We are pleased to have just completed our first Farmer-to-Farmer for Agriculture Education and Training (F2F for AET) assignment in Senegal! Volunteer Matilde D’Urzo describes her experience in the blog post below:
“It is my first time in Senegal. I also happen to be the first volunteer for Winrock’s F2F for AET Program in this country. I arrive late at night in Dakar and all the passengers entering the airport building are immediately checked for temperature, due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in neighboring countries. I am warmly welcomed by Mme Ndeye Mama, Winrock Country Director, and her husband, Mr. Ousmane. This is one of the trademarks of the program: local staff is always available and everybody truly goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The Winrock office is brand new and well set for expansion: there is plenty of space. There is also a great sense of anticipation, because finally F2F is starting in earnest and the first volunteer has arrived.
My task is to work with the teachers at the Horticulture Vocational Training Center in Cambéréne on Competence-Based Education (CBA), soon to be adopted, and to build their capacity to develop course content based on this approach. Camberene is few kilometers from Ngor, the neighborhood where the Winrock office is and where I am staying at a local hotel. Many entities, either public or private, many NGOs and international organizations are relocating from the center of Dakar into this area, which is also very close to the airport, in the attempt to decentralize operations and escape the traffic and crowd of the inner city. (more…)
