Tuesday, December 10, 2019 |
"I
am writing to you because you are people who care about and
help others. Some of you are active members of churches, feminist
groups, social groups..."
.............
kAmelia
Drummund, USA
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Photo
Gallery






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December
2007 - Vol 1
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2007 was our
second year of operation in Dakar, Senegal and was a
year of steady growth for us as the Anti-Poverty Initiative;
we incorporated 6 new associations into our program,
each with 25 women. We are now working with a total
of 18 associations, twice as many as we started with
in January of 2006. These 6 new groups successfully
completed our micro-enterprise training program and
the feedback from these women has been overwhelmingly
positive. We look forward to updating you on their progress
throughout the year. |
We were lucky to receive a wonderful visitor here in
Dakar last November. Mrs. Jerry White arrived from Vero
Beach, Florida representing her church. Mrs. White was
able to spend time visiting API groups in HLM Grand
Yoff, a large neighborhood in Dakar, as well as a group
known as “The Women of Ouakam Road,” who sell vegetables.
The visit was a great demonstration of API’s work here,
and the women were also excited to speak with Mrs. White
and share their experiences with her. In addition to
her words of encouragement, Mrs. White presented checks
on behalf of her church and Mrs. Ethel Howe to API to
help support our work in Dakar. For that we are truly
grateful.
As we look toward the New Year, our hope is that we
continue to expand our work in Senegal with the help
and support of our friends and family. |
One
Woman at a Time: How API Changes Lives
Seynabou Gueye, a divorced mother
of two, lives in Patte d’Oie, a bustling neighborhood
on the outskirts of Dakar. Since her divorce many
years ago, life was a challenge for her. In addition
to her lack of a formal education, Seynabou was not
equipped with the financial skills needed to take
on the responsibilities as head of her household.
Providing basic needs, like food, and paying her children’s
school fees was next to impossible with her meager
income earned through selling cosmetics.
One year ago, Seynabou began to take the steps that
would drastically improve her situation. Seynabou
and 24 other women, each one struggling, formed an
association. As a group, they elected to join API’s
micro-finance program. The first step for these women
was to participate in micro-enterprise training. It
is here where they learned the skills needed to successfully
operate their own businesses, including: marketing,
record keeping, profit and loss calculations, and
learning to manage household and business expenses
separately. After completing the training, Seynabou
felt that she had the practical knowledge to better
manage her own business.
The loans from API’s micro-credit program helped Seynabou
start a vegetable preservation business out of her
home. With her loan money, she purchased raw materials,
in this case vegetables like carrots and tomatoes,
at a market in Derkle, another neighborhood on the
edge of the city. She also began to purchase large
quantities of hibiscus, the flower used to produce
bissap, a popular Senegalese drink, at a discount.
The opportunity to buy larger quantities at a lower
price awarded Seynabou greater profits for her business.
Now, her monthly income has doubled from $100 to $200.
With her increased income, Seynabou can afford to
pay her children’s school fees. Her 14 year-old son
is currently in a junior level secondary school and
her 18 year-old daughter is currently training to
be a seamstress.
Seynabou is now making plans for her future. API requires
that each woman save a little money each week as part
of an asset building initiative. Seynabou has continued
to save throughout the year, and is ready to expand
her business further. Currently, she is working to
open a restaurant near Dakar’s airport. Seynabou truly
believes that API’s program has “very positively changed
my situation.” She is no longer a woman struggling
to get by, but is rather, a successful business woman
who is able to provide for her family and open new
doors of opportunity for herself. |
Expanding
Opportunities for Women
You may be aware that micro-finance and
micro-credit organizations are changing the lives of
some of the world’s poorest citizens by providing small
loans with low-interest rates. These loans help provide
capital to those who would not be able to generate it
otherwise. In most cases, a modest amount allows participants
to start their own successful income-generating operations.What
sets the Anti-Poverty Initiative (API) apart in the
world is that we do not just provide loans and walk
away. API’s program is a total investment in the women
that participate as part of an association. Each association,
made up of at least 25 women, goes through a small-business
training program to provide the information they need
to operate their own businesses. Everyone learns skills
like profit and loss calculations or the basics of record
keeping, so that everyone is prepared to handle the
responsibilities of running a business. Additionally,
each of the associations internally elects officials
including a president, secretary, and treasurer. API
works with those elected to provide them with management
training with an emphasis on transparency, honesty,
and the importance of participation to strengthen the
associations. The women put these skills to work at
their weekly association meetings; these meetings also
provide a social outlet for all the women. API also
incorporates a mandatory weekly savings initiative for
all participants so they can begin to grow their own
assets. Sitting with the women participating in API’s
micro-finance program, one will be struck by their pride.
Each of these women has been able to achieve something
real and tangible for themselves and for the benefit
of their families. Some have started businesses, like
a fruit stand or tie dying operation, for the first
time. Others have been able to expand existing businesses
and greatly increase their commercial success. No matter
where they started, each woman is that much more secure,
independent, and successful with the support of API.The
stories we hear from our participants illustrate how
important this work is in improving the lives of these
women and their families. Women like Seynabou Marena
can now make a difference for their families:I worked
as a paid helper at a clothes-making shop (before API).
For 4 months I could not pay my house rent and meet
my financial obligations…
With loans from API, I started my own clothes making
and fruit juice businesses. My businesses are doing
well. I have now employed a young man to sell my fruit
juices. Participating in API’s program provides me a
market for my products and access to API’s loans is
easy. My family’s economic conditions have greatly improved.The
challenge ahead is to continue to expand API’s program,
incorporating more women in Dakar and to begin working
with women in other areas of Senegal. Our goal for 2008
is to increase the number of members to over 500.
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Of
course, this number is a fraction of the total number
of those affected by API’s work. Each woman in the program
is helping to support a network of people: husbands,
children, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, sisters,
brothers and neighbors. We are hoping that today you
can support API’s work with a donation so we can continue
to reach out to these women as they continue to improve
their lives and the lives of those closest to them.
The truth is that a that a modest amount can do so much.
$25 can purchase training materials for 50 women $70
can help a woman purchase materials to start a breakfast
restaurant $150 will put a woman with tie-dying skills
in business $200 can buy one sewing machine for a tailor
shop $300 can help a woman start a backyard chicken
farm
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How You
Can Help |
Donations by check can be mailed to: Anti Poverty Initiative
10444 Kensington Way Indianapolis, IN. 46234 USA
We can also accept donations online via PayPal.
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Please see the donations
page on our Website: www.antipovertyinitiative.org
We appreciate all your help as we work to reduce poverty
in Senegal.
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About
Our Organization… |
The
Anti-Poverty Initiative is committed to reducing poverty
amongst women in Senegal through micro-enterprise training,
micro-loans and savings initiatives. It is through these
initiatives that we also seek to empower women and promote
financial self-reliance. |
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