Moisan will work with the Fedde Balal Allah women’s group, which has requested support in organizational development. The group is comprised of 530 women, most of whom are smallholder farmers. They produce rice during the rainy season and vegetables during the dry season, including tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions, eggplant and okra.
Moisan, who has helped lead Pachamama’s tremendous growth over the past few years, will use her cooperative management expertise to train the women in leadership skills, board management, strategic planning, financial management and other business development areas.
Working with Pachamama, Moisan has seen first-hand the impact that cooperatives and producer organizations can have on increasing income and quality of life for smallholder farmers, particularly for women in rural areas. One hundred percent of profits go back to Pachamama’s farmer owners, directly impacting the lives of their more than 140,000 members in Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Guatemala and Ethiopia. As a F2F volunteer, Moisan will expand her impact to improve the lives of women farmers in Senegal.
NCBA CLUSA currently implements F2F projects in Senegal and Zambia. While Moisan is in Senegal, three other volunteers will be supporting other farmer groups in the country as well, providing training in business skills, soil fertility, composting and combatting soil erosion. To learn more about the F2F program and view current volunteer opportunities, visit NCBA CLUSA’s F2F webpage. For information specific to Senegal, contact Megan Wall at mwall@ncbaclusa.coop. To learn about opportunities in Zambia, contact Virginia Bunker at vbunker@ncbaclusa.coop.
Be sure to follow NCBA CLUSA’s Facebook page for updates from F2F volunteers!