Women in Walo prepare vegetables for a celebration. These women look forward to receiving training in sustainable agriculture from CREATE! staff and growing their own vegetables in their new community garden.
Walo is one of CREATE!’s three new partner communities in Guinguineo District, Senegal. Walo is a small, rural farming community, surrounded by baobabs. This week, we would like to introduce you to two women who call Walo home. Both Fatou Seck and Aram Nguirane are cooperative leaders in Walo.
Fatou Seck loves CREATE!’s reforestation program. During this past rainy season, she was able to plant tree seedlings in her family’s compound.
Fatou Seck is 45 years old and lives in a compound in Walo with her extended family. Her family, like most in the community, grows peanuts, millet, cowpeas, and hibiscus during the four-month rainy season. Fatou praises CREATE!’s new programs in her community and loves using her sand-clay improved cookstove. When Fatou still cooked over an open fire, she used a wagonload of firewood each month to cook her meals. Now, that same amount of firewood lasts three months! Fatou is also pleased with her community’s initial meetings with CREATE! representatives. She appreciated the reliability and transparency of CREATE!’s approach to partnership. Fatou says, “with this project, we hope to see a noticeable change in the village. With growing vegetables, we hope to see a marked improvement in our standard of living and our revenues.”
Aram Nguirane is a leader in Walo’s agricultural cooperative. She is excited to gain additional knowledge from CREATE! agricultural technicians.
Aram Nguirane is 40 years old. She lives with her parents, husband, and children. Aram says that CREATE!’s improved cookstoves help her save wood, protect the environment, and reduce home fires. Aram is also pleased that CREATE!’s reforestation campaign allowed her to plant two trees in her family’s compound. Aram has high expectations for Walo’s partnership with CREATE! “We want this project to change our living conditions and hope to one day provide fresh vegetables to both Walo and surrounding communities,” she said.
Aram Nguirane discusses future opportunities for Walo with CREATE! field staff members.
With training and careful management of water resources, the Ouarkhokh cooperative will ensure that their garden continues to produce an abundant harvest throughout the year!