In May 2022, volunteer Daniel Lavin was Winrock’s first volunteer to travel from the US to West Africa for the Farmer-to-Farmer program in over 2 years. Dan traveled to Senegal to assist the Fass Jom Association in Financial Farm Management. He, along with country staff, trained a group of mostly women on managing their farming practices so they could take part in the development of their community and improve living conditions. Fass Jom Association’s goal is to establish a modern micro-enterprise capable of generating sufficient income and creating sustainable and economically profitable activities for its members.

Why did you want to volunteer?

For the last few decades, my focus has been on my children and my work.  My kids have moved on and my work requires much less time.  I continually recall memories of my service in the Peace Corps and wished there was a way to get involved with international development.  When I learned about Farmer-to-Farmer and specifically saw that their mission was to teach, I knew I had to get involved.  I’ve been working independently in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Kenya, but hoped to find organizations that had greater reach to other countries and connections to communities seeking to empower themselves.  In the United States, even big “efforts” seem to have little effect.  When serving with Farmer 2 Farmer, even small “efforts” seem to have a big effect.   The appreciation from the host organizations, from the in-country staff, and from all those I come in contact with feeds the soul.

What was the highlight of being back in the field?

One big highlight from my experience in Senegal was a response from one of the students, a Muslim woman who surprised even herself.  Our focus was on teaching financial literacy, giving the students a chance to learn how to analyze business concepts and make educated decisions to improve profitability.  This woman returned to the training with a “spring in her step,” anxious to update the others.  She had returned home to educate her husband on the concepts of tracking revenue, identifying labor and material costs, comparing financial models, and creating a budget.  Even though he ran the family business, they both realized that her new skills would serve them both and help improve their financial situation.  It wasn’t our aim to create a cultural “shift,” but the result was amazing.  The other students applauded with delight.

What advice would you give a new volunteer?

The most important skills you can bring are flexibility, respect, creativity, and humility.  The more you can encourage active participation, questions instead of answers, and the willingness to “pivot,” the more likely you are to achieve success. Don’t try and solve all problems prior to your arrival; you really need to see the issues in context and listen to the host prior to making even the most basic suggestions.

How do you feel that your volunteer assignment has contributed to creating a shared understanding across different cultures through person-to-person interactions?

As I grow older, I realize how little I know, but I maintain the willingness to learn.  I believe I contribute to a shared understanding from culture to culture by having everyone become a student and a teacher.  We all have something to share, and a lot to learn.

What, if anything, has surprised you on your assignments?

The world has become very small.  In 1988 it took me 54 hours to travel to Sierra Leone.  Letters took three months to arrive, and phone calls were reserved for emergencies.  World events meant little unless you were able to hear a faint BBC broadcast.  Now, travel takes half the time.  Emails are instantaneous, pictures and videos can be shared in real-time, and news reaches even the most remote villages.  This new reality allows me to participate in amazing communities, and share events with friends and family all over the world.  When the assignment ended, friendships built are maintained.

How does your experience affect your worldview?

Americans often think that development means “how do we make the world more like us?”  That is NOT my worldview.  Everyone lives with different challenges, unique cultural approaches, and solutions that make the world interesting.  I feel fortunate that I get to witness such differences, and then share these experiences.

In October 2021 the West Africa Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) project in Ghana was invited to present a brief statement in the Eastern Region, Koforidua; at the maiden two-day Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Fair, organized by the Regional Agricultural Department of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council on the theme: “Developing the Eastern Commodity Satellite Markets: The Role of Agro-input Dealers and Processors.” 

Country Director, Mina Lassey, gives a statement at the Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Fair

New packaging developed with help from F2F Volunteers

The Regional Agricultural Department has the mandate to foster market linkages for smallholder farmers, processors, and aggregators under the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Program. The region adopted the development of commodity satellite markets as its main strategy to ensure that farmers have access to markets. Under this initiative, each District Agricultural Department was tasked with a responsibility to facilitate the branding and selling of at least one agricultural commodity in which they have both competitive and comparative advantage. Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteers April Thompson and Molly Hamilton trained the Department of Agriculture on branding, packaging, and labeling of rice. The neatly and beautifully packed products at the fair were the results of the F2F volunteer assistance. The Country Director of the F2F project pledged their continued collaboration with the MAG secretariate and the Department of Agriculture to increase income and livelihoods of farmers, agro-processors, and support the agricultural sector in general.

Farmer-to-Farmer Ghana Country Director, Mina Lassey, helps cut the ribbon

The Eastern Regional Minister, Hon Seth Kwame Acheampong, officially opened the fair and commended the Department of Agriculture for the job well done. He also greatly commended the USAID-funded West Africa Farmer-to-Farmer Project for the support to the agricultural sector.

In January 2022, Adama Pouye from Senegal and Nancy Scott from the United States, came together to help the women of Cooperation of the Networks of Users of the Consular Agricultural Training and Transformation Unit (RUUFTAC) create new and improved products to sell in their communities. 

In Senegal, there is a market for bakery products made from local cereals and women are looking for ways to boost their incomes by offering high-quality baked products. Using the new paired model, created during the COVID pandemic to overcome the inability to travel, US volunteers are matched up with a Senegalese volunteer to jointly plan and offer training. Taking full advantage of available technology, Nancy and Adama met over Zoom and communicated via email and WhatsApp to create a training plan tailored for RUUFTAC. Together they helped teach the women of RUUFTAC new techniques to make nutritious baked products using local grains such as millet, corn, rice, and black eye peas. One of the training participants during the training said “We did not believe that pastry can be made from local cereals. Our cereals have more value than we expected.’’

