Perspectives for Young People

Although the district of Leona is directly connected by a bridge to the island of Île de Saint-Louis, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is therefore directly located at one of the most important places for round trips to Senegal, the situation for the population is not any different from the rest of Senegal. Throughout Senegal, almost half of the population lives in poverty, health care is inadequate and the illiteracy rate is just under 50 percent. Women and children in particular are often the ones who suffer. For women, the only options for earning money are usually employment in private households as cooks, cleaners or housekeepers. In addition, the rural exodus due to climate change is exacerbating social conflicts in the cities. The official unemployment rate is only just under 10 percent, but estimates put it at around 40 percent.

In addition, there is a lack of infrastructure in terms of kindergartens and schools. The school enrollment rate is low anyway and many children, especially girls, drop out of school early. Furthermore, in the former capital of Senegal, countless children live on the streets, fighting for their daily survival.

The basis of the project in the Leona district of Saint-Louis is a multi-level approach to achieve a long-term improvement of the overall situation, which evolved during the funding period and now has three main pillars:

1. vocational qualification and income generation for young women
2. improvement of the educational level of children and young adults
3. general improvement of the health of the population

The project focuses on the vocational training center, where 100 young adults from poor family backgrounds, especially women, between the ages of 16 and 35, can receive training in tailoring, hairdressing, cooking and service activities. In addition to the training, the participants can also catch up on their school qualifications. Over the years, the center has been able to proof the quality of its trainings, so that the offered training branches enjoy a high reputation in the region. By graduating in the respective professions, the young adults are given the opportunity to build a livelihood in their home country. Particularly successful graduates have already been able to start their own businesses with their own employees, and are now training themselves.
The project also includes a kindergarten for 100 three- to five-year-olds and a busy drop-in center for street children between the ages of four and 17, who learn reading, writing, math and French at the center and receive food, clothing, medical care and access to sanitary facilities. The center is usually the only place for the children to shower or wash their clothes. Some of the street children have now been integrated into the regular school system. In addition the project offers afternoon tutoring sessions at two local primary schools.
Health camps and the introduction of health insurance have improved the health situation of the population.

However, we still support many other projects in the region.
To the projects