• What was the best part about contributing to Farmer-to-Farmer as a national volunteer in Ghana

Having a Farmer-to-Farmer national volunteer in Ghana is a very innovative approach that enables us to use our professional experience to practically support the host to improve on what they are doing and their livelihoods.

In my assignment as a national volunteer, I was able to communicate in the local languages that made them fully understand the training. The trainees were also able to ask many questions to clarify their understanding because all the participants could speak the local language which avoided the communication gap that happens when translation had to be done.

I used local examples and illustrations that they knew and made it very practical to the extent of bringing pineapple fruits to the training classroom to demonstrate to them and also giving the opportunity to do it themselves that made the training easier to understand.

The host and farmers bonded easily and had a high level of trust and confidence with me so they shared in depth experiences with me that helped me to gain more insight into their challenges and made me adapt the training to address their needs.

After the training sessions, the host and cooperative members felt that they have benefited a lot because the training was done in their local language, was very practical, hands on and full of comprehension.

Farmers on farm tour with Winrock

• What was the best part about working with a remote US based volunteer

Working with a US based volunteer gives you the opportunity to work as a team and each professional brings his/her experience to bear. Also, gives the opportunity to blend these experiences to support the host to improve in the way they do things.

Further, the team work and writing the end of assignment together helped each volunteer to learn from each other also improve his/her professional experience.

• What did you learn/were there any cultural exchanges

The assignment further improves working relationship in a multicultural environment.

David during the training sessions

• What lasting impact did this have on you

I have done some volunteer assignments alone in the past, and this was the first time for me to work on an assignment with a US Volunteer. This assignment helped me to gain some insights into the professional way of handling some technical issues in the US.

I also saw the responses from the host and cooperative members who felt greater impact of the Farmer to Farmer volunteer assignment will be done if national professionals are given opportunity to offer their professional experience and expertise to support host organizations.

April 18^th to the 24^th is National Volunteer Week in the United States which gives us all a chance to stop, reflect, and shine a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve. As North America awakens to spring and the sense of a renewed optimism, what better time to take a moment and recognize the volunteers who share their time, talent, and treasure to build a more connected global community.

Over a year ago now, the world entered into a profoundly challenging, unforeseen, and tumultuous moment in time. The rise and eventual spread of COVID-19 across the globe profoundly impacted every nation, industry, and way of living. Many people have referred to 2020 as a “dark” or “lost” year. We cannot deny the immense struggle or burden felt by people from every walk of life. And yet, that truth only makes the efforts of Winrock’s volunteers during the past year that much more remarkable.

As airports around the world shut their doors, American volunteers did something amazing- they adapted and continued to support international communities. At Winrock International, technical expert volunteers, primarily through the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program, raised their hands and offered their effort to find a new way to help those in need. Through the use of real-time video-conferencing technology and partnerships with local experts, American volunteers put proof to the quote that “all failure is failure to adapt, all success is successful adaptation.” Demonstrating a remarkable resilience and creativity in the face of difficulty, Winrock volunteers successfully blazed new pathways to connect and collaborate, directly improving the lives of thousands of individuals in rural communities across the world.

One such beneficiary, Mr. Karamo Fofana, a member of a community development group in Guinea, West Africa, noted that: Today, I am 1,000 kilometers from the capital where the Winrock training is being held, the American trainer is in the United States, his Guinean counterpart is in a room with a group in the capital, there are others are all over Guinea joining, learning, and participating; We work as if we were all together in the same room. Really, this is a first and an innovation for us. To this end, we are very grateful to Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer and the U.S. Government, which is sparing no effort to accompany us during this period of COVID19. Thanks to new technologies, we can be everywhere and work together”.

This week, we take a moment to stop and say thank you to the volunteers who brighten the world.  Despite the personal and professional setbacks, we all faced over the past year, so many have lifted their light and showed us that all challenge is really just a hidden opportunity.

Here are some of our volunteers in action over the past year. If you feel a calling to serve in a similar capacity, there are many opportunities listed at www.winrock.org/volunteer.

Having had the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Guinea earlier this year, I was ecstatic to receive word of the possibility of continuing pesticide safety work in the beautiful mountain village of Dabola remotely. For those unfamiliar with the West African Country, agriculture in Guinea is diverse and impressive, with many cooperatives producing a wide array of tropical and traditional food crops promoting food security and enriching economies throughout the region. Shea butter and peanuts are important niche crops for the area, and unfortunately, they are susceptible to a wide variety of pest insects, fungi, and diseases. Training focused on identifying and diagnosing these issues as well as how to treat using sustainable practices. Less pesticide use not only ensures safety personally and environmentally, but also reduces overall costs to growers. Increased safety measures, including personal protective equipment (which we are all too familiar with, living in the times of COVID) were also discussed and encouraged.

