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NBA and Senegal YMCA partnering to reach out to communities in Dakar

By: Joseph Bernard Coly, National Communication Secretary, Senegal YMCA

 

The YMCA is well-known throughout Dakar as one of the region’s best IT training service providers. This impression is being strengthened through the new IT centre for youth and children provided and equipped by the United States of America’s National Basketball Association (NBA).


The newly donated IT centre has become the venue for training of seven trainers for the TIC-Enfance (Computer Science for Kids) programme which is to be implemented in 4 regions of Senegal: Dakar, Thies, Kaolack and Ziguinchor.

 

Equipped with 20 new desktop computers, a video projector, printer and air-conditioner, the centre will now reach a larger number of Senegal’s children and youth and bridge the technology rift in Dakar.


The IT centre is the long envisioned outcome of a partnership between the Senegal YMCA and the NBA, and has been created within the framework of the NBA’s Basketball without Borders (BWB) programme.


BWB is the NBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme for social change. The programme features dozens of current and former NBA players and team personnel who provide their skills as camp coaches and mentors. The first camp on African soil since the programme’s inception in 2001 occurred in early August in Dakar and was launched at an opening ceremony held on 7 August 2010. Attending the ceremony were Senegal YMCA members, local officials and popular NBA players including Dwight Howard, DeSagana Diop, Luc Mbah a Moute, Hasheem Thabeet, Ronny Turiaf, Danilo Gallinari, Willie Green and Marvin Williams. Also in attendance were NBA and WNBA legends Dikembe Mutombo, Makhtar Ndiaye, Mamadou N’diaye, Nykesha Sales and Tamika Raymond.


The ongoing partnership between the NBA and the Senegal YMCA was encouraged by the International Division of the YMCA of the USA, and the NBA chose to work with the Senegal YMCA for implementation of its 2010 NBA Cares Legacy Project. This Legacy Project, in connection with BWB, included the refurbishment of the Senegal YMCA basketball court, the establishment of a new public library and a fully equipped computer and technology centre.

“Neither war, nor peace”: Senegal YMCA continues efforts to ensure peace and post-war development in Casamance

By Senegal YMCA


The 25-year-long low-level civil war in Casamance, Senegal, has resulted in ongoing sporadic violence and devastated communities within the area. Many children and young people have been without access to education, health care and livelihoods opportunities and thousands of families remain displaced throughout Senegal and in Guinea-Bissau. Young people who live there describe the situation as “neither war nor peace” but remain hopeful because of the Senegal YMCA’s involvement in the region.


In response to the community’s needs, the Senegal YMCA, funded by Comic Relief and with technical support from Y Care International, has worked tirelessly in this area to ensure improved education, vocational training, infrastructure rehabilitation, malaria eradication, peace promotion, and landmine clearance.


Paul Benoit, Project Coordinator for Ziguinchor YMCA, believes that the YMCA’s work has restored hope in the region. “The people take courage from the YMCA work. They feel they have partners who will help them regain a normal life. In the village where the YMCA is involved, the people have confidence in them and they come to us with their problems with high hopes that we can resolve them. For the last four years, the YMCA has helped to rebuild villages and give hope for peace”.


But, the work is not finished. In 2007 the majority of the Casamance population did not have access to clean drinking water and only 17% had effective sanitation facilities. In addition, only 47% of girls are enrolled at school and the vast majority of students who complete school do not attain the minimum standard. Because of the long-term impact these problems will have on the health and economic stability of the region, the Senegal YMCA plans to: improve access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; provide educational support so that vulnerable youth can access primary, secondary and after-school education; develop youth enterprise through training in practical vocational skills and access to micro-credit; and improve the organisational capacity of Senegal YMCA so they are best able to continue working in the region.


Even with such difficulties, Ziguinchor YMCA Regional Secretary, Alphonse Badiatte, finds hope in the community’s response to the poor infrastructure and ongoing conflict in the region: “despite a few problems here and there, there is an over-riding sense of hope that the situation in Casamance will improve and peace is getting closer”.


Partner organisations involved in the YMCA work also see benefits. For Harriet Knox, Africa Programme Manager from YCare International, “it is impressive to see how much the YMCA values the meaningful participation of young people in the development, implementation and ongoing monitoring of all activities in their work and I am confident that young people will continue to be at the heart of the new initiative”. The Senegal YMCA is currently actively sourcing funding to move ahead with this vital work.

