fltr: Noella Thiaw (Symbiose), Claudia Foser-Laternser, Andreas Sicks (LED), Leyti Ndiaye (Symbiose), Erwin Eder (horizont3000), Malick Ba, Keba Niang (Symbiose), Marion Reichenbach (LED), Racky-Bilele Ba (LED), Doris Beck (LED), Mamadou Dramé (Symbiose), Daniel Miescher, Katrin Imhof (LED)
At the end of October, three board members and four team members from the Liechtenstein Development Service (the main funder of the h3 Senegal Programme) joined our Director, Erwin Eder, and the Senegal team to visit two of our project partners in Senegal, gaining an inspiring firsthand look at the local initiatives.
Our first stop was at Caritas Kaolack in the village of Touba Mouride, where we met with local leaders to discuss an environmental protection area. The primary focus was on the collaborative management of natural resources, supported through a local agreement. Caritas Kaolack has been actively supporting the community in establishing and upholding this agreement across 11 villages in the Senghor Valley, including Touba Mouride, to ensure sustainable resource use for future generations.
In the same village, we also visited a thriving community garden where women grow mint, a popular choice in the local markets at this time of year. This garden is more than just a source of income; it empowers these women to support their families' health, education, nutrition, and their own well-being. It was especially inspiring to see how much the women had already invested themselves, building wells, walls, and installing electricity to make the garden self-sustaining, moving beyond reliance on outside assistance.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a lively discussion with beekeeper Cheikh, who enthusiastically shared his knowledge of Senegalese bees and the unique qualities of mangrove and baobab honey—a true master of his craft.
Our second visit with our partner organization, Symbiose, began in Medina Ngueyene, where we observed rain-fed rice cultivation with a focus on sustainable seed production. Mame Diarra Thiam, President of the JOKKO women’s group, highlighted how empowering the local rice seed cooperative has boosted food security for the community, enhancing resilience and autonomy in food production.
Next, we explored the vibrant Ndama vegetable garden, where various crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, onions, parsley, sweet potatoes, bananas, papayas, and even moringa flourish. Fatim Mbaye gave us a hands-on demonstration of agroecological practices, including the bokashi composting method and the zai planting technique, explaining each method in impressive detail.
Afterward, we visited the community radio station RIP FM, founded by Symbiose in 2014. The station broadcasts best practices and workshop content from their projects to reach as many people as possible in the area.
Our journey concluded with a visit to a local processing unit in Nioro du Rip, supported by Symbiose, where cereals and fruits are transformed into valuable products for the community.
The dedication and ingenuity we saw from the people in these communities were truly remarkable. Every visit left us inspired and hopeful for the future of these projects.
