Ethical Christmas gift
Surprise your friend with an ethical Christmas gift that protects forests and supports sustainable livelihoods in The Gambia! You will receive an electronic card which you can forward to your loved ones.
Dodo’s Tesito project, funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, aims to enhance forest conservation in Gambia, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau through developing an interactive forest map. During the project, the Jiffarong community garden has been restored and 90 women have started a new livelihood as farmers. This is expected to substitute the income from selling firewood and improve the families’ food security. Also a tree nursery was established in the community for the restoration of the community forest. The project also cooperates with the forestry officers in Gambia and organizes forest fire prevention training in the communities and schools.
Choose the gift below and send the amount to Dodo’s account FI0815553000101759 (recipient Dodo ry, reference number 13579) and write “Ethical Christmas gift” + your email address in the message field. We will send an electronic card to your email, which you can forward or print to your loved ones!
The funds collected will be used towards Tesito-project’s co-funding contribution, which is 15% of the annual budget.
Additional training for a farmer in Jiffarong, 10€
As part of the project, 90 women started a new business as vegetable farmers. With the support of an agricultural trainer, they learn the farming methods and skills for their new business. Ten euros can cover three days of additional training for one farmer.
10 tree seedlings to the Jiffarong tree nursery, 30€
Seedlings from the Jiffarong tree nursery are planted both in the community forest for reforestation and in the garden to improve food security. One seedling costs 3 euros, with 30 euros 10 new seedlings can be bought for the nursery.
Fire fighting supplies for one community, 200€
As part of the Tesito project, volunteers from communities are trained by the forestry department to fight and extinguish forest fires. The equipment needed to extinguish a forest fire is also distributed to the communities, for each community the package is worth 200e.
Thank you for choosing an ethical Christmas gift and supporting the project!
Fundraising permit: RA/2020/1705, issued by the Police on the 31st of December 2020,
valid from 04th of January 2021 in the entire territory of Finland, excluding Åland
Recipient of fundraising license: Dodo ry,
Aleksis Kiven katu 88 G, 00520 Helsinki
Business ID: 1108152-0
Contact:
GAMBIA TESITO PROject
Project 2023-2026
Dodo has been granted MFA’s funding for a continuation project in Gambia, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau! In this four-year project, the goal is to continue applying the forest mapping and monitoring method to the neighboring countries, and further develop the sustainable livelihoods established in the first phase of the project.
One of the main goals is to train local environmental officials, NGOs and community representatives to use the forest monitoring tool in Gambia, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. The map created in Gambia will be further developed and map for pilot areas in the two new countries created. The aim is to enable the local actors to better participate in decision-making related to land-use which is crucial for the development of equality and democracy. The tool is also expected to enhance cross-border cooperation in forest monitoring.
The aim is to also protect the buffer zone surrounding Kiang West National Park, Gambia’s second largest conservation area. Fire prevention trainings are continued in schools and communities in the Kiang West district, in cooperation with the Forestry Department in Gambia. One of the goals is to reduce the pressure on the forest by creating alternative livelihoods for the residents of Jiffarong, e.g. micro businesses and vegetable farming, to substitute firewood selling as income. Also, a new method, FMNR (farmer managed natural regeneration) is piloted in Jiffarong, and expected to improve food security and soil quality.
All planned activities are implemented in cooperation with Dodo’s local partner NGO Freedom from Hunger Campaign.
Project offers opportunities for volunteers to participate, for example through communications and fundraising. If you want to be a part of the global change, join us!
Email and let us know what you are interested in.
Project 2021–2022
Dodo has been granted MFA’s funding for a new forest conservation project in Gambia! In this two-year projects goal is to apply the forest mapping and monitoring method, that was originally developed for Madagascar by FANC (The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), and to help residents of the local village of Jiffarong adapt to climate change by creating new sources of income – for example vegetable gardening.
One of the main goals is to train local environmental officials, NGOs and community representatives to use the forest monitoring tool, with the aim of providing an interactive map covering all forest areas in Gambia to enhance forest protection. The aim is to enable the local actors to better participate in decision-making related to land-use which is crucial for the development of equality and democracy in the Gambia.
The aim is to protect the buffer zone surrounding Kiang West National Park, Gambia’s second largest conservation area. Fire prevention training is organized in 15 communities in the Kiang West district, in cooperation with the environmental officials in Gambia. One of the goals is to reduce the pressure on the forest by creating alternative livelihoods for the residents of the target community Jiffarong, which is located in the buffer zone. This will also improve food security and help the locals adapt to climate change.
