Awa Ndiaye, Senegal

Awa Ndiaye is 37 years old. She lives with her husband (a construction worker), his three daughters (thirteen, nine and three years) and her five-year-old son. Mrs Ndiaye joined the The Hunger Project’s Microfinance Programme (MFP) in Senegal in 2005, when she took out several loans to help undertake a fresh vegetable trade.

Initially, she received her supplies from the local tradesmen, who, because of the largely deteriorated state of the roads, monopolised this sector. However, after she received her third loan, of 150,000 FCFA (US$318), she felt empowered to arrange for herself and five other women to be supplied directly from Potou (a large market-gardening site located about 80 km from Coki). This way they could minimise their overhead expenses and become independent of the middlemen. This was the beginning of a new “career” for Awa and her colleagues.

Changes in her life

Today, Awa Ndiaye has received loans totaling more than 700.000 FCFA (US$1,482), and her trade is flourishing. She describes her partnership with The Hunger Project in Senegal enthusiastically, while mentioning the substantial impacts it has had on both her business and her personal life:

• She can now meet the basic needs of her family, to ensure their well-being and to pay for incidental expenses, such as medical care, clothing, shoes and her children’s school supplies.
• She has increased her savings to nearly 261,900 FCFA (US$555).
• She participates more in her community (through meetings at the epicentre), and as a result, she has developed a good professional reputation, enjoys a richer social and personal life, and has a stake in the future of the epicentre.

Her goal for the future is to diversify her trade, by adding such products as fresh fish, and to grow her business in order to serve the villages surrounding Coki.

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