heks

The contrast between rich and poor and between urban and rural areas in Senegal is enormous, with one third of families living below the poverty line. Two thirds of the population work in the agricultural sector but there is a lack of arable land. The farming families have to cope with soil erosion, insufficient rainfall and subsequent periods of drought, and cannot harvest enough crops to make ends meet. Many young people face a life without prospects and they migrate to the towns or move abroad.

HEKS has been working in Senegal since the 1980s. The focus is on stabilising local development, increasing people’s income by supporting small businesses and helping them to market their products, providing access to drinking water and promoting the sustainable use and reactivation of resources in rural areas. Local partner organisations implement the projects financed by HEKS in three primary-focus regions.

Aims, points of focus, initiatives

The HEKS aid strategy for the country for 2008-2010 concentrates on three main areas: stabilisation of local development; promotion of small-scale rural entrepreneurs; access to resources and their sustainable management.
In pursuit of these aims HEKS works with local partner organisations in three geographical regions, namely Ferlo, which is known for cattle breeding and is located in the north-east of the country, the coastal area (Niayes) and the Peanut Basin (Central Senegal). HEKS directs its aid in support of access to clean drinking water, the sustainable cultivation of fruit and vegetables and their marketing, the fight against erosion, and environmentally-friendly cropping methods.

The projects always involve some support of village community-based organisations, local village infrastructure development, publicity and networking. The kind of questions that might be asked are: “What are our rights and our obligations? What can we expect from the state, what can we demand? Where can we get support? What do we need to do to get funding?” The HEKS partner organisations discuss these issues with the people and advise them with respect to the practicalities.