Other planned activities, which will be implemented in cooperation with Dodo’s local partner NGO Freedom from Hunger Campaign, are reforestation of the community forest in Jiffarong, establishing a vegetable garden and setting up a revolving fund.
The new project offers many opportunities for volunteers to participate, for example through communications and fundraising. If you want to be a part of the global change, come along!
Email and let us know what you are interested in.
Photos: Aleksi Rekunen
News about the project:
Ethical Christmas gift (26.11.2023)
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) training (23.9.2023)
Harvest update from Jiffarong (18.2.2023)
Compost preparation in Jiffarong (25.1.2023)
Forest fire prevention (27.7.2022)
Identification and selection of beneficiaries (2.1.2022)
Community sensitization (15.12.2021)
Gambia Tesito: New agricultural extension worker & business trainer (3.12.2021)
Jiffarong garden tree nursery has many lemon trees, which were planted in August 2022. 🌱🍋
The first picture shows the seedling just planted, and in the second picture it’s all grown in January 2025. 🌳
Lemon trees growing in the vegetable garden are important for the soil quality, but also for the food security and garden sustainability. ♻️
This year, Tesito received a grant from @symbioosiry to plant new lemon trees around the Tesito garden. Planted next to the fence, the trees are going to form a live fence to protect the garden from rainy season storms. ⛈️🌪️
Also, producing plenty lemons in a few years, they are collectively sold by the women farmers, and with the profit from the sales, farmers are able to finance the maintenance costs of the garden. 💰
Thank you @symbioosiry for supporting Tesito! 🙌🏼
***
Jiffarongin kasvimaalla on monia sitruunapuita, jotka on alun perin istutettu elokuussa 2022. 🌱🍋
Ensimmäinen kuva on otettu istuttamisen jälkeen, ja toisessa kuvassa on sama taimi tammikuussa 2025. 🌳
Kasvimaalla kasvavat sitruunapuut ovat tärkeitä maaperän laadun, mutta myös ruokaturvan ja puutarhan toiminnan kestävyyden kannalta. ♻️
Tänä vuonna Tesito vastaanotti @symbioosiry luonnonsuojeluapurahan uusien sitruunapuiden istuttamiseen Tesiton puutarhan ympärille. Aidan viereen istutetut puut muodostavat elävän aidan, joka suojaa puutarhaa sadekauden myrskyiltä. ⛈️🌪️
Lisäksi puut alkavat muutaman vuoden päästä tuottamaan runsaasti sitruunoita, jotka viljelijänaiset yhdessä myyvät. Myyntivoitoilla he pystyvät rahoittamaan puutarhan ylläpitokustannukset. 💰
Kiitos @symbioosiry Tesiton tukemisesta! 🙌🏼
#treenursery #vegetablegarden #tesitoproject #gambia
Last winter, FFHC installed four panels and two batteries to Dumbuto forest station, funded by @ekoenergy . The station also had some old non-functioning panels, that Lamin Nyabally from FFHC was able to fix. 🛠️☀️
When Dodo Project Manager Sanni visited the station, Jola Bojang, forestry department officer, told her how the installation has improved their operations. Previosly Dumbuto forest station did not have any form of electricity. 🔋
One of the benefits is that since they have light outside, snakes no longer disturb them at night. Also, now they can charge their laptops and phones, which they do reporting and data collection with.💡🐍💻
Thanks to EKOenergy, solar system installation has enhanced water supply for both Dumbuto community members and the station.🚰
Approximately 2500 community members of Dumbuto use the borehole of the station for household use and for domestic animals. The solar system also pumps the water to the forest station tree nursery, which provides seedlings for the surrounding communities.🌱💧
***
Viime talvena FFHC asensi Dumbuton metsäasemalle neljä paneelia ja kaksi akkua @ekoenergy rahoittamana. Asemalla oli myös joitakin vanhoja rikkinäisiä paneeleja, jotka FFHC:n Lamin Nyabally pystyi myös korjaamaan. 🛠️☀️
