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Our Approach

Phase ONE: Buy Materials

November 2022

The first step is to purchase a reliable vehicle for transporting all materials and tree saplings. This process takes about three weeks as car registration in this country is about a two week process. The next step is to buy all materials (fencing, posts, pumps, pipes, and tools) and transport them from Guede Chantier, the base of operations, to Fonde Elimane. This can take a few weeks because of the difficulty and great distances traveled in order to acquire such materials. Thanks to Rotary District 5190, this phase has been completed and preparations are underway for phase 2.

Phase TWO: Community Farm Construction and Training

Dec. 2022 - April. 2023

Construction of the 22 acre community farm in Fonde Elimane entails setting up the fence, digging canals, plowing the land, setting up the pumps and pipes, and lastly, training the people of Fonde Elimane about sustainable agricultural practices. Some of the work will be done by VNGPS volunteers from Guede Chantier, but most volunteers will come from Fonde Elimane and the surrounding villages. Each family desiring land will be given a plot of land where they can grow crops rent free. Additionally VNGPS will create a tree nursery there, maintained by volunteers.

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Phase THREE: Tree planting and Nursery Expansion

Feb. - Sept. 2023

VNGPS has a small tree nursery capable of producing 3,000 tree saplings every 6 months. After the construction of the community farm in Fonde Elimane, the next step will be to plant all 3,000 trees and to then expand the tree nursery to be able to produce 8,000-14,000 tree saplings every 6 months. Eventually, in August, the new harvest of tree saplings will be ready to plant. 

How are the trees planted and maintained? Each tree sapling planted has a tree sponsor who requests the tree and vows to take care of the tree until maturity. The tree sponsors own the tree and are entitled to all of its fruit. Most tree sponsors are individual families, but they also include schools, businesses and Mosques. VNGPS is a large network of volunteers that stretches across many villages and towns across 200 miles of Senegal’s Sahel region. Each village where trees are planted has at least one VNGPS volunteer. These volunteers routinely check the status of every tree planted to make sure that the tree sponsors are actually taking care of the trees. If they are not, then they dig up the tree sapling and give it to someone else. The trees are planted during organized “planting days”, where the tree saplings are transported to other towns and villages to be planted by VNGPS volunteers. The entire process is very efficient.

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• Purchase a reliable vehicle for transporting materials and tree saplings.

• Purchase Fencing and other supplies.

  • Construction of a new demonstration farm in Fonde Elimane, Senegal (22 acres, with additional tree nurseries included).

  • Tree distribution and training

  • Fencing and other supplies

  • Maintenance of tree nursery

  • Similar to Phase Two's budget. Changes may be implemented depending on success of Phases One and Two.

One                Two                 Three

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