Africa and its partial stories: not only wars, misery, hunger, there is also community development and social entrepreneurship

ROME – The virtual meeting organized by Africa magazine offered some testimonials of projects in Senegal and Mali in the form of travel and meeting with protagonists and protagonists. The leitmotif of the trip is the ARSMAIS project (Accompaniment to the Resilience of rural populations of Senegal and Mali through social entrepreneurship) implemented by NGOs ARCS ARCS, Amref, Tamat and funded byItalian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). It is a “is a type of cooperation that enhances the development processes by those who live in the communities. We have a lot of collaboration with local authorities and civil society. The starting point is inclusion, that is, the eradication of the barriers that create exclusion.” explains Chiara Picchio of AICS.

Senegal between emigration and development. Marco Simoncelli, freelance journalist and photographer, lives in Senegal in Dakar and accompanies us on this virtual journey. Senegal is a country in ferment and with a growing GDP. Many people from other parts of the African continent move here, making it one of the most important internal migration destinations. “Growing GDP doesn’t mean there’s equality, though. Youth unemployment is very high, between 16 and 25 percent, and young people continue to have an idyllic image of Europe”, says Marco. “There is this slogan, Barsa wala Barsakh, which means Barcelona or death, which gives a good idea. And then remittances from abroad are a reliable source of income for those who stay and want to invest here”.

Back to earth? Many young people have moved from the countryside to urban areas to find work. They didn’t find it, and now the trend seems to be reversing. “The Senegalese land system makes it difficult for young people to access land, which is why many had migrated to the city”, says Federica d’Amico of ARCS ARCI Solidarity Cultures APS. “But now there is interest in returning to the rural world. Government policies are also moving in this direction, often together with international programs such as ARSMAIS.”

Food processing, nutrition. Among the interventions promoted there is the one that leads to the conservation and transformation of the raw material. Most of the local agriculture is subsistence: one of the reasons is the lack of knowledge of conservation techniques. With appropriate training and the right tools, food stocks can be created and small sales activities can be started. Often the resources are there, but it is not clear how to use them: Tomba Souane is a nurse expert in nutrition and offers advice on nutrition for children up to 5 years of age. She carries out her own activities in schools and in the community, because the lack of food variety in the first years of life creates chain health damage.

Mali: resisting instability. We move to Mali, in the heart of the Sahel. In 2021 there were two coups and today more than 80% of the territory is under the control of jihadist groups. Many organizations have suspended their activities due to political instability. Among the NGOs that resist there is Tamatlocal manager of ARSMAIS. 45 small businesses received funding, training and financial literacy courses. We find “single” management catering businesses, such as that of Ramata Dembele, and small agricultural businesses such as that of Bah Nomoro. “In addition to the serious problems associated with drought and the increase in raw material prices, people here suffer from the international embargo. Many basic necessities are unobtainable. Also for this reason Tamat’s activity is precious”, comments Siriman Diarra, the local coordinator of Tamat.

Good morning Africa. Marco Simoncelli closes by commenting on the name of the format, Good morning Africa. Is this appropriate? “A positive feature that I notice is the initiative of the people around me. This has an effect on entrepreneurial ability, on the possibility of development. This is the basis for trying to solve problems that still exist. So yeah, I feel like I’m being optimistic.”