Kun Dodon hankepäällikkö Sanni vieraili asemalla, metsäosaston virkamies Jola Bojang kertoi hänelle, millä tavoin paneelien asennus on parantanut heidän asemansa toimintaa. Ennen asennusta Dumbuton metsäasemalla ei ollut ollenkaan sähköjä. 🔋
Yksi eduista on se, että ulkovalojen ansiosta käärmeet eivät enää häiritse heitä yöllä. Lisäksi he voivat nyt ladata puhelimia ja tietokoneita, joita tarvitaan raportointiin ja datan keräämiseen.🐍💡💻
EKOenergian ansiosta aurinkojärjestelmän asennus on parantanut sekä aseman että Dumbuton asukkaiden vedensaantia. 🚰
Noin 2500 Dumbuton kylän asukasta käyttää aseman porakaivoa kotitalouskäyttöön ja juomavetenä kotieläimille. Lisäksi aurinkojärjestelmä pumppaa vettä metsäaseman taimitarhaan, joka tarjoaa taimia ympäröiviin kyliin. 🌱💧
#solarpanels #ekoenergy #solarenergy #tesitoproject #gambia
It’s time to share some data from 2024!📊
Based on the data collected from the Tesito farmer women in Jiffarong, the average amount of food secure months rise from 6 (2023) to 10 (2024) in a year. 👏🏼
This is a great result despite the heavy rainy season storm causing a lot of damage to the garden last summer, and a quarter of the harvest being lost. 📉
It’s interesting to note that onion was still the most popular vegetable to be cultivated in the Tesito garden (55,7%), and after that sorrel (19,3%). The third place goes to tomato (10,2%). 🧅🍅
Dry season harvest is currently taking place, and as you can see from the picture, onion was definitely harvested the most. 🪣
***
On aika jakaa dataa vuodelta 2024!📊
Jiffarongin viljelijänaisilta kerätyn datan perusteella niiden keskimääräisten kuukausien määrä, joina perheellä oli riittävästi ruokaa, nousi kuudesta (2023) kymmeneen (2024). 👏🏼
Tämä on hieno tulos huolimatta siitä, että viime sadekauden rankat myrskyt aiheuttivat paljon vahinkoa kasvimaalla ja neljännes sadosta menetettiin. 📉
On mielenkiintoista huomata, että sipuli oli edelleen suosituin Tesiton kasvimaalla viljelty vihannes (55,7%) ja sen jälkeen suolaheinä (19,3%). Kolmannella sijalla on tomaatti (10,2%). 🧅🍅
Kuivan kauden sadonkorjuu on parhaillaan käynnissä, ja kuten kuvasta näkyy, sipulia viljeltiin ehdottomasti eniten tänäkin vuonna. 🪣
#datacollection #foodsecurity #vegetablegarden #tesitoproject #gambia
Few weeks ago FFHC project team had a meeting with Dodo’s project manager Sanni, who was on a project monitoring trip in Gambia.🇬🇲
During the meeting both Sanni and FFHC were able to officially welcome Olie Gaye (3rd right), the newest addition of the team, as the Assistant Agriculture Extension Worker of Tesito.🙌🏼
Olie has been working in the project since January, and is based in Jiffarong with Lamin Nyabally.📍
She has just graduated from The Gambia Songhai Initiative Farming Centre and has the latest knowledge and information of sustainable farming practices, which will greatly benefit the women farmers of Jiffarong, while she supports them in the project activities.🧅🌱
Welcome to the team Olie! 🤗
***
Muutama viikko sitten hankkeen seurantamatkalla ollut Dodon hankepäällikkö Sanni kokousti FFHC:n hanketiimin kanssa Gambiassa. 🇬🇲
Tapaamisen aikana sekä Sanni että FFHC toivottivat virallisesti tervetulleeksi Olie Gayen (3. oikealta), joka on tiimin uusin jäsen ja toimii Tesiton maatalousneuvojan assistenttina. 🙌🏼
Olie on työskennellyt hankkeessa tammikuusta lähtien, ja hänen toimipaikkansa on Jiffarongissa yhdessä Lamin Nyaballyn kanssa.📍
Hän on juuri valmistunut The Gambia Songhai Initiative Farming Centre -koulusta, jonka vuoksi hänellä on viimeisimmät tiedot kestävästä viljelystä. Tästä onkin paljon hyötyä Jiffarongin naisviljelijöille, kun Olie tukee heitä hankkeen aktiviteeteissa. 🧅🌱
Tervetuloa tiimiin Olie! 🤗
#ffhc #team #tesitoproject #gambia
Remember the food processing training in Jiffarong a few months ago? 🥫
Last week FFHC’s Lamin Nyabally noticed, that many of the women, also the ones who weren’t part of the training, are preparing tomato paste, as the others are sharing their knowledge. 🙌🏽
