Environment – The Tandana Foundation Blog

With continued success, the Olouguelemo Association demonstrates the value of reforestation and caring for trees

Fruits not seen nor tasted in a long time. Trees that produce enough to feed families and generate additional income. New perspectives on traditional gender roles. These are just a few of the benefits that dozens of villages in rural Mali are experiencing thanks to the reforestation and assisted natural regeneration efforts by the Olouguelemo Association, in partnership with The Tandana Foundation.

When erosion is no longer inevitable: The Olouguelemo Environmental Association is offering the solutions

Around the world, many communities are facing environmental challenges on an unprecedented scale. Faced with the forces of a changing climate, it has become the norm in places like Mali to feel disempowered and think of land degradation as an unavoidable consequence. For a long time, this deterioration seemed uncontrollable, leaving families uncertain about the future of their fields.

Spreading awareness of the importance of sustainable forest management in Mali

Now 36 villages strong, the Olouguelemo Association continues to expand the reach of its environmental protection and restoration work throughout the Wadouba Township of Mali. They strive to protect the trees in their area, promote the assisted regeneration of trees in the fields, prevent erosion, and reforest, all practices which help both the environment and crop yields.

The productive environmental efforts of the Olouguelemo Association this rainy season

34 member villages of the Olouguelemo Association in partnership with The Tandana Foundation carried out a number of environmental protection and restoration projects throughout the rainy season (July-September) in Mali. These projects included the enlargement of stock ponds, a reforestation campaign, erosion control work, and the collection of data to track the results of its forest regeneration efforts.

Hear what students and community members are saying about the new Dani school

In partnership with The Tandana Foundation, local residents recently celebrated the opening of a much-needed elementary school in Dani, Mali. Thanks to this new school, over 300 students are able to learn in classrooms with proper desks, chairs, and other resources that facilitate an effective educational environment.

Latest updates on the Olouguelemo Association’s environmental work in Mali

The positive results of the village-run Olouguelemo Association’s efforts to protect and restore the environment against the forces of desertification and deforestation in rural Mali continue to be recorded.

Below, hear from members of the villages where Olouguelemo Association operates about the benefits they are seeing from the environmental association’s work.

The significance behind the Gualsaquí Eco-trail’s inauguration ceremony

To increase the safety of students’ walk to school, reduce travel time, and facilitate access to a sports field, The Tandana Foundation recently supported the Alejandro Chavez School in Gualsaquí , Ecuador in building an ecological trail. Along with those benefits, the eco-trail has already proven to teach the students valuable lessons about their natural environment and the need to protect and restore native species.

Important lessons learned through building the Gualsaquí Eco-trail

The idea for an ecological trail stemmed from an urgent need identified by the Alejandro Chavez School in Gualsaquí.

Hear the latest about the great work of the Olougelemo Association in Mali

Focused on protecting the environment, the Olougelemo Association has grown to 30 villages around the Wadouba Township of Mali. Their work is not only having a visible impact on protecting and regenerating forests and on the productivity of agricultural areas, but it’s also changing local perceptions.

Below, hear from two members of the Olougelemo Association about what they have been able to accomplish.

Pond expansions help provide needed food support during lean season

Last year, members of villages in Wadouba Township of Mali expanded a number of stock ponds by hand with support from The Tandana Foundation. The goal of the effort, which was organized by the village-run Olougelemo Association, was to help combat the impacts of an urgent food crisis facing the region by both providing needed food aid and supplies at that time as well as contributing to the production of more food later on.

Exceeding expectations: Results of the pond expansion work in Mali

As a food crisis worsened in the Dogon Plateau of Mali earlier this year, residents joined together to expand a number of stock ponds by hand at sites across four sectors of Wadouba Township. Their work was part of an inventive food security plan developed by the village-run Olouguelemo Association in partnership with The Tandana Foundation to expand the ponds so that more water could be conserved during the rainy season and used for gardening and livestock.

The positive feedback on the urgent pond expansion work in Mali

With a food crisis worsening in their region, residents of villages around the Dogon Plateau of Mali have taken up shovels and other tools to expand a number of stock ponds by hand so that more water can be conserved during the rainy season and used for gardening and livestock. Their efforts toward food security are part of an innovative plan being carried out by the village-run Olouguelemo Association and supported by The Tandana Foundation, which has launched a campaign to raise an additional $28,000 to allow for more ponds to be expanded.

What we learned about tukti: the endangered Andean Walnut traditionally valued by Kichwa communities

Ecuador is home to an incredible diversity of plants, with about 17,000 species distributed between the Pacific coast, the Amazon, and the Andean mountains. The Andes region is the most diverse of the country and is precisely where the Quichinche parish, home to the partner communities of the Tandana Foundation, is located. One of the most iconic species from this area – and of all the Ecuadorian Andean region – is the Andean walnut locally known as tukti (in Kichwa), nogal or cedro negro (in Spanish) or Juglans neotropica (scientific name). Tukti is a slow-growth, broadleaf tree that can reach up to 30 meters in height. It can be found throughout the Andes in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia where it inhabits forest between 1,400 meters and 2,200 meters of altitude.

