Deftere Golle

Health & Farming Guide — Northern Senegal

Chapter 1

Duckweed

Duckweed is a tiny green plant that floats on still water. It doubles in size every 2–3 days. Grow it in a container and feed it to your chickens, goats, and fish — it has protein as rich as meat.

What You Need

  • One large bucket or basin (at least 50 liters)
  • Clean water — from a river, tap, or well
  • Duckweed starter — collected from a calm river or pond
  • Diluted animal urine or manure water (1 part manure to 10 parts water)
  • A spot with partial shade — not full midday sun

Steps — What to Do

1
Fill your large bucket with clean water, leaving two hand-widths of space at the top.
2
Place a handful of duckweed from a river or pond into the bucket. Let it rest on top of the water.
3
Add fertilizer: 1 part animal manure water to 10 parts clean water. Stir gently. Do not add too much.
4
Place the bucket in partial shade. Duckweed needs light but dies in full hot midday sun.
5
Wait 5–7 days. The duckweed will spread to cover the surface. It has grown successfully.
6
Scoop out half the duckweed with your hands. Move it to a second bucket with fresh water. Now you have two growing containers.
7
Feed the harvested duckweed fresh to your chickens, goats, or fish immediately.
8
Repeat the harvest every 3–4 days. The cycle continues every month.

⭐ Remember This

Mix only 1 part manure to 10 parts water — never more.
Harvest half every 3–4 days to keep it growing.
Keep in partial shade — not full hot sun all day.

Chapter 2

Moringa (Nebeday)

Nebeday grows throughout Fuuta Tooro. Its leaves contain more protein than eggs, more calcium than milk, and more Vitamin A than carrots. One spoonful of dried leaf powder per day fights malnutrition.

What You Need

  • A moringa (nebeday) tree — or a cutting to plant
  • Clean water for washing
  • A clean cloth or mat for drying
  • A shaded room or covered area — NOT direct sun
  • A mortar and pestle for grinding the dried leaves

Part 1 — Harvesting

1
Choose tender young leaves from the upper branches. These are the most nutritious.
2
Pull leaves gently with your fingers. Do not damage the tree's main branches. Leave the stem to grow more leaves.
3
Wash the leaves in clean water to remove dust and dirt.

Part 2 — Drying (Critical Step)

NEVER dry moringa leaves in direct hot sun. Sunlight destroys the vitamins and minerals. Always dry in shade.

4
Spread leaves thin on a clean cloth in a shaded, well-ventilated place. No direct sun.
5
Turn the leaves each day. After 2–3 days they will crumble between your fingers. They are dry and ready.
6
Pound the dry leaves into fine powder using your mortar and pestle. Sieve out the stems.

Part 3 — Using the Powder

7
Add one heaped spoonful to your sauce or child's porridge every single day.
8
Add the powder AFTER the sauce has come off the fire. Heat destroys the nutrients. Stir in after cooking.

⭐ Remember This

Dry only in shade — NEVER in direct sun.
Add powder after cooking, not into boiling food.
One spoonful per day for children, pregnant women, and elders.

Chapter 3

Safe Water & ORS

Water that looks clean can still carry illness. Unsafe water is a leading cause of child death. Three ways to make water safe — plus how to make ORS, the life-saving drink for diarrhea.

Method 1 — Boiling (Most Reliable)

1
Pour water into a clean pot.
2
Bring to a full rolling boil. Wait 1 full minute while it boils actively.
3
Cover and let cool. Store in a clean covered container. Do not touch with dirty hands.

Method 2 — Solar Disinfection (SODIS)

1
Take a clean, clear plastic PET bottle. Fill completely to the top with water.
2
Lay on a shiny surface (metal sheet or rooftop) in direct sunlight for 6–8 hours.
3
If cloudy, leave for 2 full days (48 hours). UV light kills bacteria and parasites.

Method 3 — Cloth Filtering

1
Fold a clean cloth three times to make three layers.
2
Pour water through the cloth into a clean container. This removes particles and sediment.

Cloth filtering alone does NOT make water safe. Always boil or SODIS as well.

ORS — Life-Saving Drink for Diarrhea

Diarrhea removes water and salt from the body fast. It kills small children. ORS replaces what is lost.

ORS Recipe — 1 Liter

1L
Boiled clean water
6
Teaspoons sugar
½
Teaspoon salt

Mix well. Give small sips often. Make fresh every 24 hours.

Go to clinic immediately if: sunken eyes, no tears when crying, cannot drink, blood in stool, or diarrhea continues 2+ days.