Based on their information gathering with association members and her own experience in the US, Nancy adapted, tested, and proposed recipes. Together Adama and Nancy finalized recipes and planned the training. Adama then provided hands-on demonstrations for how to make corn cakes, millet madeleines, corn birthday cakes with buttercream and chocolate, peanut butter cookies, local cereal fritters, buns, croissants, and black eye pea and pumpkin bread. All of which were delicious according to Farmer-to-Farmer Country Directer, Abibou Diaw, who had the lucky job of being a taste tester for this assignment!

US volunteer joins via zoom to watch the participants try her recipes

Most of the participants have already taken some initiative to implement what they have learned. Some are making healthy children’s snacks from the recipes shared. “Adama and Nancy’s team gave us new and enriching baking techniques. We learned a lot from the local grains available. My little store in front of my house will have new products and attract more customers” Ndeye Seynabou Dieng, member of the cooperative. The goal of this training was to enable the women of RUUFTAC to earn extra income while also creating nutrious items for their community, as a bonus, buying local cereals also helps small-scale farmers in local communities. When women are empowered to use their skills and knowledge, everyone benefits. Thank you to Adama and Nancy for reaching across an ocean and working together to bring their knowledge to RUUFTAC!

National volunteer, Adama, tastes one of the new recipes developed by US volunteer Nancy and baked by a member of RUUFTAC

We were inspired by Global Entrepreneurship Week (Nov. 8-14) and are excited to share the success of a youth entrepreneur in Guinea who has expanded her product line thanks to support received from Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer program. Enterprise Fatou et Kadija (EFK), a startup company in Guinea led by a young woman named Fatou Titine Cissoko, is gaining success by providing juice and jam products that meet market demand and quality standards.

Ms. Cissoko was trained in entrepreneurship topics by prior USAID-funded Associate Awards implemented by Winrock International and CNFA. As part of her participation in entrepreneurship

Ms. Cissoko displaying new product offerings from EFK after receiving F2F technical training.

training, Ms. Cissoko created a business plan and received a grant of US$ 900 (8,134,500 GNF) to start her fruit drying business, EFK.  Since starting the business in 2019, she has added the production of drinks and jams made from fruits such as ginger, pineapple, mango, etc.

Recognizing that she needed further technical and organizational capacity-building skills to grow her business, Ms. Cissoko reached out to the Guinea Farmer-to-Farmer program to receive

trainings in financial literacy and food processing and preservation to better produce tropical fruit drinks.

“During the financial literacy training, I learned how to approach financial institutions with my business plan. I admit that I was afraid because these institutions are very demanding, and as a young entrepreneur, I have no guarantees to offer. Nevertheless, following my meeting with them, two of the most important banks in the area came back to me and offered me credit opportunities…”, explains Ms. Cissoko. She plans to utilize a finance option soon to invest in expanding her production and feels that the banks’ willingness to offer her credit options offers an opportunity to prove that young entrepreneurs are solid investments.

The Farmer-to-Farmer technical training focused on processing techniques followed the financial literacy capacity building and has led to additional product offerings for EFK. Prior to receiving training, EFK was unable to produce quality ginger juice and jams. Since receiving training, EFK now produces and sells quality ginger juice, jams, and monkey bread juice, resulting in a 40 to 50% increase in profits. EFK has sold more than 300 bottles of monkey juice alone within the few months after learning of this new product from the Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer.

Ms. Cissoko and EFK’s goals are to continue to expand product offerings that meet quality standards and hope as the business grows that they are able to employ more young staff in the future.

“If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” — Kofi Annan

This quote from Kofi Annan really resonates, given everything that our world is facing these days. AND – it’s National Volunteer Week! Now, more than ever, I think we can all benefit from inspirational examples of American volunteers making an impact around the world.

In the last year, Winrock engaged 70 volunteers on assignments in nine countries, primarily through the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. These volunteers donated a collective 1,400 days of time to 59 host organizations, lending their skills and expertise on topics ranging from agricultural production and processing to curriculum development and pedagogy, to business planning and financial management. They have empowered farmers and entrepreneurs; strengthened training institutions and schools; improved quality, diversity, and safety of food products; and directly improved the lives of thousands of individuals in rural Africa and Asia.

This week, in particular, we celebrate these noble and meaningful efforts.

Here are some of our volunteers in action in the last year:

Volunteer, Dr. Hameed, shows off the mushroom pizza the Mushroom Producers Association made together in Ghana

Volunteer Kerry Richards and a local farmer practice plant transplanting in Guinea

Volunteer Gary Wingenbach visits demonstration plots and research project on the campus of Adeyemi College of Education in Nigeria

Volunteer Olumide Mitchelle Makanjuola poses with the women of AFSM and AWLAE in Mali after her workshop on building successful business practices

Volunteer Dr. Kassama works with CLCOP women to create enriched flour to sell in Senegal

In addition to imparting valuable – and oftentimes, critical – technical knowledge to enable people to improve their livelihoods, our volunteers also contribute to increased cross-cultural understanding, building a bridge between our countries and reinforcing human connections.

Many of our volunteers stay in touch with their host organizations and field staff after the end of their assignment. It’s been heartwarming to see an increase in this outreach during the coronavirus crisis, with volunteers and field staff reaching out to each other with concern and solidarity and to deepen the bonds that they formed over the course of their assignments. Especially now, these are such important reminders that we are all in this together.

THANK YOU, volunteers, for your generosity, kindness, hard work, expertise, and perseverance. You have made a difference, in more ways than one.

And though we are currently pausing international volunteer travel due to the global coronavirus pandemic, we are anxious to continue to serve our beneficiary communities around the world. We hope to resume travel later this year – and as always, open volunteer opportunities will be posted on our website: www.winrock.org/volunteer.