a village in Senegal

Life in a rural village in Senegal is challenging. There never seems to be enough food, enough water, even enough time, especially for women. Women have millet to grind, water to fetch, babies to nurse, and always many mouths to feed. The majority of the men are small farmers and that is always a risky business in an area where the rains come intermittently and sometimes not all. As a result of all these conditions, many of the men of the village are forced to go to larger towns looking for work, usually with little success. Some of these men will end up with new wives and children to support in the town, making a bad problem worse.

Since it's beginning , Andando has been looking at ways to improve life in the local village, ways to give people a hope and a future right where they are. That is why we have focussed on micro lending and farmer loans as ways to encourage people to stay in their villages and build stronger famiies in the process.

Keur Soce is a village where Andando has been working for about three years. We began work there with a church partner, Doxology. On our first visit we met with the local chief and had some great discussions about the needs of the village which resulted in some aid to the school. the drilling of two wells, installation of two neighborhood taps and help with starting a huge market garden. As the relationship has grown, Andando has targeted Keur Soce for the newest round of micro loans and in March we distributed 45 loans in Keur Soce. These loans average about $100 and are for projects such as a small shop, a hairdresser even a small restaurant.

Dibe Diouf is one of the loan recipients. In order to supplement their meager income from farming, Dibe used to go out in to the bush to find wild fruit which she would then take to sell in the nearest town. This was sometimes difficult and dangerous. She did not know when she might encounter wild animals and snakes. With her micro loan, Dibe has opened a small shop where she sells sugar,rice and oil, things that people used to have to travel further to buy. Dibe's family will all benefit from this new venture.

Andando is currently raising funds to help the farmers of Keur Soce get 'seed' loans for this years' planting. The farmers will be able to get enough good quality seed for planting their fields. After they have sold their harvest, they pay back their loan with no interest. This method opens up a door of hope for farmers who were previously 'enslaved' by high interest loans which they had little hope of ever repaying.

These two projects are infusing the village of Keur Soce with hope! At Andando we too are hopeful as we walk together with friends there and look to a brighter future for the people of this village.

well, well, well

We recently returned from a trip to Senegal. During that trip we distributed forty five new micro loans... but we're saving that story for it's own post..
First we want to tell you about the water/well project.
Andando has had an onging project in the village of Keur Soce with a church partner, Doxology in Corvallis, Oregon. Over the past few years Doxology has worked with the school in Keur Soce on various projects including bringing school supplies, building a basket ball court- even bringing 600 pairs of shoes for the village kids.
While building relationships there through these activities, Dox became aware of the need for access to water in some of the village neigborhoods and the need for several wells in the village and in outlying villages.
Along with Andando, they began to work with the village leaders and as a result there are now two neighborhoods in Keur Soce that have a community tap where there was none before, and a new deep water well that will supply water for decades to come. This well will also supply water to a one hectare garden right next to it. By this time next year, this garden should be supplying produce for the whole village.
Another well has been dug in a nearby village, Diam Diao. This village had been depending on an older well that had many cracks and the ground around it was being degraded by the many animals that would come to the well each day.
We have been able to dig a brand new well in this village that will be used exclusively for people. The older well is being repaired and will be used for cattle. The well diggers will also run a pipe from the well to a new large drinking trough so that more animals can be watered at once.
Thanks to this great partnership -and to many individual donors, several thousand people now have access to clean, sweet water -and several hundred cattle too!

mosquito nets

One of the biggest killers of children in Senegal, and in all of Africa, is malaria. When treated bed nets are used, the incidence of malaria decreases dramatically.

Andando wanted to help make nets available to the communities we work in , so last year one of the gifts you could purchase from our Christmas Catalog was a mosquito net. This proved to be a popular gift and we raised enough funds for several hundred nets.

