I don't know who was the more excited, the children, their parents, the teachers or I, as we waited at the entrance of the kindergarten. My heart was pounding and joy was bubbling up inside of me. Radiant children, happy parents and motivated kindergarten teachers and also a very thankful headmaster were alle there. And I was filled with an incredible feeling of joy. Curiosity hung in the air, as big and small waited expectantly in the entrance hall.

23. November 2015
At last the time has come. The newly built kindergarten is filled with radiant children aged three, four and five. The children got devided into groups by age and led to their class rooms. The three usual grades are called "Petit section", "Moyenne section" and "Grand section". Since lots of parents were still crowding around the teachers, asking questions and bringing more children, I spontaneously took the group of five-year olds. After organizing all the administrative and financial work for more than a year to get this project realized, I could finally devote myself to the kindergarten children.

Aside from the joy I felt satisfaction settle inside of me. Being able to grant the children, from this very poor village, this chance is wonderful and also a great opportunity for the whole town. The thankfulness is noticeable and also the high regard for the kindergarten could be felt everywhere.

During a first game with a ball, the children told me their names. A bond with the children is already starting to grow. It didn't take long and the children started calling me "Tata Marielle", and with a surprisingly high attentiveness they were ready for more activities. We sang, skiped, danced, played and balancee and the joy created a wonderful atmosphere. Again and again curious parents peeked in the door or through the windows, smiled at me and let me feel their gratitude without words. The children were happy and excited to try out many new and different games and I felt myself being filled up with Happiness. The sight of so much happiness and gratitude touched me deeply. I want to thank all of you once again, everyone who has helped this project to turn into reality.

After snack time, I devoted myself to the four-year olds and the youngest group. I was surprised, that the children had no reservations toward me, even though I am a "Dubab" (white person). Some of the smaller children did start crying when their mothers left, but I could comfort them quickly by holding them in my arms or showing them stuffed animals.

One thing that we now noticed was, that there were way more children per class than we had expected. Children had to be turned away. So now I am planning on having every kindergarten class running twice. There would be enough rooms available and they could be furnished accordingly. The large dining room could get subdivided with a flexible wooden wall and another room could be used for the third "section". 

From now on, I will be at the kindergarten once a week to encourage and promote the children and teachers. Even now, we are still relying on donations to cover the running costs. Aside from that, I would like to help more children from the Casamance attend kindergarten. I can profit from my experiences of planning and building this kindergarten in Niaguis, in a next project. It will make the workload of a new project lighter and the whole process would be faster. I would be very pleased, if the confidence in my work continues. The children and I are thankful for every donation and every membership that helps realize a project to help the children have an education.

Greetings
Marielle Furter