The need behind the Olougelemo Association’s environmental work and what it has been able to accomplish so far

During the global celebration of The Tandana Foundation’s 15th anniversary, several inspiring individuals involved in the organization’s programs were invited to share their stories with the hundreds of virtual attendees in the audience. The following is the transcript of the speech given by Ousmane Tembiné, administrative secretary of the Olouguelèmo Association in Mali.

Flourishing results: Updates on the Olouguelemo Association’s environmental work in Mali

As the village-run Olouguelemo Association’s environmental protection efforts continue, the positive effects of their work thus far are becoming more apparent across the Wadouba Township in Mali. From the restored forests in the protected areas to stone contour lines successfully protecting against erosion and new ponds and wells increasing access to water, villagers are recognizing and appreciating the association’s projects, which are supported by The Tandana Foundation.

Below, read three updates on the impact and success of the Olouguelemo Association’s environmental work.

Tandana’s Founding Director facilitates enriching course on climate change in the Sahel for Whitman College students

For many years, The Tandana Foundation has witnessed the impact of climate change in the Bandiagara District of Mali: increased deforestation and desertification that contributes to food insecurity and the need for new water resources. As a result, the organization helped launch, and now supports the village-run Olouguelemo Environmental Association, which continues to grow (now 24 villages) and carries out many important and highly successful environmental conservation projects in the region.

Visual evidence of the impact of the Olouguelemo Environmental Association’s work

The Olouguelemo Environmental Association has grown to include 24 villages in Wadouba Township who work together on many initiatives to protect the environment and promote food security. One of their important efforts involves teaching how to use stone contour lines to prevent soil erosion and check runoff so that water soaks into the soil. They have built more than 10,000 meters worth of erosion control features. During the current rainy season, the effects of these contour lines are visually clear.

The significance and success of the Saredina school garden

Thanks to a grant from the All People Be Happy Foundation, The Tandana Foundation was able to support the elementary school in Saredina in creating a school garden in 2020. The school garden provides many benefits: the garden allows students to earn an income that they can use to purchase school and first aid supplies; enriches students’ educational experience and nutrition; and builds market gardening and project management capacities among students and teachers. In addition, the garden will also improve access to education for students from rural communities.

Below, hear from staff and students from Saredina Elementary School and community members about how the school garden is positively impacting learning and working experiences and the village as a whole.

Celebrating 15 Years of Intercultural Friendship: Environmental Programs

In recognition of The Tandana Foundation’s 15th anniversary, we are creating 15 videos featuring cherished members of the organization’s global family. Published in a series of 15 posts on this blog, these videos will highlight key aspects of Tandana’s philosophy, community partnerships, and impactful work that has been done, along with projects still in progress. The videos will serve as a meaningful way to reflect back on what has been accomplished in 15 years as well as provide insight into the Tandana’s future in the next 15 years.

Three perspectives on the Olouguelemo Association’s recent projects

Members of the 24 villages where the Olouguelemo Association operates in Mali are recognizing the successful work being done by the association. With support and guidance from The Tandana Foundation, the village-run organization continues to make progress on its environmental conservation projects, including reforestation, erosion control, and forest protection. The following post contains three commentaries from village residents about these efforts.

A stove that saves money and the environment

One of the Olouguelemo Association’s environmental initiatives was to start the local production and distribution of efficient cookstoves, to decrease the need for firewood and trees being cut down. The association, with support from the Tandana Foundation, began offering training sessions for representatives from each of the member villages to teach them how to make two kinds of cookstoves. They are now fabricating those stoves for sale in their villages, and over 175 stoves have been sold. In the following, an owner of one of the association’s cookstoves describes the benefits she has experienced from her new cooking device.

Five thoughts on the Olouguelemo Association’s recent efforts

All the villages that are members of the Olouguelemo Association continue to reap the benefits of the association’s work. Recent projects have targeted reforestation, erosion control, and increasing water access. Below five residents from several villages around the Bandiagara District of Mali share their thoughts on Olouguelemo’s most recent endeavors.

An award-winning field through use of the Olouguèlemo Association’s erosion control tactics

The village-run Olouguèlemo Association continues to train villages around the township of Wadouba in Mali on best practices to prevent erosion. In the following, one of the many individuals to receive this training credits his recent recognition for “best field with the most number of trees” in Wadouba to the erosion prevention practices taught by the association. Continue reading “An award-winning field through use of the Olouguèlemo Association’s erosion control tactics”

Two Olouguelemo members from different villages share the association’s progress in its environmental protection efforts

Now 19 villages strong, the Olouguelemo Environmental Association continues to implement conservation and restoration projects throughout the Wadouba Township of Mali. The Tandana Foundation supports this village-run association by providing resources and teaching best practice techniques. Below, two members from different villages talk about the successful outcomes of their work so far. Continue reading “Two Olouguelemo members from different villages share the association’s progress in its environmental protection efforts”

Safe drinking water: ‘Something magical for our children’

