Clinic in Guinaw Rail

This midwife drives a long way every day to come deliver babies and take care of expectant mothers at the clinic in Guinaw Rail, in Senegal. She's here, in the delivery room, pointing out photos of the babies she's helped bring into this world. She gave up a lucrative job elsewhere because, she said, she wanted to help others who otherwise might not get much help. She asked if we could send her some needed supplies, so we're working on it.

Schoolchildren in Senegal

It was the singing that truly opened my heart. As I climbed up the stairs of the old school, I could hear the children before I could see them. Their teacher was leading a class lesson, singing phrases for the children to repeat. By the time I reached the top step and peered into the now-filled rooftop classroom, I was smiling.

The young teacher, dressed in a white robe, nodded a greeting my way, and I settled into the back of the classroom. When the song was finished, he introduced me and my friends to the class. They then broke into song again, singing "welcome, welcome" in perfect English. When they got to the part where they sang "Welcome, Shelley" I knew the smile would stay in my heart forever, permanently emplanted there, to be recalled whenever I needed it.

Here are more pictures of the children and teacher at Guinaw Rails School.

Helping on Two Continents

One of the biggest fundraisers of the Ludlowe Corps has been a silent auction, where we collect items from our community and sell them to the highest bidder. The money goes to fund projects for schools in Senegal. When the Connecticut middle school students visited the school at Guinaw Rail, they described this auction to the administrators and teachers, and explained that's how the Ludlowe Corps obtained much of the funding for their new school building.

I arrived at the school maybe a week and a half after that conversation. One of the teachers sat down with us while we were having a snack, and mentioned that she had something that might help at our next fundraiser. Would we like to see it, she asked?

The teacher then brought out a whole bagful of beaded animals that she and her class had made (see photo above). You better believe these will be very popular at the auction next year.

It touched me to think that people who have so little would do this. It solidified the idea that we are indeed partners with the people of Guinaw Rail, helping each other to help each other.

New School in Guinaw Rail

The new school our group is helping to build is nearly complete. Like many buildings in Senegal, it's made of cement block. It's two stories high, and will accommodate the older children in the school. In the above picture, Waranka Association Director Masse stands with School Director Diouma in the ground floor of the new school.

See more images of the new school under construction here.

In the Neighborhood

The neighborhood in Guinaw Rails is a friendly one. It's also a study in recycling. Everywhere you look, people are using materials in unique ways. Old truck tires are buried halfway in the sand to mark the entrance of a store. Clotheslines are strung up with all kinds of different ropes and wires. People in Guinaw Rails make do with what they have.

Markedly, though, in the midst of this area with sand for roads, an occasional horse cart for transport, and goats roaming freely, the schoolchildren wear freshly-washed dresses and button-down shirts. Not everyone has shoes.

See more images of the neighborhood of Guinaw Rails here.

Rooftop Classroom

The older students attend class in this upstairs classroom. It's not really a room, just some desks enclosed by hanging wooden slats on the roof of the building. I'm not sure how they're able to manage in the rainy season -- I don't think the plastic sheeting in the back can protect them fully. During the dry season, when we visited, it gets pretty hot up there. On the left, outside of the image, is just the open roof. Halfway to the edge of the roof is a set of stairs leading to the classroom and school library inside.

As we walked around the classroom, I couldn't wait for the students to return from lunch, so I could meet them.

School Library in Guinaw Rail

The school library is next to the classroom for younger kids. The books are all in French, naturally. I think the shelves are from the crate we had sent, but I'm not sure. In any case, they could use more shelving.

I also thought that it would be great to send them French translations of Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown books. Anyone who can get their hands on such books, and knows a good shipping company, let me know!

Check out the mosquito net hanging in the middle of the room, and also the floppy drive bay on the computer.

Classroom for Younger Kids

As we continued on our tour of the existing grade school in Guinaw Rail, Senegal, we saw the classroom for the youngest children. The tiny desks accomodated three or four students. Even without the students there, I could see why they needed more space.

Tour of School

When we arrived Tuesday at the grade school in Guinaw Rail, Senegal it was lunchtime. The students were home for their customary mid-day break. Masse, the association director, and Diouma, the school director, gave us a tour while the school was empty.

From the outside, the school looks like a telecenter. That's because the first room on the right is indeed a place where anyone can pay to use the internet. It's a way for the school to raise some funds (see Diouma in the telecenter above, appropriately taking a call on his cell phone).

Leadership in Guinaw Rail

Shortly after we arrived at the school in a poor area of Dakar, Senegal, we met the school director, Diouma (on the right) as well as Masse (on the left). Masse is the director of the Waranka Association, which exists to help improve living conditions in the community (this area of Dakar is called Guinaw Rail). The Waranka Association oversees the school, as well as many other civic projects and services.

To understand how our group-- the Ludlowe Corps -- can best help the community of Guinaw Rail, I first needed to understand this wonderful Waranka Association. Masse told me the Association got its name from a hard-working, civic-minded woman who had done much to help the people of Guinaw Rail. Waranka Ba's photo hangs above the two men in the image above. She had fought to improve living conditions in this area that seemed to have been overlooked. She helped bring electricity, running water, and sanitation to the community. When she died in 2003, the community wanted to continue her work, and formalized it by creating an association named for her.

These days, Masse oversees this group, which focuses on education, health, and the environment. With constant threats of flooding, malaria, diabetes, illiteracy, and other troubles, it's a big job.

Masse inspires me. He works all day -- he is a professional librarian with a college degree from Dakar -- then spends much of his free time after work in the school, the clinic, or working on other civic matters. I would have liked to have met his wife and four children. I asked him how he is able to get so much done, and he just smiled graciously. He seems driven by a need to do what it takes to help his community.

I felt honored that this group would accept our Ludlowe Corps as a partner. Sure, we had all put forth efforts to raise funds for the school, but it pales in comparison to the work Masse, Diouma, and the others we met that day do every day.

Here is the website for the Waranka Association, including pictures from the Ludlowe Corps' visit in early April 2008.

Community Spirit in Dakar

I had been looking forward to Tuesday all week. We headed out to visit a grade school that I'd first heard about last year. This grade school is in a part of Dakar called Guinaw Rail, which is where our friend Abdou (shown above, in front of the school) grew up. Our friend Massamba had lived there as a young man. It's a low-lying area that floods during the rainy season every year; people live there because the conditions make homes affordable to those who have very little. But it's a hard life.
Last year our group of middle-school students, parents and teachers -- the Ludlowe Corps-- filled a crate with school supplies and furniture. We had it shipped to Dakar and gave it to the people of Guinaw Rail as a gift. I knew then that the good people of Guinaw Rail were working hard to make a better life for the community's children. I knew then that they placed great value in education, and sacrificed much to provide it. I knew then that they didn't have a lot to work with. What I didn't know, until I got there on Tuesday, was the great kindness, patience, and wisdom of the community leaders there.

Dakar Hotel

After that 12-hour ride from Podor to Dakar, nothing felt bettter than crashing at our hotel in Dakar. The good night's rest rejuvenated us for a big day on Tuesday. Before we started out for the day, though, we took a few moments to relax on the roof of the hotel.

Here, and above, are a few images of the neighborhood.