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Enda-Graf Sahel, 1998
Aloyse Ndiaye, Mamadou Malé Diop
The city of Thies suffers from a heavily polluted environment. This pollution comes essentially from household wastes (used waters and feces), processing industries, the processing of underwater resources, etc...
The extent of environmental damages requires drastic measures, including participatory methods planned with actors in the field of development. Examples of these measures are :
- the creation of waste collecting and recycling units,
- the set up of composting units.
Relevant and dynamic experiences concerning environmental management were developed in one of Thies' most densely populated neighborhood, Medina Fall, one of them being the 'Bokk Jom' Federation and Bokk Jom Federation's related projects. The Bokk Jom Federation's structure is similar to an extended Economic Interest Groups (GIE). The Federation has two major goals :
- improve inhabitants' quality of life by taking them into partnership with waste and sanitation management, waste water treatment and urban agriculture,
- arouse, encourage and develop alternative experiences.
Although Medina Fall has a proper water coverage, it lacks efficient waste collecting from public departments. Thus, community groups were progressively put into place in order to act as substitutes for municipal waste collecting services.
The initiative aims to insure the total and definite clearing of rubbish dumps in Medina Fall surroundings. The main actors who participated to this waste collecting project are Medina Fall inhabitants themselves, whether being members or beneficiaries of the project, the coordinating NGO Enda Graf Sahel, micro-enterprises, (e.g. : cart construction and repair workshops, horses salesmen, well makers, etc.), various professions involved (transport, trade, etc.).
Household waste collection is carried out by carters. Refuses are set out for waste pre-collecting centers, where recyclable waste is sorted out from non recyclable waste. Part of refuses will be used as compost.
Carters are responsible for buying horses, to follow the making of carts through, and recovering costs. A group of young people is in charge of compost/market gardening and manages the purchase of input, choice of products, working methods, collecting and marketing.
Young women recycle bags made of cloth into useful objects, in a crochet and weaving center. An experimental system of gardens in house yards is been tried out.
Concerning training/apprenticeship, various skills were gained, such as : managing saving banks, health credit establishments, cereal banks, managing household wastes...
The case study covers the whole process of this initiative (collecting, recycling, composting, biological market gardening). The relevance of the project on a local level, inspired other actors facing similar problems and was duplicated in surrounding neighborhoods.
The interest of this initiative was found in partnership apprenticeship and in the setting up of a reliable sanitary system, creating jobs and market gardening produces.
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