kindergardens4senegal.org

The School Year 2019 / 2020 was Split in Half

1 September 2020

During the first half of the school year, the focus was on the further education of the teachers. The teachers were very interested in this topic. A successful cooperation developed between the kindergartens in Goudiyaba and Sédhiou as well. The children visibly benefited from the new forms of teaching, combined with new play material and varied activities.

And this year also, it was a great pleasure for me to accompany the curious and motivated children in their development. The joy of the youngest, their pride in what they have learned, shines from their hearts and eyes. And then came Corona... The schools will now be closed until the next school year in October 2020. What a pity.

So, in the second half of the school year we concentrated all the more on constructing new buildings. Several toilets and kindergarten buildings were built, actually more than planned. This we are also very happy about. In the villages Abene, Sédhiou and Bougbo, when as we were doing the roofing, the day became a celebration with all of the towns people present. Those were days full of gratitude and filled with a lot of humor.

Now finally, on my fourth attempt to fly to Switzerland, I finally succeeded. Though with any activities in favor of the association, I am of course very limited at the moment.

But we still do hope for further donations. I will probably travel back to Senegal in November 2020.

With the following "slideshow" Elhadji Dieme gives an insight into the buildings realized in the second half of the year, right up until the rainy season started in July 2020.

Accompanied by Senegalese music, kora and percussion: Elhadji Mamadou Dieme. (Saamaleyka)

 
For more music check out the the latest CD on the left. Saamaleyka, Coucou

CHF 25, and CHF 5 go to kindergardens4senegal. to order: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With autumnal greetings
Marielle Furter

An Unforgettable Experience

Saturday, 13 June 2020.

My project partner Elhadji Dieme and I had a wonderful experience in the remote village of Bougbo. Mounting the planned roof of the kindergarten building, which was built by the local people themselves, turned into a festive and cheerful day for everyone. The workers were already awaiting our arrival and could not wait to get started. Before we had even unloaded the last corrugated sheets, the first ones had already been mounted. With the beginning of the heavy rainy season, we were all worried about the building, which was constructed with bricks made of only sand and clay. The four-sided roof was covered at a brisk pace. It didn't take long for us to realize that the work was done absolutely professionally and that our control function was hardly necessary at all.

It was a special and wonderful surprise, when suddenly a jumble of people appeared. All the women of the village had gathered to welcomed me and they accompanied me all the way to the school, singing and dancing. There, a circle quickly formed all the while the rhythm for the singing and dancing was being drummed powerfully on an old plastic container. Spontaneous, theatrical presentations were interwoven, at which I laughed so hard I almost had tears in my eyes. It was a lively hustle and bustle, a potpourri of colors. Soon I too was invited to dance along in their special type of dance, hopping constantly on one leg, as the other foot keeps stamping to the rhythm. A real athletic challenge and of course there was a lot of laughter, especially when I started rubbing my aching muscles from the constant hopping.

Soon children and teens, women and men, actually everyone from the whole village was present and spent the day with us. Right as the sun started to set, the last corner of the roof was covered. Still had to take one last photo before it got completely dark and then off we went home. Before we left there were again many appreciative words and gestures of gratitude. This happiness definitely reflects right back into our hearts.

Mixed feelings….. sadness, that my flight home on 12 May has been canceled…

.... happiness, that I am able to be here on site, until the construction work on the kindergarten complex is finalized.

With the concrete decision at the last general meeting to offer our support to the existing kindergartens in Sédhiou, we are now working on our largest project of this year's construction phase - an entire kindergarten complex. In addition to one existing classroom, we are adding two spacious classrooms for further classes, which up to now had been taught in makeshift classrooms that were in very poor condition. In addition, there will be a divided toilet for girls and boys, probably also an office and a small storage room. One classroom is already completed, the bricks for the second room are being laid and the toilet is getting a foundation.