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
Village Benefits of Raising Poultry
For most rural villages in Senegal, chicken is only eaten for holidays and special occasions. Not because poultry is specifically saved for holidays, but because of its high price in both money and time. For the community of Darou Diadji, feeding your family poultry...
read moreCommunity Gardens Bring New Opportunities
Let’s check in with Thienaba! A community that graduated from CREATE!’s self-development program one year ago. CREATE!’s team of technicians check in with graduated communities once a week to make sure the solar-powered technology and other activities are running...
read moreThank You for Supporting Our Sustainable Projects in Senegal
What a year it has been! As 2018 comes to a close, we hope that everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing holiday season with their loved ones. We’d like to take this time to reflect upon our 2018 highlights and to thank our supporters who have helped fund our...
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