Catholic Relief Service (Senegal)

Despite a stable democracy, a growing economy and a warm culture, which prides itself for its hospitality, Senegal continues to face major challenges toward sustainable growth and development. Those issues include immense unemployment, poor infrastructure, longstanding underinvestment, an inhibiting policy environment, a simmering separatist movement, and a population whose livelihoods are heavily affected by international food prices, droughts and a lack of resiliency. Low levels of education, gender inequality, poor governance, inconsistent agricultural production, aggressive desertification, and the persistence of preventable diseases and malnutrition compromise the country's ability to meet its basic needs, and further contribute to the susceptibility of Senegal's most vulnerable populations.