Transcript
005: Ndeye Amy Kebe of Jokalante

Theresa Christine: Welcome to The Wild and Curious Podcast, a show that's part travel 

Suzanne Schmedding: Part feminism 

TC: And completely inspired by extraordinary women worldwide. I'm Theresa Christine, 

SS: And I'm Suzanne Schmedding. So as you know, I've been taking this TEFL course and learning all kinds of really cool things about the English language and how it's Yeah, it's like the official and unofficial language in over 60 countries and I don't know, it's just it really makes me think about how, how language is used and how useful it is to speak another language

TC: Because, you know, you know, a little bit of some other languages. 

SS: I do. Yeah, like I know, a little bit of French and Italian and Spanish, you know, and I think I was very useful to us in, when we were in Paris, but

TC: Definitely. I remember, because I do not know any French, like, zero French and I know I can speak German very well. And I know intermediate Italian, I don't know, my Italian teacher might be like, haha, that's very cute. But French is so different in my eyes from those languages. And I remember looking at a restaurant menu and thinking, 'Oh, like, this is why people are afraid to travel' because it there is just this insane barrier and it is kind of scary.

SS: Well, right. And, you know, I felt, I felt very lucky to have been able to help in that way. But when we were in Italy, I completely relied on you. And, you know, you sort of see how even just having any kind of dialogue with someone if you know a little bit of that language, it can be so helpful in communicating when you are traveling or when you do have to do any kind of basic thing.

TC: And I think it also opens your eyes to the fact you know, we're talking about some pretty like first world areas like we're In the United States, we're talking about Western Europe, where we were traveling, but there are places where, you know, there are multiple official languages or there are kind of these unofficial languages. And then when you bring into play, maybe social disparity, it can create even just difficulties communicating with people in the same country. 

SS: Absolutely. Which is why it's so cool that we are chatting with Ndeye Amy Kebe today, who along with an NGO founded Jokalante. 

TC: Jokalante means 'dialogue' in the Wolof language in Senegal. And the company uses radio and mobile alerts to share updates with smallholder farms in poor rural communities.

Ndeye Amy Kebe: So, like, in Senegal, we have 60 percent in the population who are illiterate, and we wanted really to get them interest for new technologies first in agriculture, but also change behavior in, by adopting set five seat by, by, by, by using organic menu for their soil fertility. So the question is how to interact with these people mostly living in rural area, how to interact with them get them interested, you get them giving feedback, asking question and, and that was the big, the big picture so, we submit a project for USAID to help us promoting new technologies, new varieties, but also using organic menu for low literarate farmer who live with less than $2 in rural area, and our, our solution was we reached them by traditional approaches using community radio, but also with presence of mobile phone in Senegal is like most of everyone has mobile phone, even if it's not smartphone is a simple mobile phone, we will issue them directly to their mobile phone. And we will promote all these technologies and get the farmer hear their voice but also give their opinion and their feedback. And that's how we stopped looking around in Senegal, who was doing that, who already do that and we didn't found a solution like what we propose during this project. And in 2016 January required Jokalante to deliver the project for USAID with our partners, but also to do rich as a clan with this new solution, who are innovative in some ways during example,

TC: Agriculture is, like that is the biggest business in Senegal. I mean, it has the possibility to change the way that people in these more rural areas operate, right? 

NAK: Yes, 70% in Senegal are in agriculture businesses, so it's our main activity here. And, and unfortunately 60% of these people who are in agriculture system are illiterate.

SS: That, I mean, this sounds like such an incredible resource for those people. But why do you feel illiteracy is such a big problem in, in Senegal?

NAK: Yeah, I think it is, it is also, it is a problem of that, of gap between rural and urban area in Senegal. Like also connectivities, the school, but also the environment for school in urban area like Dhaka is not the same in rural area, so people about their behavior is that is their mentality about putting their kids in school, that knowing that school is a real solution to, for, for young, for children is it's, for them it is not a big business. For them, it is just 'Yeah, I can go to school, sometimes if I can,' but the main activities is how to help the family in the field to nourish them. So, for them it is critical because the level of poverty, to, to put all the kids on school and don't have help and enhance the help with them in the field and the house.

