Board Members Visit Cape Verde & Senegal
Three members of ACDI/VOCA’s Board of Directors ventured to Cape Verde May 21-8 to review project impact and represent the organization in its enduring relationship with the small island nation.
Mort Neufville, chairman of the Board's Projects Committee, Patti Garamendi and Bruce Johnson chose Cape Verde because of ACDI/VOCA’s noteworthy achievements and long association with development initiatives there. They were accompanied by President Carl Leonard and Vice President for Communications Perry Letson.
The delegation also visited the regional USAID mission director and the Food for Peace officer in Dakar, Senegal. They brought word of ACDI/VOCA’s new regional office in Ghana and discussed development opportunities within the region. While in Senegal the group had the opportunity for a moving tour of Goree Island, the former infamous center of the slave trade.
Cape Verde, an archipelago a few hundred miles off the coast of West Africa, is an interesting blend of Portuguese and African cultures. Despite its name the country is largely arid and barren, and can only produce a fraction of its current food needs—and nowhere near what a growing tourist trade will demand. In addition to the main island, Santiago, where the capital, Praia, is located, the delegation visited the small island of Fogo.
Board members were impressed by the extensive ACDI/VOCA program, which was first established in 1992. ACDI/VOCA’s original work was monetizing PL 480 Title II food aid commodities available through the U.S. Agency for International Development Food for Peace Program, but the program evolved into more sophisticated development practices, especially association development for the purposes of economic growth. The delegation visited with various associations that ACDI/VOCA has helped to found that pursue activities ranging from drip irrigation to soil and water conservation, coffee processing, food preservation, tourism and microcredit.
They had audiences with the U.S. embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Paul Pometto, Minister of Agriculture Madalena Neves and Minister of Foreign Affairs Victor Borges, who told them, “ACDI/VOCA has done a tremendous job in Cape Verde to fight poverty.”
On May 24 officials and beneficiaries celebrated ACDI/VOCA’s contributions at a gala poolside reception, where hundreds of guests ate local delicacies and were entertained by musicians and dancers. It was obvious that ACDI/VOCA’s 16-year history of involvement in Cape Verde has led not only to economic success but also to an especially deep and warm relationship with the nation and its people.
Leonard addressed the gathering as follows: “When ACDI/VOCA first began working in Cape Verde in 1992, the country was quite different. Monetization was conducted through a government entity, and now it is done through highly capable private sector firms. Soil and water conservation works were conducted through a top-down, public-works approach. Drip irrigation was almost unheard of. Farmers did the best they could on dry land and spent large amounts of their limited income on expensive imported food. Rural associations were weak and unstructured…. Credit was not widely available to lower-income people and in particular to women…. Now, household access to food has increased, agricultural practices have improved and rural families in the program areas have many reasons to look to the future with hope. I am pleased that members of our Board will be able to see what we have achieved through effective partnership.”
It is hard to imagine Cape Verde's success without the role of ACDI/VOCA. Minister of Agriculture Neves noted that ACDI/VOCA has pioneered the development of associations in Cape Verde and has thereby “achieved great results in improving the quality of life of the population.” Rock wall terracing has improved corn and bean yields 50-200 percent. Drip irrigation supplies that once had to be provided by ACDI/VOCA are now available commercially. Loans fuel growth. In addition to the practical aspects of development, community members are better prepared subjectively to succeed in the global economy. They know what can be done and have the confidence to do it.
Officials were warm in their expressions of gratitude. They also expressed dismay that the PL 480 project is coming to an end, but are hopeful about prospects for additional programs from other funding sources in the future.
ACDI/VOCA stresses the importance of Board visits to the field to gain insights into on-the-ground development work and foster closer ties to host countries. As Patti Garamendi (a former Peace Corps volunteer and official) said, "The trip took me back to my roots and my life work. You will never know how much it meant to me. I am proud to be part of your team."