Also, the Tesito women have already capitalized their new skill: in the pictures you can see tomato paste produced by the women, who processed it for the Jiffarong farmer men against small fee, as the men had harvested a lot of tomato, which they wanted to preserve for a long time. 🍅👩🏾🍳
Stay tuned, as during the following months the food processing station will open its doors. 🔜
***
Muistatteko Jiffarongissa muutama kuukausi sitten järjestetyn koulutuksen ruoan prosessoinnista? 🥫
Viime viikolla FFHC:n Lamin Nyabally huomasi, että myös naiset, jotka eivät olleet mukana koulutuksessa, valmistavat säilykkeitä muiden antamien oppien mukaan. 🙌🏽
Tesiton naiset ovat jo hyödyntäneet uutta taitoaan bisnesmielessä: kuvissa näet naisten valmistamaa tomaattikastiketta, jota he jalostivat Jiffarongin maanviljelijämiehille pientä korvausta vastaan, sillä miehet olivat saaneet suuren tomaattisadon, jonka he halusivat säilyvän pitkään. 🍅👩🏾🍳
Pysy kuulolla, sillä seuraavien kuukausien aikana ruoanprosessointiasema avaa ovensa. 🔜
#foodsecurity #foodprocessing #jiffarong #tesitoproject #ekoenergy #gambia
Remember Fatou Kinteh? 🙋🏽♀️
We posted about her constructing a new shop last August, and last month, Dodo’s project manager Sanni got to see her ready made shop in Jiffarong. 🛍️
Fatou is one of the revolving fund beneficiaries from 2023, who received a loan of 15 000 gmd (200€). 💵
She started building the shop while she was pregnant, and opened it after the baby was a few months old. 👩🏽🍼
Today, Fatou’s business is doing good. She is selling different products depending on the demand. Currently she sells everything from baby diapers to electric kettles, milk, candy, sugar and tea. 🍬☕️
Fatou has already paid back her loan, and with the revenue she is able to send her children to school and contribute to the household food security. 🎓
Good luck Fatou! 🍀
***
Muistatko Fatou Kintehin? 🙋🏽♀️
Kirjoitimme viime elokuussa hänen kauppansa rakennusprojektista. Viime kuussa Dodon hankepäällikkö Sanni vieraili Jiffarongissa ja pääsi näkemään Fatoun valmiin kaupan. 🛍️
Fatou on yksi vuonna 2023 kyläpankista 15 000 dalasin (n. 200€) lainan vastaanottaneista naisista. 💵
Fatou aloitti liikkeen rakentamisen ollessaan raskaana, ja avasi sen, kun vauva oli muutaman kuukauden ikäinen. 👩🏽🍼
Tällä hetkellä Fatoun liiketoiminta sujuu hyvin. Hänen valikoimansa elää kysynnän mukaan, ja tällä hetkellä hän myy kaikkea vauvan vaipoista vedenkeittimiin, maitoon, karkkeihin, sokeriin ja teehen. 🍬☕️
Fatou on jo maksanut lainansa takaisin, ja kaupasta saatavilla tuloilla hän pystyy maksamaan lastensa koulumaksut ja parantamaan kotitalouden ruokaturvaa. 🎓
Onnea Fatou! 🍀
#revolvingfund #microloansforwomen #jiffarong #tesitoproject #gambia
Last month Dodo’s project manager Sanni visited Jiffarong, while food processing training funded by @ekoenergy was ongoing.👩🏽🏫
Lamin Nyabally, FFHC’s new agriculture assistant Olie Gaye (left) and Fatim Gaye (Lamin’s former student), showed the farmers how to turn their harvest into canned and other long shelf life foods.🥫
The two examples produced were tomato paste and nutritious blended multi-grain mix, that can be used like porridge, containing beans, grains, corn and millet.🥣🫘
Lamin also introduced the previously produced canned products; vegetable pickles, seasoning sauce, pepper sauce, and pepper powder. 🌶️🫙
The food processing center in Jiffarong is soon ready. Food processing is a valuable skill in rural areas, where households struggle to store food due to lack of electricity. Also, processed food is easier to transport to regional markets without spoiling, and revenue from it is higher.💰
Thank you EKOenergy for supporting sustainable livelihoods and food security in the rural Gambia.🌱
**
Viime kuussa Dodon hankepäällikkö Sanni vieraili Jiffarongissa, jossa oli käynnissä @ekoenergy rahoittama koulutus elintarvikkeiden jalostuksesta.👩🏽🏫
Lamin Nyabally, FFHC:n uusi maatalousavustaja Olie Gaye (vas) ja Fatim Gaye (Laminin entinen oppilas) opastivat viljelijöitä tekemään sadostaan säilykkeitä ja muita pitkään säilyviä elintarvikkeita.🥫
