Designing Community Development Initiatives for Success and Sustainability

This event is hosted by the Alternative Breaks program of the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service in partnership with the Tandana Foundation. 

International development has been in process for sixty years, and yet many of its goals remain unmet. In many parts of the global South, it is not uncommon to see abandoned buildings and equipment that were provided by NGOs or development agencies but go unused and unmaintained by local communities. In some cases, development projects may even change local power dynamics in harmful ways or deny agency to the people they are intended to benefit. How can development projects be set up for success and to achieve sustainable positive results? Drawing on over a decade of experience leading The Tandana Foundation’s work in Mali, Moussa Tembiné and Housseyni Pamateck will describe the approach, processes, and elements they use to coordinate successful programs that bring long-term benefits to communities. Thanks to their leadership, more than 1,100 women have gained literacy and numeracy skills; 21 villages have joined together to protect their shared environment; 2,100 women have gained access to credit through savings groups; seven villages have better access to water through new or improved wells; five villages manage grain banks that provide ongoing access to food; seven villages have cotton or grain banks that allow women greater control over their ability to earn income; and 82 communities learned how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Learn about the approach and strategies that have made this success possible. The speakers will present in French with simultaneous interpretation into English and then respond to questions from the audience.

The third son of the village chief of Kansongho, Mali, Moussa was the only one of his siblings who was sent to school. After living with family friends so he could attend secondary school in Bandiagara, he moved to Mali’s capital and earned an associate’s degree in agronomy. Before joining Tandana at its inception, he worked for over 10 years with a wide variety of development NGOs, including Action Mopti, Amprode Sahel, and PRBP (Projet de Rehabilitation des Barrages et Pistes), in addition to serving the government of Mali as a Superior Agricultural Technician. As he completed a bachelor’s degree in Community Development, Moussa wrote a thesis on the challenges, successes, and determining factors of grain banks in Wadouba Township. As Mali Program Manager for The Tandana Foundation, Moussa applies his deep familiarity with the languages, culture, customs, and social organization of the region to the coordination of successful projects. Moussa's enthusiasm for helping villages reach their goals, his skills in project design, and his dedication to providing continual support make Tandana’s work in Mali possible. Moussa speaks Tommo So, French, Bambara, and some Fulani.

Hailing from the village of Sal-Dimi, Mali, Housseyni is the younger of a set of twins. While his twin brother was sent to herd the family’s livestock, Housseyni was enrolled in school. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Geographical Development from the University of Social Sciences and Management in Bamako, he returned home to see if he could help his village and the surrounding ones.  Housseyni served as an intern with Tandana for two years, working with several Mali Volunteer Vacation groups and completing follow-up work on various projects. 

Since taking on the role of Local Supervisor for Tandana, he has provided constant and ongoing support to the communities with which Tandana partners. Housseyni organizes meetings, assemblies, and discussions, shepherding each project from the selection of priorities through the planning and implementation to the follow up to ensure that its positive impact is sustained. He visits each village to support the local management committees, solicits feedback, and offers an accessible point of contact for local needs. Housseyni speaks Tommo So, French, and some Bambara.