We really wanted to make sure the nets were going to be used effectively so we wanted to also supply training and follow up .
With this in mind we have entered into a partnership with the Against Malaria Initiative and the US Peace Corps in Senegal. Against Malaria has access to nets at a far cheaper price than we can get and the Peace Corps is distributing the nets in Senegal. They go in small teams to villages, do a training and a few weeks later go back and do a follow up to make sure the nets are being used correctly.

Your gifts continue to make a real difference in the lives of people in West Africa and through this new partnership, we are able to make your gifts stretch even farther AND ensure excellent training and follow up!

Loans

We've recently received some great reports about our micro loan program. Our amazing Senegalese director, Diegane Ndiaye is reporting 100% repayment on the last round of loans!
All of these funds have been recycled and are back out in the community again. Diegane is a huge reason for this success rate. His commitment and dedication to this project is impressive- he manages all of this on a volunteer basis while holding down a full time job and raising a family. Thank you Diegane.

Another reason for the success of this program is that we make NO INTEREST loans. We have heard from several loan recipients that this is a huge blessing for them as previously they only ever had access to moneylenders who would chrage 25- 50% interest. This usually meant that the borrower was never going to be in a position to fully pay back what was owed and would continue in a cycle of debt. With an Andando loan they can establish some security for their families and make plans for the future.
Following are a few comments from some loan recipients-

The project allowed me to set up a little business with an oil press. I would buy peanuts and make oil to sell in the local markets. I made profits that allowed me to improve our family's diet and address key needs.
I thank Andando for allowing me to improve our living conditions.

With the loan I bought some livestock (sheep)that have recently given birth. I have sold some and have some more to rear. This project has transformed my life.

Diegane also reported that in one of the villages there was a young man who was facing difficulties. All the loan recipients got together to help him buy a sheep. Today he has paid back all the ladies and has his own sheep now to rear. This example of "walking together" is something to celebrate!

Thanks to all of you who are a part of making this micro loan project work. You are changing Lives!

andando means walking together

The name of our foundation comes from the Wolof word for walking together. Wolof is the main language of Senegal, the country where the dream for Andando was born, out of a desire to walk together more closely with people there and in other places around the world

In keeping with the name, two intrepid hikers have committed the summer to 'walk together' the entire length of the United States from Mexico to Canada .They began on April 30 and are now about 600 miles in on their 2650 mile journey. Follow along with them on the journey through the link to their blog on the right.These guys are amazing!

They are also doing this walk to raise funds for Andando. They are seeking sponsors who will support them by the mile-a penny a mile is $26.50 per person, $53.00 for both or any amount you would care to donate. You can donate through paypal by going to www.andando.org or you can send checks to Andando PO Box 542, Jefferson, OR.97352

summer fun!

We want to let you know about a couple of upcoming events that Andando will be participating- both on the same day!
One is The Day of the African Child on June 27 from 10 -5 at the World Forestry Center in Portland. There will be lots of organizations there involved with African children in some way. We will be there with Saah Joseph sharing about our feeding program in Sierra Leone and our micro lending in Senegal. We'll also be selling our kids' dresses, baby wraps, bags, and baskets.
Did you know when you purchase one of our baskets, you feed a child in Sierra Leone for one MONTH?

We will also be at the WorldBeat Festival in Salem that same weekend. That event runs all day Saturday and Sunday. It has an gloabl theme with countries and cultures fromm all over the world represented. It's in a beautiful setting in Riverfront Park by the Willamette river. On Sunday there are dragon boat races on the river!

Hope to see you at one or both events.

an evening with Saah Joseph

This Thursday evening , May 14th, we are looking forward to a special time with the volunteer coordinator of our Buedu Feeding program. Saah Joseph from Liberia(see photo in previous post) will share about the program the kids and also some of his own fascinating story of years as a refugee in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The event starts at 6.30 p.m.

There will be a silent auction with some great prizes, including a fishing trip and an airplane ride! In addition, the Andando store will be open featuring new products from our artisans.

If you have not yet received an invitation, and would like to attend, please email us at theandandofoundation@gmail.com and we'll send you directions.