Help make dreams come true for women in impoverished areas of Senegal

Senegal

A country in western Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. It became independent of France on the 4th of April 1960. It is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa. Nevertheless, it remains among the countries with the lowest level of social development. Almost a half of the country’s area is occupied by farming land, but farming is becoming increasingly difficult due to frequent climate shocks. The highest temperature of 48.8 °C has been recorded in Matam.

Overview:
  • 38% of the society lives below the threshold of poverty, that is, for less than 1.90 USD per day
  • the employment rate in Senegal is 50.6%
  • 44% of the working population is engaged in farming
  • only 13.9% of the population aged 25 or more has any post-elementary education
  • the literacy index among the youth aged 15 to 24 is 69.8%
We pay for education of

56 girls

at the vocational school in Dakar

100%

of our graduates work in their profession

26.11.2021

“I remember constantly moving around during my childhood,” explains Lucie. She rearranges the colourful batiks and lays them evenly on a shelf in the tailoring workshop at the vocational school for girls in Dakar. She loves being here, sewing, embroidering and arranging everything when she finishes her work. A difficult situation forced her parents to emigrate. They moved to Dakar from Guinea in search of work.

“There were thirteen of us. Food was scarce in the house. I remember the room I shared with all the other twelve. Eventually, things didn’t work out well here either and some of the family returned to Guinea. Unfortunately, I had to move,” Lucie recalls.

“When things weren’t going well at home, I liked to go to tailors’ shops and see how clothes were made. I dreamt of being able to sew myself a dress, but never had the money,” says Lucie.

The lack of any prospects was the catalyst to take the fight for her future into her own hands. She convinced her father. He agreed to let her return to Dakar, and she found her way to Foyer Maria Goretti. She was scared, but she firmly believed that her plan would succeed.

She caught Sister Ewa’s attention from the very beginning of her education, displaying courage and curiosity about the world. She quickly mastered the use of sewing machines and more advanced overlocks and electronic embroidery machines.

After graduating from our school, although she could have found employment anywhere, she stayed with the sewing cooperative being set up at the school. Thanks to her work, she can support herself and her family. She also convinced her younger sister that it is worth fighting for yourself, and helped her prepare for her entry exams to the Dakar school.

Today, Lucie talks about her dreams quite differently. Thanks to her training, business studies and practical tailoring classes, she has a plan to open her own showroom, where she will bring her childhood designs to life and produce stunning creations.

Women all over the world carry similar desires in their hearts: they dream of security, health, a peaceful life and happiness for their children and loved ones. However, not everyone has the opportunity to make these dreams a reality. Fund a day of education and help a woman from an impoverished area of Senegal to make her dreams come true.

Urgent Help Needed

Save the Pharmacy for the Poorest in Togo

This amount will allow for equipping pharmacy shelves for the first half of the year. Ania and Mateusz will take care of this, and they will fly to Togo in February and fill the shelves with the most essential antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, and pain relievers. The Saoudé Pharmacy has people to save. It cannot succeed without your support.

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We already have :
3,419 EUR
We need:
6,667 EUR