OUR IMPACTFUL PROJECTS TO IMPROVE NUTRITION

SENEGAL

Creating economic opportunities for youth and women along the food value chain in rural areas of Northern Senegal

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WHY SENEGAL?

A country with significant regional inequalities:
  • 66% of Senegalese live under the poverty line in the North of Senegal well above the country average of 39%
Young population and high unemployment of women:
  • 60% of population is under 25, and 35% of women are employed compared to 58% of men

Climate change affects livelihoods, biodiversity, economy:
  • North of Senegal is very dry with increasingly frequent drought and flood cycles.

Project Partners

Action Against Hunger : Project lead

Local organizations supervise the activities and support the women group in health garden activities (ADENA, Association pour le Développement de Namarela, and FAFD, Fédération des Associations du Fouta pour le Développement), and DBT (Dental Bamtaare Tooro) a local rural association that unites 20 agro-pastoral villages, which supervises the milk production activity.

SDGs supported by the project

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Senegal is a lower-middle-income country with economy growth of +6% per year between 2014 and 2018. However, the country still has high gender and regional inequalities. Our project focuses on Northern Senegal, as it is also an area highly affected by climate change affects – with a very dry climate and increasingly frequent drought and flood cycles. This is why we enable women and youth to make an income through local job opportunities for women and youth in the dairy sector (using solar energies), and access to financial mechanisms, while also providing empowering activities to sustain long-term livelihoods with access to nutritious foods.

Project highlights:
  • Improve critical components of the milk industry to enable income generation and sustainable production
    • We enhance milk processing units managed by women pastoralist populations and equip them with solar panels linked to fridges inside the units, allowing for better conservation system, lower energy costs by up to 8 times, and a +9.44% increase of household income.
  • Enable financial empowerment for women
    • We set up “VSLAs” (Village Savings and Loans Associations are solidarity funds funded by local women to help them through low-interest loans) where 30 women max. per VSLA are able to take micro loans for up to 3 months at a 4% monthly rate to launch small rural enterprises & pay for health insurance.
  • Support women to grow diversified health gardens
    • ​18 varieties of highly nutritious crops are grown by majorly women and girls, which allows to sell and generate an income from 1/5 of total production.
    • The income is used for VSLAs or school fees.

For more information about this project, please contact our team at contact.us@unitlife.org

Where is our project?

Podor Department (current) with a focus on the Diéri which is an area of pastoral and rainfed agriculture. With UNITLIFE’s funding, project will be extended to Matam and Linguière.

Project Gallery
4 Milk processing units have been improved

Energy storage batteries have been installed and linked to the solar panels. Also, automatic milk packaging machines have been installed inside the units.

25 health gardens have been set up for 1,900 people (87% women & girls)

The gardens have 18 varieties of highly nutritious crops. Each health garden is 2,500-10,000m2, each woman has a 10m2 plant board.

Sharing revenues after sale

22% of total production is sold with income used for VSLA or school fees.

Empowering women through Village Savings & Loans Associations

Training sessions for VSLA women members & their kit

Empowering women through Village Savings & Loans Associations

VSLA member keeping track of contributions

Testimony from Assète Diouldé BA, a VSLA member

"One of the most important things about VSLA is the solidarity between us. For example, we paid the mutual health insurance of 3,500 FCFA/member for 8 members."

Testimony from Marème Harouna, a VSLA member

"VSLAs have really contributed to improving our living conditions. The major innovation brought by VSLAs is that the money saved is subsequently disbursed and increased through income-generating activities."

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Project Details
Project Statistic (e.g. received food) :

Partner: Action Against Hunger

Project Statistic Unit (e.g. 5.780) :
Project Area (e.g. Africa) :

Africa