In 1980, following his first visit to Africa, Blessed John Paul II founded the Sahel foundation to combat desertification in Africa. Since then the Vatican City has many initiatives and extended a lot of support in the process of combating desertification in the region. 6 March 1984: the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel is officially established.
Because of its legal status, its head office is located in the Vatican City but its governance is entrusted to the Bishops of Sahel: a first in a world who opposes North and South so often, the beneficiaries will manage themselves the allocated budget and will determine its mode of use.

You may wish to read about following the links listed above and related to this content:
>Papal message to international conference on desertification
>Meeting in Dhakar of the Managing Board of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, 07.03.2016
>Sahel Foundation - Projects Photogallery
>Management Board of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel Meeting in Senegal .Foundation has Become a Tool for Inter-Religious Dialogue
On behalf of the Holy Father, and with the collaboration of the Church and local communities, the Foundation carries out projects to counter desertification, in the environmental sector, for the management and development of agriculture and animal husbandry, for water pumping plants, improving access to drinking water for all, and renewable energy. It also engages in the training of specialized technical personnel, able to place themselves at the service of their country.
Over time the Foundation has become a tool for inter-religious dialogue: the majority of beneficiaries, in fact, are of the Muslim religion. And in the last year, for the first time, projects related to the theme of migration were presented, to offer to young people in particular concrete alternatives focused on training and the generation of sources of income. All activities are carried out to promote the integral human development of the communities belonging to the member countries of the Foundation itself (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad).