Faith, flora and fabric: How a Senegalese village became a desert oasis

Local women process baobab fruit pulp into powder at a workshop that belongs to Baye fall community, a branch of the Muslim Mouride brotherhood, in Ndem Senegal April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

NDEM, Senegal (Reuters) - Beneath the scorching sun that beats down on Senegal's savannah, the verdant gardens of Ndem village are a sanctuary.

Within a hibiscus fence, rows of vegetables grow under fruit trees. Men with dreadlocked hair and women in technicolour robes dye fabrics and stitch handbags destined for luxury boutiques and furniture companies in Spain, Italy and the United States.