Ending Hunger in Senegal
Donate to end hunger in Senegal
Almost half of the population of Senegal lives on less than $1.90 a day. The West African nation of Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Senegal – bordered by Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia – has been successful at exercising political participation and peaceful leadership; nonetheless almost half of the population still lives below the poverty line.
Approximately half of the population of Senegal is illiterate, and 22.8% of all children (ages 5-17) are working, and not in school. Senegal’s economy is mainly based on agriculture, with more than three-fourths of its 14.3 million people employed in the sector. However, the harvest is threatened annually by drought and climate change.
The Hunger Project works to bring an end to hunger across rural and remote villages in Ghana by working in partnership with individuals and communities who hunger for change.
The Hunger Project’s Work in Senegal
Through the Epicenter Strategy 15,000 – 25,000 people are brought together as a cluster of rural villages — giving villages more influence with local government than a single village is likely to have and increasing a community’s ability to collective utilize resources. The epicenter building serves as a focal point where the motivation, energies and leadership of the people converge with the resources of local government and non-governmental organizations. Over an eight-year period, an epicenter addresses hunger and poverty and moves along a path toward sustainable self-reliance, at which point it is able to fund its own activities and no longer requires financial investment from The Hunger Project.
Senegal has 10 epicenters that cumulatively serve an area of population 164,979 and 203 villages.
Senegal was the first country of intervention for The Hunger Project in Africa; which has been working there since 1991. The Hunger Project-Senegal is now empowering community partners to end their own hunger and poverty. Through its integrated approach to rural development, the Epicenter Strategy, The Hunger Project is working with community partners to successfully access the basic services needed to lead lives of self-reliance and achieve internationally agreed-upon markers of success, such as the Millennium Development Goals.
The Hunger Project’s Commitment to Senegal
The Hunger Project Canada is currently committed to fundraising $250,000 by the end of 2022 for Senegal.
Your investment will support:
- Catalyzing Effective Capacity Building That Empowers Communities
- Fostering Self-Reliance
- Building Beneficial Partnerships and Mobilizing Resources
- Strengthening Infrastructure to Increase Organizational Impact