Wrapping Up 2020 with Cautious Optimism

The Need

We’re wrapping up our biggest year in Senegal yet, and we could not be more excited to share this year’s work with you, who have made all our programs possible.

In January, we opened Moms Against Poverty’s 5th school in Senegal, the Demain Ensemble preschool which caters specifically to children with disabilities. The opening ceremony was an exciting fanfare and we were thrilled to welcome numerous dignitaries from the Senegalese government as well as a number of Moms Against Poverty’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board to participate in the festivities.

In March, as with much of the rest of the world, Moms Against Poverty’s schools closed down due to the COVID pandemic. Senegal’s national lockdown have meant that cases across the country stayed relatively low, but decimated the economy which was built on tourism and trade.

With schools closed for the foreseeable future, we took advantage of this opportunity to begin construction on our 6th school, the Diamaguene school.  This school is located in an inland area to the east of the city of Mbour where classrooms were built with sticks, straw and tarp. This six-classroom building provides a real learning environment for over 500 elementary school children and includes an office for the school staff to meet with parents and students. The school was completed over the summer and reopened in the fall for some students, and we look forward to celebrating its completion with the usual fanfare next year.

With the pandemic shutdowns still affecting the whole country, we mobilized to deliver basic needs packages to over 2,000 children and their families in need. The deliveries of rice, cooking oil and soap helped our families get the nutrition they needed as well as keep good hygiene during the pandemic.

Starting in May and continuing through the end of this year, we’ve also started our first-ever Orphan Care program in Senegal. We provided food, drinking water, milk, and hygiene supplies to our partner orphanage in the rural village of Mbodiene, and helped restore the orphanage after the fall monsoon season.

Throughout this year, while schools were open, we also provided meal programs for our preschool students, with over 800 children receiving a daily protein-heavy meal.

Senegal is one of the few countries around the world that has made significant headway in containing the pandemic, which has allowed schools to reopen this fall with safety measures in place. Heading into the new year, our team and our community share a sense of cautious optimism.

As we prepare for 2021, we’re preparing to launch a number of new programs. In focus for us this year in particular is our Health program. This year has reinforced the importance of having accessible healthcare to as many people as possible, and we know that a healthy mind nurtured by Moms Against Poverty’s schools in Senegal depends on healthy bodies.

We’re incredibly thankful for the support of the entire Moms Against Poverty family as we expand our offerings in Senegal to offer as many children as possible the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and lead in their communities.