Some of our best programs are created by international and Senegalese volunteers and interns. Senegal's ecovillages serve as development laboratories and fields of dreams. Counting volunteers, interns and students together, more than 500 people have worked with villagers, completed academic papers and theses, and contributed to creating and strengthening the EREV Institute. To read about our current projects, see our blog.

Here are some people who have had an impact in the past: 

John Fay (right) was an intern from the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell's Johnson School. He started The Senegalese Ecovillage Microfinance (SEM) Fund in 2004 through a loan program in the rural ecovillage of Louly Ngom. SEM became one of the first field partners of KIVA.org and now offers microfinance group loans in 38 ecovillages throughout Senegal.  See the SEM home page.

Jascha Hoffman, then a Harvard undergraduate, spent four months working with traditional griots and a school principal to produce the Palette Project, which involved collecting traditional folk tales from village elders, illustrating stories, and creating books to use in primary schools. Jascha has found funds to continue to support the excellent work of Palette, whose books in French and English are appreciated by children from around the world. See the Palette home page.
.

Jill Salmon, a Fulbright scholar, spent the year of 2006 setting up evening classes in French language, occupational training and health for adolescent domestic workers-- young girls from poor villages who had come to the city to work as housemaids to support their families.This program, with ongoing support from Jill and other former interns and volunteers, has grown from 50 girls in one fourth-floor office to 200 girls in four evening sections held in the classrooms of Yoff's primary schools.

Joshua Wray spent 10 months as a gap year volunteer setting up our information system and first website in 1999.