Project Launch: 2-9-15

The Mboudayeme Women’s Group consists of 52 women who manage and maintain two gardens in the community. Both gardens receive water from wells. The women mainly grow lettuce, in addition to onions, hibiscus, cabbage, and peppers, and work together every day to maintain the upkeep of the gardens. They are aiming to increase production and sell their produce in local markets. The project will support the Mboudayeme Women’s Group gardens by supplying essential materials and tools, such as shovels, ropes and seeds, and installing electric water pumps on the two wells to increase water access. The women will also participate in workshops to advance their gardening and business skills. The larger goals of the project are to allow the women to generate an income while also helping to combat food insecurity in the community.

 

Project Update

Tremendous work and progress has been made on the two gardens. All of the seeds have been planted, and the women tend to the garden every day. The well in the second garden has been repaired, allowing the women to source water on site, instead of traveling to the first garden and transporting it back. Therefore, the new well has reduced the amount of labor and time necessary to pull water. With an abundant supply of water, the gardens have expanded to include more plots with new crops, such as eggplant, watermelon and moringa. The women have been selling their produce locally and exporting it to neighboring villages, as well as selling their produce at a large weekly market in a major city nearby. The women have reinvested some of their income back into the gardens by purchasing new seeds and equipment. Due to their motivation and determination, the women's gardens are now formally registered with the Senegalese government, opening up doors for future opportunities, such as additional trainings and partnerships.

 

As a result of the community gardens project, the women have been able to provide food and financial security to their families and the community. Before the project, there were 17 women in both groups, and the women were not harvesting any crops for either family consumption or for sale in the market. The women would buy needed vegetables at either the local village market or the large market in Kaolack. Now, the women and their families consume 25% of the harvest and sell the rest. The women have been generating an average of $2 per garden on salad sales alone, and an additional $3.50 per day on remaining produce sales, which is a lot as most households live on less than a dollar a day.

 

Testimonials

"The garden is working well and we're even making a profit from all the vegetables we've been selling." - Dianke, Project Participant 

 

"We have peace in the garden." - Yande, Project Participant