Update on our work in Senegal

Epicenter Strategy: SPIA work

THP-Senegal continues to flourish in its 17 epicenters and 70 sub-epicenters.  These epicenters represent some 800 villages and close to 800,000 people.  These epicenters are centers of mobilization of our partners where they have access to improved agricultural techniques, VCA workshops, access to education through the Adult Literacy programs, access to credit necessary to create wealth and savings through the revolving fund program.

After the successful recognition by the government of Senegal of the financial institutions at the epicenters of Mpal and Dahra, THP-Senegal is now working with the women partners in the Epicenters to qualify for government recognition of seven additional rural banks in the near future. The establishment of the rural banks in Mpal and Dahra has created an environment enabling our partners to attract more funds from other development agencies.  The rural bank at Mpal continues to serve as a depository of funds from the Ministry of Agriculture of Senegal and a capacity to pay for government projects and staff working in the area.

Newly-made bricks drying in the sun.

Vision, Commitment and Action worship: Animator training

THP-Senegal continues to organize VCA workshops on a monthly basis in all its epicenters and sub-epicenters which are led by the animators specially trained for this purpose. Once a year, the animators meet at a given epicenter to review the work done during the year, compare experiences, evaluate and assess the results and formulate new plans of action to further empower our partners in the villages to continue their efforts to be self-reliant and ensure their food security.

Investors Barbara Rose and Neil Peck speak at an epicenter gathering.

Crops produced via drip irrigation.

Catalytic Projects

• Increased Food Production and Food Security

THP-Senegal has inaugurated a new and effective way of producing food throughout the year through the program of “Drip irrigation.”  This methodology has proven to be an effective agricultural system for Senegal, much of which is a semi-desert. The two-year experiment has proven to be a success in increasing and diversifying food production, such as vegetables, maize, millet and peanuts which are very lucrative products. THP-Senegal has reported that, thanks to this program, our partners have increased their family incomes by selling the surplus products in the local markets and beyond.  In addition, our partners have been able to use a portion of their harvests with drip irrigation for their own household consumption which has improved the families’ nutrition.

·        Food banks

One of the outstanding results of the drip irrigation is that a portion of the surplus grains, such as maize and millet, is stored in the epicenters’ food banks. THP-Senegal has reported that the experience of the past few years has shown that the availability of these food banks is now a major shield against hunger and ensures that our rural partners in Senegal will have access to their staple food in the “lean” times between harvests and during the drought season of the year. The surplus and diversified food production has enabled our partner community in Mpal to continue to produce a formula made from local grain for children in all the schools which is now used by most of our epicenters in Senegal. This feeding program, in which the grain produced by the villages is used to produce food for the children who attend our communities’ schools, is being replicated beyond Senegal to other African countries where THP is working.

• Health and hygiene

The Nutritional Center for Mothers and Children, established at the Mpal Epicenter in 1997 with the partnership of THP and the government of Senegal, continues to provide full service to our partners in the Mpal and  Dahra epicenters and nearby sub-epicenters. Beyond the nutrition program for children and mothers, this health center has now vaccinated more than 50,000 children against polio, tuberculosis and other diseases.  This is an important example of partnership between THP and the regional representative of the Ministry of Health. We have recently replicated this partnership in the Kebémer area.

• Micro-credit porgram

THP Senegal has continued to provide micro-credit to our partners, especially for women. This program continues to make a significant impact in the lives of our partners. In fact, it is so highly valued that all loans were reimbursed at a rate of 100%, especially by the women of AWFFI program. The success of this program is a result of the fact that all our partners are clearly aware of the consequence that non-payment will result in no new loans being given out, and that the groups who take the loan are collectively responsible to ensure the full repayment of their loan.

The women’s income-generating activities in all epicenters have expanded to include tie-dying fabric, dress making, yoghurt making, milk pasteurizing, poultry farming, cattle fattening, selling of soft drinks, and other small businesses.   

• Education and Literacy Program

THP Senegal continues to expand its literacy program in Wolof, Pulaar and other local languages to all 17 epicenters where the majority of learners continue to be women.  Attending literacy classes is one of THP’s requirements for access to credit.  Parents are also encouraged to send their girl children to school. This program has created a great sense of pride and self-esteem, especially for the women in the villages who can now write and read in their own languages, and also has attracted the interest of men who desire to emulate the women and become literate also.

• HIV/AIDS Program

In partnership with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, with a program funded by the World Bank, THP-Senegal continues a successful program for the Prevention of the Spread of HIV/AIDS and Gender Inequality with the participation of government officials from the Ministry of Health and local and international NGOs. The major objective of this important program aims at creating the awareness that “gender inequality” is one of the root causes for the spread of AIDS and that if men can take responsibility in this matter and commit themselves to safe sex, the spread of AIDS could be dramatically reduced. Otherwise, men, especially those with better economic means, will continue engaging in unsafe sex, thereby increasing the risk of the spread of HIV/AIDS. To convey this message, the HIV/AIDS specialized animators, men and women trained by THP-Senegal, go to all villages in the 17 epicenters to hold “HIV/AIDS & Gender Inequality” workshops, creating a clear awareness among the participants about the importance of both men and women confronting gender inequality as a major cause for the spread of HIV/AIDS in their villages and their country.