TC: Yeah, education is, it is something that comes up when we talk to a lot of the guests on this show where, if it's not prioritized, it kind of keeps people who are in this poor or unfortunate situation, it keeps them in that situation. And you're giving them this opportunity to step up and improve their lives, which is really incredible.

NAK: Yeah, definitely. What, what we try to do, it is, if you have access to good information, this information is useful for your activities. You can increase your production and like that you can also improve your life. And that can impact the education of your kids, the way you're living in rural area and the way and you will be more open also to the, to the world, and your voice will be heard by other and by other and by talking about organization, NGO and enterprise

TC: Yeah like you said it's just this domino effect. So that's that's really wonderful to be a part of it. What is it like being a female entrepreneur in Senegal, like yourself?

NAK: Huh! Yeah, that's, that's like, I don't know, it's not easy. Because in Africa we have all this, all the way we are living we are really familiar. And female, it is not just being entrepreneur but you are also the, the responsible of your house, of your kids, all decision you have to make, to take for the house to follow the study of your kids. Taking care of your husband is also a big picture. And, and after that, being an entrepreneur, it is not like from 8am to 5pm it is like working every time, in every moment is the, you don't have weekend, you don't have pause, really. And it's such, not easy to, to organize all of these activities together and get people understand that you are always working.

TC: That's exhausting.

NAK: Yeah, absolutely. At the beginning, it was explanation, explanation, but now I feel after four years people get, get interest. And you see, they start seeing articles, invitation, they start seeing all this press and try now to understand what I'm doing. And this is a small, more easy now, but at the beginning, I was just like, it was crazy. Yeah.

SS: No, absolutely. I mean talk about family life. You have three kids and you're starting this incredible business. 

NAK: Yeah. After, after one year, or two years of the enterprise, so yeah. 

SS: Oh my gosh. It's, it's incredible what you've done, just as, as an entrepreneur, but I think even more than that, is you're an entrepreneur in the technological field, which is very often a male dominated field across across the board. But in Senegal, it is very, very important. So could you tell us what it's like for women in tech in your country?

NAK: Now, in Senegal, I think woman will always entrepreneur and interested in doing business, taking care of family because we need to work to take care of the kids. Like, when you go to rural areas as a woman who go to the field, who don't practice in the field, but all the monitoring, the following, all activities after, I don't know how to say it in English... After, after the first part of the, of the prediction, they are responsible for monitoring, following that all is okay in the field. They are responsible for taking care of the kids, preparing lunch at the same time. So it's really difficult. That's why you see many, many ideas, many projects around that, like now Jokalante, they start a new project around financial, financial empowerment for women. Because, because this is something they need in rural areas.

TC: Can you, can you tell me what that financial empowerment project is? That sounds so interesting.

NAK: Yeah, it is a, it is a new project to me managing with some other partners, like united purpose. The idea is we have now many women in rural area who are, while working and are entrepreneur in a agriculture valley chain. But they have such difficult, many, many difficulties to get the credit they want at the time they want it. So this project is how to go to see this woman to train them and build that capacity to understand micro-finance institute but also bank financial organization. With some education, some financial education trainings, and in the other side, going with our new technologies to the farm, to the financial organization to to help them set up a new scoring, more inclusive for woman entrepreneur in rural area. That's in summary, what we are trying to do and start in our company.

SS: That is incredible and these are such wonderful steps forward. With these kinds of steps forward, how have you seen Jokalante improve people's lives in the day to day?

