A Modern Business
Educational opportunities through women’s self-help groups are making entrepreneurs like Marie Thérèse feel they’ve stepped into a brighter future. Local partner Église Luthérienne du Sénégal (ELS – Lutheran Church of Senegal) serves vulnerable women who belong to the Serere ethnic group. Serere women typically work in their husbands’ fields to contribute to the family’s nutrition, but don’t own any of the crops or proceeds. Joining ELS women’s associations helps them find other sources of livelihood in addition to improving their agricultural practices.
Before she enrolled in modern food preparation and marketing training, Marie Thérèse described her work as grueling. “Traditional methods were laborious and inefficient. I didn’t have adequate equipment. The drudgery directly impacted my profitability and stunted my development potential.”
The inconsistent quality of her products, due to these technical limitations and not to lack of zeal, significantly hindered their appeal to consumers. As a result, her sales were low and her income barely sustained her small business.
Specialized training dramatically reduced her losses and enhanced her efficiency. She now has access to modern equipment for peeling, grinding, mixing, and packaging her products. Her in-depth study of quality control and hygiene standards guarantees food safety and compliance with regulations. What was once an artisanal packaging process evolved into a modern, vacuum-sealed approach. The new techniques improved the quality, texture, and taste of her products, and her customers are now experiencing greater satisfaction and giving her repeat business.
The training revolutionized her marketing practices as well. She created attractive and informative packaging following Senegal’s labeling regulations. She designed a logo and developed a communications strategy that embraced social media as a tool to grow her business.
Marie Thérèse says, “I’ve been able to increase my income and strengthen the sustainability of my business. The remarkable transformation this training has brought to the lives of many women in my community has given us the tools we needed to build a better future. We’re turning challenges into opportunities and dreams into realities.”
Senegal Fatick Program
Led by World Renew and local partner Église Luthérienne du Sénégal (ELS)