to improve our programs in Senegal. We are so proud of them! Your continued support makes this, and everything Andando does, possible. Jerejef - thank you!

Winter, the Perfect Season for Gardening!

A woman transplanting seedlings into her plot at Ndiawara Garden.

The new year is upon us, and winter has sunk its cruel claws thoroughly into our lives here in America.  But while most of us are bundling up against freezing temperature, snow, and bitter winds, over in Senegal it’s the most pleasant time of the year.  Senegal is also in the northern hemisphere so its “winter” is the same time of the year as ours, but over there winter is know as the cool dry season.  The rains have finished and won’t return until May or June, and the intense heat of the hot dry season is still months away. 

This winter garden in the community of Ouro Madiaw (in the Podor region) is enjoying highs in the low-90s ˚F (32 ˚C) and thriving!

Capitalizing on the mild temperatures, this is the time of year when most gardening activities take place.  Our women’s gardens are taking full advantage of the season planting just about every vegetable you can think of.  Lettuce, and daikon radishes are very popular during this time because they grow quickly facilitating multiple harvests before the heat makes these more delicate crops too difficult to grow.  This is also the best time of year to plant papayas, bananas, and cassava roots which will be important boosts in income and nutrition at the end of the rainy season when the gardens are much less productive.  

We are constantly getting updates from our technicians on the ground in Senegal and during this season the pictures we get are incredible.  Giant basins filled with lettuce going to market, 50 lb. sacks filled with radishes, or eggplants, or peppers, and piles upon piles of onions. 

Sometimes its hard to believe the production numbers in our reports. How can one garden produce thousands of pounds of produce month after month?  And then you see a picture of a single papaya tree yielding 150 pounds of fruit.  The women we work with are incredible farmers!

Our new gardens from last year are working through their first seasons and its fascinating to watch their humble beginnings knowing what their plots will look like in just a few short years. 

The Ndiawara Garden is our largest with 300 members!

Our partner community of Ndiawara had a larger than average gardening group so we decided to make a larger garden there so that all of their 300 members could have a plot. Now it looks like a full-blown farm.  We can’t wait to see the incredible harvests this large group will be able to achieve.  Hats off to all of their hard work! Now put that hat back on before you get frostbite!