Project Launch:

This project will take place in the Kolda Region of Senegal, one of the country’s poorest. In Kolda, employment opportunities are limited beyond agriculture, cattle husbandry, or microbusiness. The Alpha Molo Balde high school has more than 2000 students, coming from villages throughout Kolda, but there is no university for them to feed to. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have a large presence in Kolda, designing and running programs to combat poverty throughout the region, but most people living in Kolda have limited awareness about these organizations and do not see them as a potential source of employment. Moreover, the majority of the NGO workers in Kolda are sent from Dakar, the country’s capital, and thus are less familiar with the villages they are serving.

The “Leaders of the Future” Internship program is designed to give students at Alpha Molo Balde high school an opportunity to be placed in a competitive, five-week internship program. Ten students will be selected for internship positions with NGO offices, giving these students an opportunity to experience a professional office environment for the first time, and to contribute to work throughout Kolda. Each student will receive a small stipend so that they and their families can afford to participate in the program.

This project builds off of World Connect’s successful Leaders in Development project that took place at the Mama Cheik Mbaye High School in 2013 in Tambacounda, in Eastern Senegal:
www.worldconnect-us.org/project/leaders-development

 

Project Update

There were 6 NGOS that participated in the program; a pharmacy, a hotel, an environmental protection agency, a community development organization and a local radio station. After successfully completing their 5 week internship, the 10 students have learned a lot of valuable skills and some have been invited to extend their internship. One intern, who worked at a community development NGO, established a women’s economic group in her own community with the help of her internship, showing the ripple effect of the program. The internship has motivated her to continue working in the health and community development sector and to pursue a career helping others.

 

Testimonials

 

"I want to be an intern because I always had the ambition to help the people in my community to contribute to their success, and I want have the training to become a good worker." - Diénaba, Project Beneficiary

 

"I want to become an intern to be able to help people with their needs, especially in the health sector. It's certain that health has become a problem in Senegal, particularly in the rural communities that lack hospitals and personnel. That's the reason why I'm interested in health. I want to become a doctor and achieve my dream, which is to construct a hospital." - Abdourahmane, Project Beneficiary

 

"During summer vacation I'm [normally] here in Kolda doing nothing, and I want something constructive to do, to gain knowledge." - Hawa, Project Beneficiary

 

"These students have learned many skills during this internship that they can use for the rest of their lives, both in school and beyond the classroom." - Idrissa, Project Leader

 

"I learned so much thanks to this program. 7a really became my family. I had no idea about the work they were doing here in Kolda, but now I understand their programs, and I asked them if they could come start a project in my community." - Diénaba, Project Beneficiary