PROJECT #102
Project #102 | Clean Water and Community Gardens in Senegal
Our partnership with CREATE!
More than 80% of households in rural Senegal rely on seasonal agriculture as their mode of income, with 75% of the farming families relying solely on rain to irrigate their crops. Unpredictable rainfall patterns brought about by climate change have led to decreased access to water and limited agricultural production all over rural Senegal.
In order to provide access to clean water and target issues of hunger and food security in the region of Senegal, we partnered with CREATE! to rehabilitate existing wells and install solar pumps, making clean water available 2,500 people in to the communities year round for household and agricultural needs. This allowed the communities to be able to grow vegetables year-round where previously, production would only happen during rainy seasons. Now, the community members now average a harvest of over 600 pounds of vegetables per month!
Through this partnerships reforestation campaign paired with the improved cook-stove training program, the community was also able to reduce firewood used by 79%. These programs have not only provided reforestation and clean water, but also have relieved the women in the community from the four hours of cooking and firewood time previously spend, which they can now use for new opportunities!
Our collective impact
Wells Built
People Trained
People Impacted
Meet Dié Sall
Dié Sall, 51, has remained the president of the agricultural cooperative in the community of Keur Daouda. She says that since the partnering of her community with ODW and CREATE!, there has been a vast improvement in their diet, as well as their health. Growing vegetables was difficult for them because they had to pull water out of the well by hand to irrigate their garden plots. But with the installed solar pump, panels and the gravity fed irrigation system, growing fresh vegetables has become much easier.
Dié has also joined the Voluntary Savings and Lending Association (VSLA) that started this year. Before VSLA, the method of lending was getting loans from a group of people who charged high interest rates, which was not appreciated in the community. Now everyone in her community wants to join VSLA and Dié herself has already saved more than CFA 1500 every month and hopes to save more.
Thank you for making this possible!
Our movement is grassroots, to us that not only means the work on the ground is led by local leaders with the support of the community, but it also means that we raise the funds for our projects through everyday donors just like you. In addition to all the donors that gave $25, $100, or $250 and the campaigners that ran a race or donated their birthday to raise funds, we also want to thank our generous business, school, and faith sponsors who believed in our work and joined the movement.
If you want to support future projects like this you can make a donation to our global hunger fund.