For many years my family has been visiting the remote Senegalese region of M’baye Aw, where schools are changing lives. Over the years, the schools drew boys back from a life of exploitation on the streets of Saint Louis, and at the same time, more and more girls enrolled for the first time. Thousands of children have received an education in this region, where previously no opportunity existed other than for parents to entrust their boys to marabouts in the city, far from home, to learn the Quran. But, all too often, despite good intentions of parents, this resulted in a life of forced begging for the boys, and forced early marriage for girls (as villages emptied of boys who did not return).
Several years ago when visiting the area to sponsor an annual convoy to the nearest large town for the children to write government year-end exams - hours from M’Baye Aw- Rowan was slipped a “help me” note. From a girl who was thriving in school, but her village based education in our schools, which ends after middle school, was coming to an end. Her parents were making her marry against her will. She ferociously wanted to continue her education, but what options did she have? Cheikh, the founder of the schools project, presented me with four more letters from other girls, that they had written upon learning we were coming. Rowan and I were devastated. These horrifying letters were personal testimonies of twelve and thirteen year old girls desperate to avoid forced marriage so they could continue their precious education. The boys have returned to these villages, and yet long established traditions remain.
It seems every solution leads to new problems. Education ended the begging talibé system here, and brings the discovery of a world outside the village, and of the concepts of basic human rights, which, in turn, lead to dreams of more. As it should.
Since that shattering moment of reading of the deep desire of girls to continue their education, and as understanding settled in about the height to which their barriers towered, we knew we had to do more. The schools are everything here. But even so, they are not enough.
Rowan conceived of and created Bourse Suxali: A scholarship for a girl from the region of the five schools our Foundation’s generous donors have sustained. An unmarried girl. A girl who cares about education so much that she found a way forward, despite unimaginable challenges. A girl who left her village after going as far as she could from home, moved to town, found room and board, attended four years of high school, and succeeded in earning her high school diploma. Suxali was to serve as motivation not just to the girls, but is designed to encourage their parents to support them in their high school and higher education dreams. A full ride, three year scholarship for a health care degree including living expenses promises great opportunity to the successful applicant. And, in a region with no health care availability whatsoever within hours and hours, the community has bought in.
A few years ago the community pooled their resources to build a health clinic building, thinking that would solve their lack of access to health care. After all, when they built the schools (with the support of our donors for the building and ongoing funding), education did, indeed, follow. But of course, there was no nurse, no midwife, no medicines, no vaccines, and the building soon crumbled due to disrepair and lack of
use. When we met with the villagers this week to discuss the progress of the schools and announce the second Suxali award, the Chief expressed to us that they had learned the hard way that they had put the cart before the horse, and that putting one foot in front of the other slowly in a logical, sustainable manner over the long term is what would bring progress to his people. He expressed his emotion and gratitude at seeing his children and grandchildren learning to read and write and speak foreign languages when his generation could not write their own names. He said they all now understood the importance of Suxali and how before a new health clinic is built, first they need a nurse, a midwife, a doctor, who are connected to the area and feel a responsibility to help their neighbours. Our satisfaction in feeling our vision was understood and shared cannot be overstated.
We had visited the high school in Dahra Diolof two years ago to meet the girls in their final year of high school, to learn about their hopes and dreams, and to inform them about the opportunity of Suxali. We were there again last year to confer the inaugural scholarship to the first winner, and to inspire the next year’s candidates.
A year ago, before our return to Canada, we had met the first Suxali winner, delivered a backpack with school supplies and a computer, registered her in the three year nursing program, and set her on a path to finding room and board in the city. She has embraced her education, and is in process of beginning her second year of study.
On this trip, we met the second winner of Bourse Suxali. Her dream to become a midwife is on the verge of becoming reality. Rowan had been communicating with her on Whats App, making plans for her to come to Saint Louis to meet us. We finally met in person Friday for the first time and travelled together to ESUP Santé, the nursing school. The first Suxali recipient was waiting to meet us and greeted her new mentee. After meeting with the director and completing registration formalities, Rowan made an official presentation of the new scholarship, backpack, and computer. When the registration process began, and again later as the certificate and computer were presented, she was overwhelmed with emotion. Her dreams are becoming reality, and her future awaits.
After the ceremony at the school, a tour of the facilities, and a phone call to her mother to share her news, we escorted our new scholar to Maison de la Gare to meet the team there. We headed directly to the infirmary, to introduce her to Awa, the Maison de la Gare nurse. Awa is currently in process of completing her own studies at the same school of Heath. Rowan had previously arranged for Awa to serve as the first Suxali scholar’s mentor. Rowan’s idea is that each new Suxali recipient will be mentored by the winner from the previous year.
All of the staff at the Maison de la Gare Centre welcomed our new Suxali scholar, indicating they would be there for her, for help, support, and friendship. We left knowing she would not be alone in this new place, that she was now among friends, and that her future now lies in her own hands.
There are now two Suxali recipients working toward their dreams. It is our hope to be able to eventually fund a new Bourse Suxali each year, so that there can be three 3 year health care degrees in process concurrently, with the mentoring cycle paying it forward continuously. But, fundraising has not been as easy as we had hoped. The opportunity we see to change so many lives so dramatically is not something everyone cares to or has the means to embrace. This is understandable, as everyone has their challenges and hills to climb. We may need to pause a year before a third Suxali is offered. But who knows. As we hear expressed in Senegal so often: God is good. Things worth doing will happen. Lives will continue to be changed. And dreams will keep coming true.
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