Association du Sénégal et de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ASAO) is a non-profit founded in 1995 by French-native Valérie Schlumberger with the primary ambition of supporting local talent.
Born and raised in Senegal, her daughter Ondine Saglio has followed in her footsteps, creating Compagnie du Sénégal et de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CSAO). With a similar focus throughout West Africa, and Sengal in particular, CSAO taps into to the rich tradition of embroidery, operating two fair-trade embroidery workshops and employing – and perhaps more significant – empowering a predominantly female workforce, offering them a safe, secure environment to showcase their skills and foster their independence.
