Senegalese women planting sweet potato seeds
SYLLA DIONGTO, SENEGAL - JANUARY 15, 2015: Hapsatou Ka was a housewife and mother up until 2010 when she began working with USAID Yaajeende. She was nominated by her community and trained by the project as a "Community Based Solution Provider" -- a local social entrepreneur who facilitates the community's access to broad range of products and services that are needed to improve the quality of local agricultural production and enhance the health of the local populations. Hapsatou has become one of the most dynamic CBSPs (out of approximately 400) and has a great diversity of products and services. She works with firms in Dakar to provide a range of products such as seeds, fertilizers, fortified foods, and other product to local clients and is paid a commission by the firms on her sales. At the same time, Hapsatou provides support services to local people about how to use the products and gain the most from them. She also provides training and education for local people on a wide variety of agriculture and nutrition issues. Hapsatou is an entrepreneur that is helping her community by undertaking a thriving social enterprise that also allows her to earn a living and provide for her family.
Senegal is characterized by a persistent moderate, chronic undernutrition where anemia and the “hidden hunger” of protein and micronutrient deficiencies feature prominently. Although Senegal has one of the lowest undernutrition rates in West Africa, the condition persists as an underlying factor in Senegal’s high child and maternal mortality rates. Through Feed the Future, USAID works with the Government of Senegal to reduce poverty and undernutrition by promoting agriculture as a driver for economic growth.
USAID | Yaajeende is a 5 year Food Security Initiative in Senegal. The project is among the first Feed the Future projects initiated and began operations in 2010. The word “Yaajeende” is a local word in the Peulh language that signifies “the expansion of abundance.” Photo by Morgana Wingard
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