 

Illegal migration - the Senegal experience and plans

By: Jean Bassene, National General Secretary, Senegal YMCA

In the last decade there has been a sharp increase in the migratory flux from Senegal to Europe and with the reinforcement of the terrestrial border control system, Senegal became one of the first African countries of origin and transit for illegal migration. Forty-six percent of Senegalese migrants seek to reach the European lands, Spain and Italy having particularly experienced a growth in the number of immigrants (Van Criekinge, 2008). Migration from Senegal towards Europe was characterised during recent years by illegal means, with the two main options being ocean or terrestrial (through the desert) routes. From 2005 to 2007 over 50 000 people migrated illegally, resulting in the turning back of more than 4 065 people by air, and more than one thousand by land (Tandian, 2007). The data on those who perished during this dangerous journey is even more difficult to establish.

 

The youth aged 15 to 34 constitute the largest number of Senegalese migrants (Van Criekinge, 2008). The study undertaken by Caritas (a Senegal YMCA partner NGO) in September 2008 among 50 returned illegal immigrants reveals that the majority were young people between 20 and 29, of which 96% were male. According to the data of the International Programme on Migration (ILO, 2006) which indicates that 49.6% of all migrants come from Dakar and Saint Louis, the departure points include Dakar, Saint Louis, Kayar (Thies) and Ziguinchor (Casamance).

 

High-level panel meetings, forums and workshops undertaken by the Senegal YMCA and Caritas of Dakar with several stakeholders, focused on the increasing phenomenon which primarily affects the youth. A number of issues were highlighted:

 

• Lack of information among potential young migrants and their families on the risks of the illegal migration as well as about the illegal migrant living conditions in Europe. Lack of information and support on youth opportunities to emigrate in a legal way eg. obtaining a European visa, etc.

 

• Negative views about migration, including the high level of stigmatisation of returned migrants.

 

• The solutions recommended by the State and NGOs as alternatives to youth migration do not meet the appropriate needs of young people and are not well known by the youth.

 

• A lack of coordination between civil society, the private sector and the government in developing and implementing effective solutions to reduce illegal migration and promote the socio-economic reintegration of returned migrants.

 

• Limited data/statistics on illegal migration of youth and minors from Senegal to Europe.

 

The results of these meetings led to the civil society identifying specific areas of reintegration support to returned migrants and to providing information on the risks of illegal migration among the youth and minors.

 

Efforts made by international agencies such as the International Migration Organisation (IMO) to help the Senegalese government to reduce illegal migration had an impact on the decrease of the migratory flux from Senegal. But the 2009 orientation priorities stressed care and capacity building in the management of migration issues. Among the programmes implemented by the Senegalese government to deal with illegal migration and promote the reintegration of the returned migrants was through the Retour Vers l’Agriculture/Back to agriculture (REVA) plan. A study carried out by the Senegal YMCA in 2008 revealed though, that civil society was not significantly involved in the designing of this initiative and that many young people did not seize this opportunity. This was due on the one hand to the lack of information, but it can also be surmised that such programmes did not effectively meet the needs and aspirations of most of young people.

 

The Senegal European Commission country document for 2008-2013 declares that the Government of Senegal must make illegal migration one of its main priorities.

 

The Senegal YMCA has, since 2008, taken initiatives, in accordance with its mission, by organising workshops in partnership with Caritas Dakar, to do an in-depth situational analysis and search for solutions for tackling the problem.

 

The results of these workshops have steered the Senegal YMCA in the fight against illegal migration through the following actions:

 

• The development of Youth Rural Entrepreneurship to reduce rural exodus, which is the starting point of illegal migration. Currently research is being undertaken to evaluate the potential of certain rural communities, to discuss with the young people and the authorities to identify actions to socially and economically empower young people. We also plan to organise youth to take part in the management of their area and to lobby for the development of good youth policies by the local and government authorities. A project proposal will shortly be submitted to financial partners in this regard. Currently, through the ‘HIV/AIDS and socio-economic integration of youth and women’ programme, youth of Mbadakhoune rural community, Fatick Region, are to be trained and supported in the development of rural entrepreneurship activities.

 

• Coaching the Kayar Returned Young Migrant Association, providing them with technical and organisational support for the development of fundable projects. We plan with this association of over 200 members, to organise actions of capacity reinforcement and sensitisation about illegal migration. These returned young migrants will be the main actors of the sensitisation actions.

 

• Submission of a project proposal to:
• prevent the illegal migration of Senegalese youth and minors to European Union (EU) countries;
• implement effective programmes for socio-economic reintegration of returned young Senegalese;
• reinforce the capacities and coordinate civil society organisations to better meet the needs of minors and young potential candidates for illegal migration.

 

In partnership with Y Care International and the YMCA of Spain, this proposal has been submitted to the European Union.

