Proof is the bottom line

World Vision Senegal was honoured and privileged this week to welcome a delegation of US Congress staff to Senegal. The visit, organized in partnership with The Global Poverty Project and World Vision US had a very clear and deliberate objective;

Understand and examine the effectiveness of aid delivery in US government funded activities across Senegal. And furthermore, to promote a persistent focus on programme effectiveness to further advocacy efforts in directing much needed attention and resources to Senegal.

“We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to host the US Congress field visit to Senegal. It has proved to be a great opportunity for these influential US decision makers to see firsthand the development challenges facing Senegal and also to witness the successful work of US funded programs like those of World Vision and other partners, that are tangibly and sutainably addressing these development issues”, Dr. Andrew Catford, National Director of World Vision Senegal

Experiencing effectiveness at first hand

World Vision and other programme partners worked in close collaboration to ensure that the four day detailed programme covered a broad range of development interventions focusing primarily on health and nutrition but also visiting some key economic development and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene activities.

“This learning trip to Sénégal allowed us to accomplish more in half hour than in a lifetime of lectures. Through site visits on every level of the health care system, we saw the tremendous impact World Vision has made on the overall health of the people of Sénégal – making the statistics tangible and underscoring the important work left to be done” noted one congressional trip participant.

All stakeholders critical to programme delivery i.e. World Vision and other partner NGO programme staff, local government authorities and community groups were invited to share their direct experiences and benefits of US investment and aid delivery, and themselves advocated for continued support based on their own evidence based narrative.

Working to ensure the well-being of children, family and communities in Senegal

Having seen firsthand the impact and effectiveness of US Government and NGO funded health activities on the ground in Senegal, one of the participants in World Vision's 2016 congressional learning trip remarked that

"The congressional trip provided invaluable insights into the unique challenges of reaching communities across Senegal and rural Africa, and how instrumental World Vision and other implementation partners are in helping US aid and development initiatives reach the populations with the highest level of need."

As the trip drew to a close Judith Rowland, Head of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at The Global Poverty Project said, “The Global Poverty Project was very pleased to work with World Vision to host this delegation of congressional staff in Senegal. Visiting households and witnessing firsthand the impact of the U.S taxpayer dollars helped demonstrate the important role that our country plays in the world.”