SGAs

This evaluation looks at the Sesame Growers' Associations (SGAs) in The Gambia. The SGAs are rural women's associations that are organized in a pyramidal fashion. At the base, some 56,000 women belong to about 800 village kafo associations. These associations are grouped into "clusters" of from 5 to 70 kafos. The clusters then group into 16 associations, each run by an Executive Committee (ExCo) selected by the membership. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been working with these associations for several years, assisting their evolution from management committees for the sesame oil expellers to more broadly based development agents that can respond to the needs of their membership. This evaluation looked generally at how the institutions have matured over the past four years since the time when they became independent associations. Specifically, it looked at how self-reliant the associations are and whether they are becoming more independent in their relations with CRS, how effective their management structures are, and how successful the associations have been in providing real benefits to their members. Among the key findings of the evaluation are the following: (1) The as

Source: DEC abstract, PD-ABN-558 (1994). The source's own text.