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Senegal
Co-ordinators: Kate Gibson and Norah
McKee
Project
E-mail: sva_senegal@yahoo.co.uk
The Country
The Republic of Senegal is a French speaking
country situated at the westernmost point of West Africa, bordering
Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania and surrounding The Gambia. The project is
based in Guediawaye, a suburb of the capital city
Dakar. For the past 10 years the project has worked with young children
called Talibés, young boys between the ages of 5
and 20. They are often orphans from poverty-stricken families entrusted to
a Marabout who is an Islamic teacher, responsible
for teaching the young boys the Qur’an. The boys live in Daaras, which usually don’t have a roof and the Talibés sleep on a concrete floor. The majority of
their day is spent roaming the streets to beg for food and money which they
give to the Marabout in return for his teachings.
In many cases extreme physical violence has been reported when the children
don’t collect enough money. The Talibés are often
in very poor health caused by living in very unhygienic and inadequate
conditions and because they have no access to any form of healthcare. We
work with an NGO called Enda Graf based in Dakar,
which aims to tackle this deep-rooted cultural problem.
Aims
of the Project
Enda Graf is committed to eradicating
childhood begging and improving the lives of children in Senegal. The money
raised by the volunteers will be used to improve day to day life in the Daara, trying to improve conditions and in turn the
lives of the children. Once shown around the Daaras,
the volunteers must decide where they feel the money should be spent in
order to do this most effectively. There is a strong relationship between
SVA and Enda and the volunteers always control
allocation of the funds.
The
short term aims include providing medical consultations and treatment for
the ill and injured Talibés; construction work in
urban areas, including building classrooms, toilets and water pumps to
improve conditions in the Daara; and the buying
of mats, benches and classroom materials to improve teaching conditions.
In
the long term the project aims to migrate to rural areas, where the
children can live with their parents and are not forced to beg. Some Marabouts see the money donated in urban areas by aid
organisations as an incentive to move their Daaras
into the city, where the children are separated from their parents, live in
terrible conditions, and are forced to beg. By channelling money into rural
areas we encourage Marabouts to remain in the
villages, where the main source of income is agriculture. In 2011 SVA
Senegal funded the renovation of 2 classrooms and provided the money to
start a new school in an isolated village, and we hope to continue with
this work in 2012.
Details
of the Project
Seven
volunteers
will be selected to take part in this amazing project, which lasts roughly 7
weeks with opportunities to travel afterwards. The departure date is in
early June so as to finish work before August, when the rainy
season makes working difficult.
Volunteers
are given the unique opportunity to be ‘adopted’ by a Senegalese family.
It is an enriching experience and a great opportunity to be totally
immersed in the local culture. Although this may sound daunting, by the end
of the trip (if not by the end of the first week) you are sure to feel part
of the family and refer to them as your own.
As
French is the official language of Senegal, you will do most of your
communicating in French with your family and the NGO workers. The
project also provides the opportunity to learn the basics of Wolof, the
predominant local language used in Senegal. Past volunteers have found this
to be an enjoyable experience which helps to build relationships with the
locals and the children, as most of the Talibé
have not been taught French.
Costs
Each
volunteer
will be expected to raise a minimum of £600 through individual and
group activities. Although this may seem like a large amount of money it is
very achievable with a bit of effort. The flights can cost anywhere between
£400 and £600, depending on when you book. Insurance costs around £50, and
injections ranged from free to £50 each. Malaria tablets will also need to
be taken throughout the trip.
Volunteers
We
are looking for volunteers who are enthusiastic, driven and up for a
challenge. The nature of the project means the more money we raise the more
successful it will be, so volunteers will need to be motivated from the
word go. French speakers are encouraged but it is by no means a
requirement.
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)
The
NGO we work with is Enda (Environment and
Development Action in the Third World) based in Dakar, Senegal.
Moustapha Diop
ENDA
GRAF
BP19141
Guediawaye
Golf
Sud
Dakar
Telephone:
(00221) 6422231
E-mail:
mmadiop@hotmail.com
http://www.enda.sn/english/org.htm
Useful
Websites
Human
Rights Watch Report: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2010/04/15/backs-children-0
Channel 4 Documentary: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/episode-guide/series-2010/episode-19
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