Convenience Store

Mbaye Diouf, an Impact Senegal farmer and active community participant, approached Impact Senegal in late 2023 about the need for a local village storefront. Because there is no electricity (i.e., no fridge or freezer) and very little storage, villagers consistently purchase their meal items. Before Ngonine’s store, villagers travelled over 5 miles on foot or by horse cart per day. After providing him a loan for his business plan, Mbaye was able to open his convenience store and provide villagers with their daily necessities just minutes from home - not miles! The store has been so successful that Mbaye repaid his loan in full within 6 months and continues to expand his inventory.

From Mbaye:

“People come here to get most of their daily necessities at reasonable prices. For example, some big compounds (15-20 people) need to buy two bags of rice per month. That’s more than 10 pounds of rice per person! And these families all work, whether in the village or the city, and pool their money to pay for groceries. So I allow them to buy the rice they need at the beginning of the month, but don’t charge them until the end of the month when they have the funds, without adding interest.

I also bought a freezer to help with the heat. Kids sell ice blocks to the field workers during the hottest part of the day, and I let the kids keep a small profit. Who knows, maybe they can save that money to have capital for their own businesses one day!”