Project Launch:

Toune Juma is a village of more than 2,000 residents located 4km outside of the regional capital of Kaffrine, Senegal. The local primary school, which has 150 students, is located in the middle of the village with a road running through the center of school buildings. The area is not safe and and there have been several accidents involving school children in previous years. This project will lead first to the construction of a wall around the school buildings. Equipped with safety trainings for students and a better-protected space, the school aims to reduce the number of accidents and improve safety for its students. The project will also support the creation of a school garden inside the new wall, for students to learn improved nutrition behaviors and to grow food to supplement their school lunches.

 

Project Update

The community took full ownership of the project and everyone, including teachers, parents, women’s groups, and students, were very motivated and involved. The wall is complete, providing a much more secure teaching and learning environment. The garden is thriving with onion, cabbage, eggplant, hot pepper, and tomato plants. Students and teachers participated in a gardening training where they learned about nutrition, gardening and compost, and the teachers are currently creating a 6-week gardening curriculum that will include business, math, science, health, and art lessons in the garden area.

 

Testimonials

"We are very happy to be able to provide a school that is safe for students and teachers. Additionally, this project helped me realize the school's full potential. What is starting as a school wall has also allowed an enclosed space to plant a garden. In the future, we hope to expand gardening activities and plant fruit bearing trees. There are many, many possibilities." - Ouseynou, School Director, Project Participant

 

"When I was a child at that school, I was hit by a motorcyle and could not go back to school for three months while I was healing. Now I know that when my son starts school he will be safe and will not have to go through what I went through." - Mousa, Project Participant