Our Work
In Senegal
Despite Senegal’s strong economic growth in recent years, more than a third (39 per cent) of people there still live in poverty. Our sister organisation, United Purpose, first began working there in 2006. It expanded its work to support people in the Casamance region by integrating livelihoods with community networks, facilitating peace. Increasingly, we are supporting Senegal’s marine conservation efforts – particularly to protect the fragile biodiversity and rich ecosystems of its mangroves.
Population: 17.7 million (UNFPA, 2022) 
Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 71 years (women) (UNFPA, 2022)
Capital: Dakar
Area: 196,712 km²
Major languages: Most widely spoken language is Wolof, French is the official language.
Major religions: Predominantly Islam
Human Development Index: 170/191
The country’s hugely successful mangroves restoration work has become an integral part of the organisation’s work in the country. Mangroves store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests. They can also reduce damage and flood risks.
The Casamance region is known for its biodiversity and forests, but it is severely threatened by complex development factors as well as climate change. Through United Purpose, we have worked with the local community to improve forest protection by reducing timber and charcoal trafficking through effective environmental governance and monitoring based on citizen involvement. In addition to this, we support ecological livelihood opportunities and promote a culture of civic responsibility for environmental protection through a national advocacy campaign.
The challenges Senegal face are also keenly felt within the capital city Dakar, where more than 27,000 children are believed to be engaged in street begging. Despite Senegal ratifying all major international conventions on children’s rights, the failure to apply the laws remains a constant problem resulting in the exploitation of children becoming more and more severe. Our work in child rights and wellbeing focuses on improving the wellbeing of children in selected Daraas (local Islamic schools) by facilitating access to healthcare services and engaging them into education and sport activities.
Senegal projects
IUCN LIVELIHOODS & MANGROVES ECO-SYSTEMS
Objective: The overall objective of the project is to achieve integrated protection of the diversity and fragile ecosystems of mangroves in West Africa and their enhanced resilience to climate change. The specific objective of the project is to strengthen the communities involved in the management of protected areas and unprotected mangrove sites.
This project formed part of the much larger ‘Protection of mangrove forests from Senegal to Benin’ project (launched in 2019 with funding from the European Union) in order to address the loss of mangrove forests in nine countries in West Africa (including Senegal and Guinea Bissau) and which was led by the renown International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Principal activities included conservation and restoration of habitats, supporting sustainable livelihoods, building knowledge and capacity amongst local actors, local people, policymakers and governments. Additionally, a focus on developing new partnerships, sharing governance systems and frameworks to increase consultation and dialogue between actors, including the private sector, were related activities with a view to protecting mangrove forests in the long term.
GLOBAL RESPONSE FUND
Objective: The aim of our project is to bring climate smart agriculture knowledge (CSA) to rural communities with information provided in local languages (e.g. Wolof, Mandinka), using a local custom-made digital platform.
Activities include the design and content of the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) digital resources and identifying suitable expertise for translation, visuals and dissemination of the resources to the target farming communities. A consultant will be recruited for this activity. The project will also purchase digital devices (smartphones, tablets) to which these tailored CSA resources will be downloaded and stored, as a practical way to consult the reference materials.
An additional activity involves training of young and women trainers on CSA techniques of agricultural production so they can train their local communities in CSA techniques to improve agricultural production.
Below are links to resources developed during the project, shared here as part of wider dissemination plans for climate smart agriculture practices. During the project, the training is being delivered in French and in Wolof, a local language. These resources are in French. (Manuels de formation Vous trouverez ci-joint les resources développées au cours du projet, partagées ici dans le cadre des plans de diffusion des pratiques agricoles intelligentes face au climat. Pendant le projet, la formation est dispensée en français et en wolof, une langue locale. Ces resources sont en français.)
Sessions De Formation Sur l’Agriculture Intelligente face aux Changements Climatiques
Introduction Auxiliadora Changements Climatique Et L'Agriculture Inteligeante
90 young trainers to train 8,000 beneficiaries
CREATE BETTER LIVELIHOODS FOR SUPPLY CHAIN EE’S
Objective: To improve living conditions of workers on the partner farms and their families by proposing actions in collaboration with the farms and worker voice committees through a needs assessment process to identify projects needed by communities and those that could have the most impact whilst fitting with Waitrose foundation’s objectives.
Self Help Africa is the implementation partner for Waitrose Foundation’s ‘Worker Voice’ activities at 3 of its supplier farms in Senegal: Wealmore Safina, Société des Cultures Légumières (SCL) and West Africa Farms (WAF). For SCL and WAF in the north of Senegal we work with local NGO’ Le Partenariat’ to coordinate with the farms and help deliver activities for the local communities, such as:
Construction of hygienic toilet facilities for local schools and teaching school children on the importance of clean and safe water; construction of new classroom blocks in N’Guelakh Peulh School; and construction and equipping of a new maternity centre at a health centre near to Safina farm.
Training of 20 young trainers in CSA (climate-smart agriculture) techniques, who will train local community members in such techniques.
250,000 beneficiaries across the whole project
TO CONTACT US ABOUT OUR WORK IN Senegal:
United Purpose - Senegal
Immeuble Samassa, Sicap Karak, en Face de l'Ecole de Police, BP 25448 Dakar Fann, Dakar, Sénégal
Tel: +221 3419525
Email: [email protected]