 

The Senegal YMCA plans to embark on advocacy with other civil society organisations for the respect of the migrants’ rights in Senegal as well as in the Mediterranean and EU countries. The advocacy actions will also address the issue of free movement of goods and people within the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) as stipulated by the organisation’s regulation.

 

There is much work to be done to address both the problems relating to migration and illegal migration in particular, as well as to mitigate the situation that youth find so desperate within the country that they will risk their lives to escape. The Senegal YMCA will continue to address the situation holistically and continue to seek partners to achieve the work started within the framework of the fight against the degrading migratory phenomenon.

 

Photo: Spanish Red Cross assists those who succeed to reach the Canary Islands with emergency aid and clean and dry clothes. The photo was taken in January 2008.
Credit: Manuel Lérida/Spanish Red Cross (p-ESP0058)

Senegal YMCA empowering women in a post-conflict environment

By:Joseph Coly, Senegal YMCA Communications Officer
 


Women in Casanance, Senegal, are benefiting from a four-year Senegal YMCA initiative to rebuild the lives of youth and children in this post-conflict area.
 


The 25-year war in Casamance was West Africa’s oldest and most persistent. While it did not approach the level and scale of other conflicts in the region, it caused considerable suffering for the people in Casamance, and across Senegal’s borders.
 


It is estimated that 5 000 people were killed and a further 60 000 internally displaced and that tens of thousands sought refuge in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.
 


Funded by Comic Relief, through Y Care International, the ‘Rebuilding lives of children and youth affected by war in Casamance’ project is benefiting 10 village communities whose lives were shattered by the long conflict.
 


The first two years of the project involved building community facilities (schools, health centres, and community centres), improving water access, school access for orphans and vulnerable children and sensitisation about peace and health issues.
 


In the next two years, we are now focusing on building capacity of youth and women to promote self-employment and self-sufficiency, and economic sustainability within families and communities.
 


Confident of the role of women and young girls in achieving sustainable development, particularly in a rural setting, the YMCA has initiated several capacity building and income-generating activities in the 10 villages to help alleviate poverty which resulted from the conflict.
 


These include:
 
• market gardening
• tailoring and tie and dye
• fruits trading (depending on seasons)
• fish trading
• shop
• training in food service and hostelry
• income management
 


Forty two young women have been funded in the youth entrepreneurship and micro credit aspects of the project, among which is a victim of landmines. During the remainder of the project, micro credit funds will be granted to vulnerable women with the potential of renewal to ensure the sustainability of the women’s business activities. The Senegal YMCA will continue to provide managerial assistance to these women to further bolster sustainability.
 

Photo: Women are rebuilding their lives in post-conflict Casanance through the Senegal YMCA initiative

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Gender testimony: Senegal YMCA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The YMCA has helped us (the women of Mpack village) to develop a market gardening project. This has brought an outstanding change in our lives as women and in that of our respective familes. Since we got our first production of vegetables, we do not totally rely on our husbands anymore for food related charges. We also do not have to Ziguinchor to purchase vegetables and we now even provide vegetables to women coming from Guinea Bissau (country bordering Casamance). When a woman can economically contribute to improving her family’s living conditions, she gets respect from her husband and the entire community. This is what the YMCA has helped us achieve through this programme.

Awa Dieme, woman of Mpack

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Spotlight: Jean Bassene, Senegal YMCA National General Secretary

 

By:Joseph Coly, Senegal YMCA

 

Jean Bassene, the new National General Secretary of Senegal YMCA, brings to the movement a rich and strong background in community and academic work.

 

“The focus for 2009 is reinforcing the existing and ongoing programmes and working with the staff to develop sustainable programmes, which builds on the solid work of my predecessors and the commitment of our partners,” he said of his two months in office.

 

Before joining the Senegal YMCA full-time, he served as the Operations and Programmes Coordinator of Caritas Dakar (Senegal Catholic Relief Organisation) for four years. Working in various previous positions, he has designed and implemented health, nutrition, community management and development projects and programmes in collaboration with USAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, the American Catholic Relief Service and several local rural authorities. He also has urban development experience and has worked on programmes relating to women and children.

 

Having served as a volunteer at the Dakar University YMCA Branch and as the National Commissioner in charge of Programmes for the Senegalese Scouts Movement, Jean is very conversant with volunteer roles and responsibilities and with community realities and actions.

 

He holds two Post Graduate Degrees in Project Management and a Master’s Degree in Geography. This academic background has been reinforced by several training courses on management, health and community development undertaken from 1997 to 2008.

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