⭐ Remember This

Boiling water is the most reliable purification method.
ORS: 1 liter water + 6 teaspoons sugar + ½ teaspoon salt.
Sunken eyes, no tears, no urination = go to clinic immediately.

Chapter 4

Soil, Compost & Rotation

Tired soil gives small harvests. You can restore it without buying anything. Compost feeds the soil with what you already throw away. Zai pits catch rain. Crop rotation lets the land rest and recover.

Signs Your Soil Is Tired

  • Soil cracks and hardens after rain
  • Seeds sprout but plants do not grow tall
  • Harvests get smaller every year
  • Soil looks pale or grey, not dark

Part 1 — Making Compost

What You Need

  • Greens: fresh leaves, kitchen scraps, plant cuttings
  • Browns: dry stalks, old harvest stems, wood ash
  • Animal droppings (goat, chicken)
  • A little water
  • A compost pit or enclosed area — 1m × 1m
1
Dig a compost pit near your field — about 1 meter × 1 meter. Or make a pile on the surface.
2
Add alternating layers: browns first, then greens, then animal droppings. Repeat.
3
Sprinkle water to keep the pile damp but not soaking wet.
4
Turn and mix the pile every two weeks. Turning helps it rot faster.
5
After 3–4 months, the compost is dark, rich, crumbles like soil. Mix into your field before planting.

Part 2 — Zai Pits

1
Before planting, make small holes in the soil — about 30 cm apart across your field.
2
Add a small handful of compost or animal droppings into each hole.
3
Plant your seed in the hole. When rain falls, it collects in the hole instead of running away.

Part 3 — Crop Rotation

1
Do not plant millet or sorghum in the same field every year. The soil becomes exhausted.
2
After millet, plant cowpea (niébé). Cowpea puts nitrogen back into the soil naturally.
3
After harvest, mix the cowpea stalks into the soil. They restore and clean the land.

⭐ Remember This

Compost is made from what you already throw away — nothing to buy.
Zai pits catch rain so it doesn't run away from your plants.
Rotate: millet → cowpea → millet. The soil will recover.

Chapter 5

Essential Health Basics

Five health topics that save the most lives — and cost nothing but knowledge. Handwashing, malaria, pregnancy danger signs, wound care, and child growth tracking.

The 5 Critical Times to Wash Hands

Most diarrhea and respiratory disease is transmitted by dirty hands. These 5 moments matter most.

  • After using the toilet or latrine
  • After cleaning a child who has defecated
  • Before preparing food
  • Before eating
  • Before breastfeeding or feeding a child

Wash with soap and water for 20 seconds. If no soap, use ash — it works.

Malaria — Prevention & Signs

Prevention:

  • Sleep under a treated mosquito net every night — especially children and pregnant women
  • Empty standing water near home every week
  • Drain stagnant pools within 100 meters of your home
  • Wear long sleeves after sunset when mosquitoes are most active

Danger signs — go to clinic immediately:

  • Fever with shaking or rigors (especially in a child)
  • Child is confused or cannot wake up normally
  • Fever lasts more than 24 hours without improvement
  • Vomiting and cannot keep fluids down

Pregnancy — Danger Signs

Go to health center immediately — do not wait — if a pregnant woman shows any of these:

  • Heavy bleeding from the vagina at any time during pregnancy
  • Severe headache or blurred vision (dangerous blood pressure)
  • Swelling of the face and hands (preeclampsia)
  • Baby has stopped moving for more than 12 hours
  • Water breaks before labor contractions begin
  • High fever during pregnancy
  • Labor lasting more than 12 hours without birth

Visit health center at least 4 times during pregnancy — even if you feel well.

Wound Care Basics

  • Clean every wound immediately with clean running water for 5 minutes
  • Remove dirt gently — do not scrub hard
  • Cover with a clean cloth or bandage
  • Change the covering daily
  • Do NOT put soil, leaves, animal dung, or oil on a wound — causes infection and tetanus

Go to clinic if:

  • Wound has red streaks spreading outward — blood poisoning
  • Wound from an animal bite or deep puncture
  • Fever develops after a wound
  • Wound has pus or bad smell after 2 days

Child Growth — MUAC Check

MUAC checks if a child aged 6 months to 5 years is malnourished. Measure the upper arm with a ribbon or string.

  • GREEN (above 12.5 cm) — Child is well nourished. Continue good feeding.
  • YELLOW (11.5–12.5 cm) — Child at risk. Increase food variety. Add moringa powder daily.
  • RED (below 11.5 cm) — Severely malnourished. Go to health clinic immediately.

Check your child's MUAC every month. A child not gaining weight needs help now, not later.

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