In the coastal village of Yenne Tode, Senegal, where the ocean breeze carries stories of both struggle and strength, a quiet transformation is underway—led by women. At the heart of this shift is Aminata, a fish processor, farmer and entrepreneur whose work is redefining what it means to build resilience in the face of climate change.
For years, Aminata—affectionately called Amina by her family—watched the women in her community battle to feed their families. Climate change was making the fisher’s catch smaller and less predictable, while the soil in their fields grew tired and barren. Food insecurity and economic instability weighed heavily on the village.
But Amina refused to accept this future. A few years ago, she participated in an initiative The Hunger Project piloted to mobilize local fishing communities. Today, she has become a central leader in community-driven transformation.
Her fish processing unit runs on a zero-waste philosophy. Every scale, bone, and fish viscera is collected and repurposed—either composted for her farm or turned into livestock feed. Even meal scraps from nearby households are sorted and added to the composting system.
What some consider waste is transformed into compost or livestock feed. It’s all part of the cycle.
Her farm now produces entirely organic crops—grown without chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Powered by her homemade compost, the food she grows is healthier, more nutritious, and highly sought after in local markets.
But Aminata’s vision doesn’t stop with her farm. She organized a women’s cooperative to collect, clean, and repurpose plastic waste in the village. The women melt discarded bags to craft reusable goods and artistic creations. This innovation has not only cleaned the village, but created new income streams and built a stronger sense of solidarity.
By integrating fish processing, sustainable farming, and plastic recycling, Aminata has sparked an economic engine rooted in environmental regeneration and collective action. She now shares her methods with other women, catalyzing local leadership and intergenerational learning.
Community-Led Development in Action
Yenne Tode is not an isolated success story. It is a living example of what community-led development looks like in practice—where solutions to poverty, hunger and climate change are generated from within the community, not imposed from outside.
At The Hunger Project, we believe that sustainable development must be locally owned, gender-focused and climate-smart. In Senegal, our work with coastal communities like Yenne Tode focuses on building resilience through:
- Women’s leadership and economic empowerment
- Climate adaptation strategies rooted in local knowledge
- Circular, regenerative practices that transform waste into resources
- Cooperative action that uplifts entire communities
Aminata’s journey shows that with the right support, communities can turn the most urgent challenges—like climate change and food insecurity—into opportunities for inclusive, lasting change.
Where others see waste, she sees resources. Where others see limits, she sees potential.
Her story is a reminder that the path to a resilient future is already being paved by local leaders like her—women who are transforming their communities from the ground up.
Image credit (top to bottom): Senegal, 2025 © The Hunger Project