Gualapuro is just five minutes from the Otavalo, city limits, a city of 32,500 in Ecuador, but it has never had clean drinking water. This indigenous community of about 350 people has a natural spring on its lands at the bottom of a cliff, a water source that is the clearest and cleanest in the canton. Since it is below the community, however, it would require pumping to get it up to the homes. So, instead of drinking pure, health-giving water, through countless generations the community has relied on the runoff from a swampy pasture near the town. Continue reading “Safe drinking water: ‘Something magical for our children’”

Discovering there’s another way to fight soil degradation

Soil erosion has been a major challenge facing farmers in the Bandiagara District of Mali, and a primary area of focus for the village-run Olouguèlèmo Association. To assist the environmental association in combating erosion, The Tandana Foundation brought in a specialist who taught members a new prevention technique – building stone contour lines to control the flow of water. The stone contour lines have been highly successful, and as described below, even surprised long-time farmers in their effectiveness at increasing crop yield. Continue reading “Discovering there’s another way to fight soil degradation”

The many impacts of the Olouguèlèmo Association’s environmental protection work

The Olouguèlèmo Association has been actively organizing and implementing projects to conserve and restore the biodiversity and environment across the Wadouba Township of Mali. Nineteen communities are now a part of the association, which receives support from The Tandana Foundation in the form of funds, training, and other resources. In the following blog, Moussa Tembiné gives a summary of the Olouguèlèmo Association’s work and describes the positive results of their activities. Continue reading “The many impacts of the Olouguèlèmo Association’s environmental protection work”

Olouguèlemo Association launches reforestation campaign in Wadouba, Mali

Thanks to the continuous assistance and advisory support from the Tandana Foundation, the Olouguelemo Association was able to organize, for the first time, a reforestation campaign in the township of Wadouba, Mali, in partnership with the town hall.

Here are the speeches recorded during the launch ceremony of the reforestation campaign in Wadouba, which took place on August 17, 2018. Continue reading “Olouguèlemo Association launches reforestation campaign in Wadouba, Mali”

Another village asks to join the Olouguelemo Association

From April 27-28, the General Assembly of the Olouguelemo Association – funded by the Tandana Foundation – was held in Andjine Nantanga, Mali. During the General Assembly, a delegation of villagers from Biné requested permission to join the fifteen villages that were already part of the Olouguelemo Association after witnessing the successful growth of trees in nearby protected forest areas, which members of the association came together to establish and oversee. The following are comments from the Biné delegates. Continue reading “Another village asks to join the Olouguelemo Association”

Learning while working alongside nature’s caretaker

Matias on the left and Hope on the right.

Many of the Tandana Foundation volunteers, who have come to Ecuador on Gardening Volunteer Ventures since 2013 as well as other programs, have worked alongside Matias Perugachi and learned how to grow plants, raise crops and nurture trees in our joint efforts to make the area more productive and sustainable. We have planted trees on hillsides to break the wind and along community streets to add greenery and purify the air. We have planted gardens at the community’s health center and schools to improve nutrition, and we have worked in the fields to plant and tend crops to provide food. Continue reading “Learning while working alongside nature’s caretaker”

Planting seeds, growing friendships

You won’t find Motilón Chupa on Google Maps. This indigenous Kichwa community high in the Andes in the far reaches of Imbabura Province of Ecuador is literally and figuratively at the end of the road. The community is a tight-knit group of people, living in isolated small houses on steep hillsides with no public buildings other than the elementary school. Continue reading “Planting seeds, growing friendships”

Joining together to keep a special teacher in rural Mali

Elé is from the village of Dianweli, about 7 km from Yarou-Plateau. He attended secondary school in Bourgouma, 3 km from his village. He is certified with a technician’s diploma (BT) from the professional school of Kayes in western Mali.

Elé composed the following passage about his experience as a subidized teacher and how the Tandana Foundation teamed with the local residents to ensure he was able to receive payment for his work and stay teaching in rural Yarou-Plateau. Continue reading “Joining together to keep a special teacher in rural Mali”

Inside successful community environmental protection in Wadouba, Mali

To address the challenges of deforestation and desertification, 15 villages in the Wadouba Township of Mali have come together to discuss and make decisions about protecting the environment. The Tandana Foundation supports the locally-run Olouguelemo environmental protection association. The following are thoughts from two association members on how their work has benefited the community.
Continue reading “Inside successful community environmental protection in Wadouba, Mali”

Learning by Doing: An Internship with Tandana

Camille6 By Camille Greenfield

I must say it is hard to pick one moment that best describes my time with Tandana, as a part of the horticultural internship. However, there is one memory in particular that occurred in the first few weeks, which would have a major impact on my future projects. Continue reading “Learning by Doing: An Internship with Tandana”

Olouguelemo Association Committee Members Reflect on its Environmental Initiatives

The Olouguelemo Environmental Association, with which Tandana has partnered since its inception, is made up of 15 member villages in Mali. Each member village selects committee members, who represent their village at meetings of the whole association. Continue reading “Olouguelemo Association Committee Members Reflect on its Environmental Initiatives”