“My participation in CREATE! programs has changed my life,” says Ndeye Diouf, 45, of Gagnick Mack. “I have noticed a great improvement in my family’s living conditions, because I now have the ability to better support them.” In particular, Ndeye notes the difference that the improved cookstove has made in her daily life. “When I was cooking with the traditional three-stone fire, I had to be present during all the cooking to keep an eye on the pot, look after the flames, and constantly add wood,” she explains. Not to mention, the three-stone fire produced a lot of smoke in her kitchen. “Now with the improved cookstove, I can cook and do other housework at the same time and in complete safety,” she says. “There is no smoke in kitchen and the cooking time is very quick.”
Ndeye says she spends much of her time in the garden, as seen here where she is watering her okra plants.
The improved cookstove is not the only big change Ndeye has experienced from participating in CREATE!’s programs in her village. “The poultry cooperative has changed lot of things in my life,” she says. “I used to travel to Guinguineo to buy chicken, but since the establishment of the CREATE! poultry shed, I’m able to get them very easily and the price is cheaper in the village than outside.” The improved access to poultry, along with the fruits and vegetables now readily available from community garden cooperative, have all made it easier for Ndeye to feed and care for her ten-person household.
“Years ago we didn’t eat vegetables frequently, and there were no markets where we could find them but now we grow vegetables in our own garden,” says Ndeye. Gagnick Mack is a traditional farming village, where most people grow peanuts and millet during the rainy season. However, having a community garden provides families the opportunity to grow a greater variety of crops year round, with the help of their solar powered water pump installed by CREATE!. “Before CREATE! the village was unknown because there were no activities here,” says Ndeye. However, she now sees many people coming to the village to buy produce and chickens, providing greater opportunities for them to generate income, support their families, improve their living conditions, and do business with neighboring communities.