This time last year, way back in 2017, found us in Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost tip of South America. Over the next three months, we made our way home traveling overland, through eleven countries.
This year, at least as far as it goes, is not shaping up to be quite as ambitious. However, we tend to find our way to other lands on a regular basis.
Take today for example. As I write this, we are in JFK Airport in New York, on a stop over to our flight to Dakar Senegal. We go there on a regular basis, on behalf of our Andando Foundation, doing work to benefit those with few opportunities.
On this trip we are joined by our friends, Scotty & Crystal, who are long time supporters of Andando and have done many good things in Senegal. They lived there for a year in 2009.
Our trip will consist of around fourteen days, with several stops in different villages. The Andando effort has really expanded greatly into many more programs, locations, and projects. We hope this continues.
One interesting aspect of this trip is that we will arrive a few days ahead of our son Lewis and his wife Ruby, and their infant son (and our grandson) Sullivan. They are moving to Senegal for three months. We hope to assist them with settling in. They have a full slate of activities and work to do, mostly in a town called Keur Soce.
This is a village that we have been involved with for many years. With a targeted focus we have chosen to sink some roots into this local area with the purpose of providing development aid. In the past, we (like a lot of other organizations) were somewhat prone toward a wide distribution of effort. We have seen big benefits from reinforcing our resources in this place.
One of the priorities of this trip is to continue the remodel of our newest facility in Keur Soce, a place we call the French House. We refer to it that way because it once was ... a French house. The country of Senegal was a colony of France for many years, before achieving "independence".
Because of our work in the area, the local municipality granted us the open ended use of the house and property and the land.
There is a big garden there now - that's what we do - and a solar well system, along with a large training facility.
There are not a lot of jobs in Senegal. The country is just now beginning to show progress toward becoming an "emerging nation".
The citizens of Kuer Soce - and many other parts of Senegal - often don't have a lot to do. They scratch by getting just enough to eat and keep a roof over their heads.
But with the help of Andando, they now have a purpose and can take some control over their food supply and even generate some earnings. It's very gratifying to help be a part of this.
This year, at least as far as it goes, is not shaping up to be quite as ambitious. However, we tend to find our way to other lands on a regular basis.
Take today for example. As I write this, we are in JFK Airport in New York, on a stop over to our flight to Dakar Senegal. We go there on a regular basis, on behalf of our Andando Foundation, doing work to benefit those with few opportunities.
On this trip we are joined by our friends, Scotty & Crystal, who are long time supporters of Andando and have done many good things in Senegal. They lived there for a year in 2009.
Our trip will consist of around fourteen days, with several stops in different villages. The Andando effort has really expanded greatly into many more programs, locations, and projects. We hope this continues.
One interesting aspect of this trip is that we will arrive a few days ahead of our son Lewis and his wife Ruby, and their infant son (and our grandson) Sullivan. They are moving to Senegal for three months. We hope to assist them with settling in. They have a full slate of activities and work to do, mostly in a town called Keur Soce.
This is a village that we have been involved with for many years. With a targeted focus we have chosen to sink some roots into this local area with the purpose of providing development aid. In the past, we (like a lot of other organizations) were somewhat prone toward a wide distribution of effort. We have seen big benefits from reinforcing our resources in this place.
One of the priorities of this trip is to continue the remodel of our newest facility in Keur Soce, a place we call the French House. We refer to it that way because it once was ... a French house. The country of Senegal was a colony of France for many years, before achieving "independence".
Because of our work in the area, the local municipality granted us the open ended use of the house and property and the land.
There is a big garden there now - that's what we do - and a solar well system, along with a large training facility.
There are not a lot of jobs in Senegal. The country is just now beginning to show progress toward becoming an "emerging nation".
The citizens of Kuer Soce - and many other parts of Senegal - often don't have a lot to do. They scratch by getting just enough to eat and keep a roof over their heads.
But with the help of Andando, they now have a purpose and can take some control over their food supply and even generate some earnings. It's very gratifying to help be a part of this.
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