NAK: So, I think in, in many ways by giving, for me, I think what is valuable for Jokalante in improving people's lives, it is we respect. We give them the right information. We respect the culture and, and language so we deliver in local language, where we help them taking the right decision, but at the right time, which they didn't have. Nearly all the system around the activities is their language, regarding the time of the activity, so the message is structured to the times and this message should come at the right times they need it. So like so you see, I knew some, some farmers in Karamas who tell me when I start hearing for our area is called 'the voice of farmer' in cars amongst our radio program. I know that I have to start preparing my fields. I know that it's it's near the rainy season, and I can start looking seeds I wanted to and start preparing myself. That's some kind of, some kind of feedback we receive. And, and, and, and helping people to take the right decisions for their lives by by going to the corporate team receiving the right advices, all this kind of feedback really saves us just on correction us to continue in rural area and we also focus on that.

TC: So when we were doing research and learning more about you, and about the business, you, at the time, in this one article, hadn't expanded to all of Senegal yet, and you hadn't started working in Gambia, but you have started doing that so you're making moves forward. And what are you hoping to achieve in the future now? Like what are you what are you doing to now expand things? 

NAK: We, we, we want to really develop sustainable services. Sustainable services by showing to all rural person is possible, as possible as we can it is common in all rural area in West Africa. I hoped by getting them interested in information to improve their economical activities. With advice, with, with advisors, critical information to get the right price, the right inputs, all this kind of information that I have access you have access for your for your work, but this kind of immersion is so critical for this person. Jokalante is working now is how to get this sustainable for everyone and rural area using mobile phone but also including community radio. We know that proposal projects are not really sustainable. So, we are thinking in a model of people are registering, will register to our services to get all this information for the activities. So we try to get new partner in more rural organization pattern. We will gather some members into that organization to get all members getting this information. That for real is a picture like you and me are going to pay Google for cloud access for storage for getting some some articles from medium or blankest all this kind of of services we need for our activities. It is how to get according to the activities in rural areas, these people to pay really affordable and accessible prices to get the information they need. So this information can be on agriculture, on health, on insurance on every every time of of area, but how to put all this information together and deliver to people with accessible and and just symbolic fee for more impact and more sustainability 

TC: One of the things I think that stands out for both of us about Amy is the fact that she is using technology, not only to improve people's lives, but that she is bringing it into something that you wouldn't think of bringing technology into necessarily, in the way that she is.

SS: Right. I mean, when we think of technology and agriculture, I think what probably jumps to most people's minds is the types of machinery that they're using. 

TC: Exactly. 

SS: But what she's doing is, she is providing information so that they can continue and can produce this better quality of, of plants and lifestyle and, and, you know, family interaction. 

TC: Yeah, I love that she's just making it available to people. 

SS: Yeah. 

TC: And, and giving them the option with, with what it is that they're transmitting, giving them the option of the language that is best suited for them.

SS: In some of the articles that I read, they, they rely on a core five or six languages who transmit it out and then those communities kind of come together. So, not only Is she providing good information, she's actually creating stronger community bonds as well. 

TC: And also she's just like, awesome. Like, when we were, when we were talking, I was just like, Oh my gosh! She, I'm always so excited to talk to anyone we have on the show. 

SS: Oh, yeah. 

TC: But Amy is just this powerhouse. Like, in the technology field. crazy cool entrepreneur, mom to three, like, started her business and then a year later was pregnant. She is accomplishing so much and it's really inspiring. I love that. 

SS: She's incredible. I, I want to be like her when I grow up. 

TC: One day.

SS: One day...maybe. And if you are wanting to learn more about Amy and Jokalante, you should check out their website at Jokalante.com that is J-o-k-a-l-a-n-t-e.com.

TC: You can also find them on social media, their Twitter and Instagram handle is @JokalanteSN and they are Jokalante on Facebook. You've been listening to The Wild and Curious Podcast hosted by me, Theresa Christine 

SS: And me, Suzanne Schmedding. If you've enjoyed this episode, there's more where this came from. Subscribe to The Wild and Curious Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. You can also follow along with our adventures on Instagram. Our handle is @_thewildandcurious_ and we will also put that in the show notes for you. 

TC: We are always looking for extraordinary women to talk to on our show. If you have someone in mind or you are that someone, go to thewildandcurious.com to let us know