Training from 4,790 Miles Away

One of the assets of having been to Guinea prior is that the wonderful in country team had taken the time to take me to markets to see exactly what pesticide, fertilizer, and fungicides were available to the growers. This knowledge made it so much easier to come up with a management plan that was realistic for the cooperative to follow. I was also teamed up with another amazing volunteer to serve as my translator, Elizabeth Bloom in Arkansas. We were able to meet over zoom before, during, and after the training to brainstorm ideas, do Q & A videos, and strengthen the material. In our case, remote was not limiting in the least! In fact, I would argue it created unique opportunities to work with others to strengthen and tailor programs to uniquely serve the needs of the cooperative groups of farmers. Many of the farmers have since continued the connection, sending photos, asking questions which has continued to add value and help proved to be a great way for me to stay involved. Having completed many F2F assignments, the remote opportunities have allowed for fluidity and a chance to stay connected to groups long after assignment is over, which has not been such a present feature in the in-person assignments. That being said, I will be on the first plane over if the opportunity to follow up in-person presents itself!

Call to Action

Anyone who may be on the fence regarding remote assignments should take the opportunity if they have it! It’s a wonderful way to extend your connection past the usual two weeks and it will help you improve the scope of your work in the long term. I cannot say enough about the Guinea Winrock team. Their kindness, dedication, humor, and drive will encourage any volunteer that their work is important and worthwhile.

After 6 years at the helm of the Farmer-to-Farmer team in Senegal, our beloved Mama Toure retires today. 

Before she started with Winrock in June 2014, Mama became a member of the Africa Women Leaders in Agriculture and Environment (AWLAE) network that Winrock helped form and strengthen in the 1980s. She received her Master’s in International Agriculture Education from the University of Arizona and spent several years working for the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture and for the Food and Agriculture Organization. Mama’s leadership and spirit has led one of our largest West Africa Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) teams and she will be very much missed! Her work with volunteers and host organizations have helped shape the program in Senegal and left a lasting impact. During her tenure, she has overseen 124 volunteer assignments that dedicated 2,330 days to F2F. These volunteer assignments resulted in 7,936 hectares under improved technology, $2,130,983 in host income, and nearly 5,000 people trained! Mama retires to her farm where she keeps fruit trees, poultry, and livestock. A genuine, warm, and dedicated leader, Mama will truly be missed! 

I learned from Mama that working as a team makes you succeed and sharing responsibility makes the job easier. I miss her already! Patrick, Ndiame Sene, F2F driver, Senegal

Mama has been a role model to staff, program beneficiaries and our volunteers. I appreciate how much she believed in her team members and invested in building their capacity. DeAnn McGrew, Director of Global Programs

Mama has been a great colleague and we are sad to see her go. I hope she works as hard at relaxing as she did during her working life! Mike Bassey, Country Director F2F Nigeria

Her warm spirit, passion for the work we do, and keen expertise in the field will be sorely missed. Jennifer Robinson, F2F Recruiter

I will especially remember Mama taking me to her pride and joy – her farm. Her retirement is well deserved but sad for me. But I shall return to Senegal at some point in the future and look forward to seeing her then. Monica Norley, F2F Volunteer

Mama was so welcoming and helpful to me during my two volunteer assignments in Senegal. The staff under her direction took better care of me than I could have ever imagined. I could not have asked for a better country director and host. She invited me to her family’s celebration of Tabaski and it was like being a member of a wonderful family. She is a true professional and has provided tremendous service to her country through her work with Winrock. Something tells me there are a lot of volunteers that can share the same sentiments about Mama. Ples Spradley, F2F Volunteer

Mama is an open and friendly person who cares about others. I will miss her morning greetings and bright smile. Abibou Diaw, our new Country Director F2F Senegal

Mama with Winrock HQ team and her fellow Country Directors from Nigeria, Guinea, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh

I’m so grateful for Mama’s spirit, leadership, and care that she has put in to building the Senegal team. After so much hard work, I hope she enjoys her retirement – it is well deserved.
Jen Snow, F2F Program Director

In Guinea (West Africa), as with the rest of the world, the presence of COVID-19 has prompted the Government to initiate national lockdown quarantine measures. Once bustling, vibrant streets and markets have now slowed to a quiet hum as businesses and government agencies temporarily shut their doors. For Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer team, based in the capital city Conakry, this has meant the start of teleworking and the end of direct personal interaction with the American technical expert volunteers who form the backbone of our programmatic activity.

Yet at a time of great social strain, the people-to-people connections formed between Guinea and the United States are on full display. Ibrahima Diallo (Country Director) recently contacted more than 70 American volunteers that had worked with him in the past in Guinea. Wanting only to reconnect at a time of shared struggle, Diallo noted “I wanted to hear from them, share the echoes of their assignments and to invite them to return in Guinea for other assignments once this COVID-19 is over.”

The response was tremendous. Former volunteers from across the country wrote to Diallo and his team sending well-wishes and sharing their own stories of the importance of family and the bonds that transcend people and place.

Diallo and his team have initiated similar outreach to the network of community organizations we work to support across Guinea. He reports that COVID-19 has placed a serious financial burden onto already struggling areas. In turn, they have encouraged local organizations to use the media to advocate and share their messages through online media, radio, and TV to show the impact of COVID-19 on their activities.

While Diallo and his team adapt to this time of working without direct human interaction, the strength of our relations, across Guinea and over oceans, reveals that human connections will overcome this challenge.

Country Director, Ibrahima, Volunteer, Felipe Tejada and Driver, Bailo Diallo enjoying a tea break while on assignment in 2019