As part of their 31 in 31 series, Child Fund International recently highlighted recording artist and humanitarian Youssou N’Dour and his efforts in standing up with Senegal against malaria. Surround Sound: Senegal, a campaign by Malaria No More and Foundation Youssou Ndour, kicked off last June and recently held a Xeex Sibbiru (Fight Malaria) concert in Guediway, Senegal.

Creating a “360-degree malaria education and advocacy campaign” in the small West African country is no easy feat. The idea is to mix multiple communication channels with local marketers of entertainment, sport, faith, and business so everyone on every level is included in the education process. Step one: promote malaria prevention through song. Senegalese icon Youssou N’Dour crafted the song Xeex Sibbiru, or Fight Malaria in English, which challenges Senegalese to see the impacts of malaria and choose to take action against it. You can listen to the song on the Child Fund International blog here.

The USAID funded project has many other key contributors including Child Fund Senegal. The NGOs distribute the song at the community level to decision makers such as community leaders, mothers, grandmothers, and heads of households. The song is also broadcast on the radio and discussed in awareness raising sessions.
Surround Sound: Senegal involves community-based maternal and child health services as well as the President’s Malaria Initiative.

Find out more about how the Surround Sound campaign works within Senegal and how great work is being done in the prevention of malaria on the Malaria No More site here.

Yesterday the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a $540 million, five-year compact with Senegal. This is the 11th compact with a sub-Saharan African country and the 19th compact globally. The signing, which took place on Wednesday morning at the U.S. Department of State, was presided over by Republic of Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The compact itself was signed by Senegal’s Minister of Finance and Economy Abdoulaye Diop and Acting MCC CEO Darius Mans.

At an afternoon event hosted by Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ), a packed room on the Hill heard from Representative Payne, Darius Mans, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), and President Wade, among others. It was evident that each speaker was proud of this new compact, the partnership it reflects, and the potential it has to further development in Senegal. Rep. Payne lauded President Wade for his commitment to democracy, and Rep. Jackson-Lee said that the Senegal compact was an “…affirmation of President Wade’s commitment to democracy, tolerance, and the future of his young people.”

In his address, President Wade said “I am proud to be the president of a country that the American people believe deserves support for our development.” He praised the U.S. for recognizing the critical role infrastructure plays in development, a factor that Wade himself has made a priority for Senegal.

Darius Mans welcomed this new partnership, and said that the compact reflects Senegal’s own development priorities, emphasizing long-term growth through infrastructure and agriculture. This compact, he said, signals that Senegal is “open for business” with the private sector, and that the next step will be to deliver on these promises. Mans expressed his hope that the MCC compact with Senegal will provide frameworks for lasting growth in the country.

The compact, which is one of the largest signed to-date, focuses on road rehabilitation and irrigation, with an eye towards bolstering agricultural productivity and food security in Senegal, and boosting rural markets and trade. The plan will involve rehabilitating crucial roads in northern and southern Senegal, which is intended to help agricultural communities get their goods to local and international markets and improve access to services like schools and hospitals for rural communities.

The compact will also fund a water and irrigation management project in the Senegal River Valley to increase crop yields. Senegal currently imports 70 percent of its rice, which makes it vulnerable to the dramatic increases in food and rice prices that took place as recently as last year. The irrigation program is designed to increase crop production as a way of improving Senegal’s food security.

One is excited about the Senegal compact, as you can see in the press statement we released today; we look forward to following its implementation and results.

-Beth Adler

Today the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved a five-year, $540 million compact with Senegal—the 11th compact to be signed with a sub-Saharan African country. Senegal was declared eligible for an MCC compact in May 2004, and has spent the time since developing their proposal. The compact aims to reduce poverty and spur economic growth by investing in projects in the transportation, irrigation, and agriculture sectors.

In the MCC’s press statement released today, acting MCC CEO Darius Mans said, “On behalf of MCC, I want to congratulate the people and Government of Senegal for developing an innovative compact that will make a tremendous difference in reducing poverty through economic growth by bolstering food security and transportation connectivity. The Senegalese have laid out a clear vision of improving the quality of their lives through a results-oriented plan. MCC welcomes the opportunity to work together to achieve these compact goals.”

The compact intends to invest in rehabilitating crucial roads in northern and southern Senegal, which, the MCC believes, will enable agricultural communities to get their goods to local and international markets and could mean improved access to services like schools and hospitals for rural communities. Senegal’s compact will also fund a water and irrigation management project that will develop up to 10,500 hectares of land in the Senegal River Valley. Senegal and the MCC hope that the new irrigation scheme will also help prevent the abandonment of 26,000 hectares of land by revamping drainage canals and ensuring secure land-tenure for farmers. The irrigation project is intended to increase crop yields, an essential step towards food security for Senegal, which, as the MCC notes, currently imports 70% of rice consumed in the country.

The compact is expected to be signed on September 16th; be sure to check back here as we will post additional details on the blog.

-Beth Adler