100 fields

Farming in Senegal is a risky business-and one that many Senegalese depend on for survival.

As we became involved in the lives of villages through our micro lending program, we learned about another segment of village life that was vital -and very precarious. Subsistence farming is a fact of life for many Senegalese and as in many other areas, farming is a struggle. Most farmers have to borrow at exorbitant rates if they want to buy seed and fertilizer and often end up in a cycle of debt from one year to the next.

We discussed this situation with friends, farmers and colleagues in Senegal and came up with our Seed Loan project. The farmer gets a loan of seed and fertilizer according to the size of his field and repays this loan after he has sold his harvest, either in seed and money, or in money, and with no interest.

We are now in our third season of seed loans and have achieved remarkable success with 100% loan repayment. Senegal has had good rainy seasons for the last two years which has helped the farmers tremendously. Another advantage that Andando has is our wonderful Senegalese partner, Diegane Ndiaye. Diegane works diligently with our loan recipients. Thank you Diegane for your hard work and commitment to these projects!

This year we are hoping for good steady rains again as we launch our biggest expansion of the Seed Loan Project so far. The community of Keur Soce and some smaller surrounding villages are the recipients of this year's seed project. With help from generous donors, Andando has been able to help over 40 farmers with seed and fertilizer.

Planting is happening right now in Senegal and this year there will be about 100 Andando fields! Thank you for your support of this great project. You have been instrumental in restoring dignity and hope to our farmers and their families.

( Photos above are from the recent seed loan distribution ceremony in Keur Soce.)

baskets

Maybe you didn't know about our special baskets that we sell to help support our child feeding program in Sierra Leone. (See our website for details http://www.andando.org/)

Each basket costs $25 and they come in two styles, the traditonal round bolga or the oval market basket.

The purchase of one of these baskets will feed a child in Sierra Leone for six months!

In the last two years we have sold hundreds of these baskets at fairs and festivals. We will be selling them all summer long at the fairs in the previous post as well as a few other places.

We can also mail you one. Just email us your color preferences- they come in a wide variety from solid to partially striped, to totally striped blues, reds, greens, purples. Add $5 for shipping.

Or if you live nearby, we can arrange to bring some to you! Email us and let us know what you'd like. theandandofoundation@gmail.com

Get yourself a new basket for summer markets and picnics and feed a child for six months at the same time!

summertime

The season of spring/summer festivals is approaching and with it comes the chance for Andando to be out and about , sharing our stories with people and selling some cool stuff from our wonderful African artisans.

Our first festival is this weekend! And it looks like the weather might cooperate!
We will be in the lovely little town of Scio, Oregon at the 75th annual Lamb and Wool Fair. May 14-16 www.lambfair.org

On Saturday June 19 , 9-2 p.m. we will be at the Day of the African Child in Portland. This event takes place adjacent to the Portland Farmers Market www.harambeecentre.org

The following weekend you can find us at the WorldBeat Festival in Salem, June 26 and 27. This is a super fun event celebrating cultures from around the world.
www.worldbeatfestival.org

We will participate in other festivals through July and August and will keep you posted.

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!