Working to CREATE! a Better Future in Rural Senegal
Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment
CREATE! Climate Change Projects in Rural Senegal
Working Towards a Better Future
The Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that collaborates with rural villagers in Senegal to help them build a sustainable future for their families as they cope with water, food, and fuel shortages resulting from the impacts of climate change on their communities. We believe that meeting basic human needs and responding to the effects of climate change go hand-in-hand. By implementing climate change projects in rural Senegal, we aim to help communities gain access to clean water, energy, food, and income using local and renewable technologies and strategies that combat the effects of climate change and empower families to improve their livelihoods for generations to come.
A Participatory Approach
CREATE! is about self-development and participation. Our team of field technicians works closely with partner communities to provide training and support in the four sectors of our climate change projects: water, agriculture, renewable energy, and income generation. The CREATE! program requires a high level of commitment and community organization from participants in our climate change projects, ultimately enabling them to become self-sufficient and able to teach and empower others using the training and skills they’ve gained.
Local Impact, Global Awareness
Communities in rural Senegal bear an enormous brunt of global climate change impacts through desert encroachment and decreasing rainfall that results in shorter growing seasons. Deforestation compounds these issues, yet communities need to continue collecting wood for cooking and building homes and other community infrastructure. Thus, CREATE! implements participatory climate change projects to develop solutions to these interconnected challenges, such as using tree planting programs alongside improved cookstove trainings, community garden cooperatives, and solar-powered pumps in community wells. Our philosophy is that solutions to the challenges faced by rural villages in Senegal do not need to come at an environmental or social cost; rather, responsible and long-lasting changes can be made that benefit local communities as well as the local environment.
OUR SECTORS
Water
Village Well Rehabilitation & Solar Pumps
Community Gardens
Sustainable Crop Cultivation Training
Renewable Energy
Fuel-Efficient Cookstoves & Tree Planting
Income Generation
Voluntary Saving & Lending Associations
CREATE! ’S IMPACT
(Based on the 2017 Annual Report)
People Gained Access to Clean, Affordable Water
Improved Cookstoves Built in Partner Communities
%
Reduction in Firewood Consumption through Use of Improved Cookstove
%
Increase in Amount of Vegetables Consumed in Partner Communities
Trees Planted
Pounds of Vegetables Harvested
VSLA Participants
Cooperative Garden Participants
Chickens Sold – Over 90% Sold in Partner Communities
CREATE! ’S IMPACT
(Based on the 2017 Annual Report)
People Gained Access to Clean, Affordable Water
Improved Cookstoves Built in Partner Communities
%
Reduction in Firewood Consumption through Use of Improved Cookstove
Percent increase in amount of vegetables consumed in CREATE! partner communities
Trees Planted
Pounds of Vegetables Harvested
VSLA Participants
Cooperative Garden Participants
Chickens Sold – Over 90% Sold in Partner Communities
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Connect
WHAT’S NEW
The History of CREATE!: Philosophy in Action
In celebration of our 10th anniversary in Senegal, we wanted to highlight the founding staff of CREATE!, whose ideas and values we continue to carry out today in our work. We are grateful for their hard work, they have paved the way for the future of the organization...
International Women’s Day 2021: From Challenge Comes Change
This Monday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, and here at CREATE! we’re celebrating the powerful women in our international community who are working together to make our world a better place from the village level. The theme for this year’s International Women’s...
The Gift of Knowledge
In the arid Fatick region of rural Senegal, the village of Soupa Serere lies six kilometers from the nearest national road. The distance and isolation are often obstacles for the community to access supplies, especially during COVID-19. Nearly five months ago, at the...