Education, water, empowerment - Ngollar, Selegal

The TOOLS FOR LIFE Foundation is the sole sponsor of a project to improve living conditions in the village of Ngollar, Senegal. It consists of a school project and an agricultural women's project. Both projects are implemented by our partner organization "Wasser für Senegal e. V." and local companies.

In November 2021, the renovated school, the administration building and the sanitary facilities, as well as the fountain and water tower were inaugurated during a visit by the founder, Dr Helmut Rothenberger, and the managing director, Dr Sandra Rothenberger.

Initial situation

The village of Ngollar with 4,620 inhabitants (2018) is located 18 km north of Thiès, the capital of the region with the same name. The population lives mainly from agriculture and livestock. There is no state infrastructure (water, energy).

During the dry season, many inhabitants seek work in the cities. Some women engage in poultry farming during this time or look for other work to generate income. They use the money to buy food and pay school fees for their children.

Providing food for the population and water for livestock is extremely difficult. Northern Senegal climatically belongs to the Sahel, which is characterized by a long dry period of 9-10 months. Without water, herders are left with only transhumant grazing and people are forced to leave the region.

Young people who did not go to school or left school very early often move to the cities in search of work. This can put young women in a very difficult situation (early pregnancy, prostitution).

The women in Ngollar in particular are working to improve living conditions. They have succeeded in founding several groups and associations, initiating economic and social activities, and thus creating small networks of mutual help and solidarity.

However, their activities are limited by lack of funding and paternalism, and they need support to realize their development potential and work towards autonomy.

Our actions

The inhabitants of Ngollar village want to improve their situation. We support this and offer "help for self-help". That is why TOOLS FOR LIFE supports the school and agrarian women's project.

As part of the school project, the school building will be renovated and an associated administration building will be built. In addition, the school will be fenced. The fence will connect the buildings and create a schoolyard. This will prevent the free-roaming cows and goats from destroying the newly created school garden. The school's sanitary facilities are also being expanded and a room for adult education is being converted.

The agricultural women's project includes the construction of a well and an irrigation system for the field of a women's cooperative. According to recent studies, women contribute more to the sustainable development of village communities. In women's agricultural projects, women are provided with a piece of land with irrigation for long-term cultivation and are helped to establish a cooperative Through advanced drip irrigation, water consumption is kept low. In this process, hoses are laid in the field with outlets at regular intervals so that the fields can be irrigated precisely with small amounts of water. This allows the women of the cooperative to grow and sell food even in the dry season.

current situation

The projects have been successfully completed. The school buildings have been renovated and an administration building has been built. A well including a solar-powered pump and water tower have also been completed and the compound has been fenced. The fields are watered by a drip irrigation system so that the students can be supplied with fresh food.

Pictures can be found in the photo gallery below.

Facts and numbers

35,000

Euro Budget

12

month

The background to the project