Koulutuksessa valmistettiin kahta tuotetta: tomaattikastiketta ja ravitsevaa moniviljavalmistetta, joka sisältää jauhettuja papuja, jyviä, maissia ja hirssiä, ja jota voidaan tarjota puuron tapaan.🥣🫘
Lamin esitteli myös aiemmin valmistettuja säilykkeitä; pikkelöityjä vihanneksia, maustekastiketta, chilikastiketta ja chilijauhetta.🌶️🫙
Jiffarongin ruoanprosessointiasemaa rakennetaan parhaillaan ja se on pian valmis. Elintarvikkeiden jalostus on arvokas taito maaseudulla, jossa kotitalouksien on vaikea säilyttää ruokaa sähkön puutteen vuoksi. Jalostettu ruoka on myös helpompi kuljettaa markkinoille pilaantumatta, ja niiden myynnistä saa paremman voiton.💰
Kiitos EKOenergia kestävien elinkeinojen ja ruokaturvan tukemisesta Gambian maaseudulla.🌱
#foodprocessing #ekoenergy #tesitoproject #gambia
Few weeks ago Tesito’s technical team Olli Turunen and Dmitry Aksenov, together with project manager Sanni, had a meeting with IBAP (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Institute in Guinea-Bissau) at their office in Bissau.📍
The presentation showed current ready made maps of the two key national parks; Dulombi-Boe 1 & 2. 🗾
The technical team had during the previous week visited both parks and corrected the map, which local environmental officials can use to monitor the change of forest cover.🌳
Guinea-Bissau is known for its cashew plantations, and both cashew and mango trees dominate the landscape driving through the country. Compared to Gambia, forest types are pretty similar, but Guinea-Bissau has also humid forests in the south, which Gambia is lacking being located more up North.🧭
At the end of the training, the project team handed out GPS devices and phones, that were collected as donations back in Finland. They will be divided to the national parks and will come handy during the field work. Thank you everyone for donating! 🙌🏽
**
Muutama viikko sitten Tesiton kartoitustiimi Olli Turunen ja Dmitri Aksenov sekä hankepäällikkö Sanni tapasivat IBAP:n (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Institute in Guinea-Bissau) virkamiehiä heidän toimistollaan Bissaussa.📍
Presentaatiossa esiteltiin nykyiset valmiit kartat kahdesta tärkeimmästä kansallispuistosta; Dulombi-Boe 1 & 2. 🗾
Kartoitustiimi oli edellisen viikon aikana vieraillut molemmissa puistoissa ja sen johdosta korjanneet karttaa, mitä paikalliset ympäristöviranomaiset voivat käyttää metsän muutoksen seurannassa.🌳
Guinea-Bissau tunnetaan cashew-viljelmistään, ja sekä cashew- että mangopuut hallitsevat maisemaa maan läpi. Gambiaan verrattuna metsätyypit ovat melko samanlaisia, mutta Guinea-Bissaussa on etelässä myös kosteita metsiä, jotka pohjoisemmassa sijaitsevasta Gambiasta puuttuvat.🧭
Koulutuksen päätteeksi hanketiimi jakoi ministeriölle GPS-laitteita ja puhelimia, jotka kerättiin lahjoituksina Suomesta. Ne jaetaan eri kansallispuistoihin, jossa ne pääsevät käyttöön kenttätyössä. Kiitos kaikille lahjoittaneille! 🙌🏽
#IBAP #Bissau #forestmonitoring #tesitoproject
Thank you everyone for donating Tesito project your old electronics; phones, GPS devices and cameras! 🙌🏽♻️
The project team was able to deliver most of them to Gambia and Guinea-Bissau already, and the rest will wait for the next monitoring trip. 🔜
Majority of them have already been delivered to officials in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau; to the Kafuta forest school and different national parks, where they will be much needed. 🌳👏🏽
***
Kiitos kaikille, jotka lahjoititte Tesitolle kierrätettyä elektroniikkaa; puhelimia, GPS-laitteita ja kameroita! 🙌🏽♻️
Hanketiimi toimitti suurimman osan niistä jo Gambiaan ja Guinea-Bissauhun, ja loput odottavat seuraavaa hankematkaa. 🔜
Suurin osa lahjoituksista on jo toimitettu Gambian ja Guinea-Bissaun viranomaisille; Kafutan metsäkouluun ja eri kansallispuistoihin, joissa ne tulevat heti käyttöön. 🌳👏🏽
#gps #donations #forestmonitoring #tesitoproject #gambia #guineabissau