Time to Get to Work Again

When she was 14 my daughter, Rowan Hughes accompanied me to Senegal for the first time to meet the talibe boys of Maison de la Gare. She taught about a dozen kids to use email and introduced them to the internet, 

launching the computer program at the Maison de la Gare centre. Today many begging street kids arrive at the Centre each day, check the progress of their favourite soccer players online, then log in to Facebook for a quick online chat with international volunteers with whom they keep in touch. At the age of 13 my son, Robbie Hughes

 started a karate school for begging street kids in Africa during his first visit. Today, a few years later over 50 kids are practicing karate regularly and dozens have earned advanced belts and are pursuing their passion for martial arts as members of a dojo. My Dad met Issa Kouyate in Senegal for the first time nearly 10 years ago. He has become an important partner in the planning, growth and financing of the centre and its programs, and I have joined him in this work. Thousands of talibes have found shelter and hope since then at Maison de la Gare. 

…in order to become the best person I can be and share this progress with others…

- Douvris Student Creed

Volunteering with Maison de la Gare over the past nine years has been a gift beyond imagining. Doing it with my family has made the experience even more special. My husband, Robin, my sister-in-law, Karen, and my niece, Alicia have all travelled to Senegal with us to help the talibes and to open their hearts to the difficulties and differences in this world. All of us have been changed by the experiences we have had in Senegal, moving closer to being our best selves, and sharing this progress with those who need our help. I have  felt the essence of this transformation and obligation since I began coming to Africa. But it has been articulated and clarified for me in the student creed of my dojo since I joined Robbie in practicing karate four years ago.

Today I have arrived again in Senegal, this time with Rowan and my Dad. The word will have spread that we are coming,  from our Facebook chats  with some of the talibes. We will make our way to the centre this evening, once we get to Saint Louis. The journey to get here is long, and feels longer this time due to the emotional strain of nearly missing our connection in New York. But, there is much to do in little time. Rowan will be partnering with Arouna to convert her Mapping of the Talibe System into French to present it together to the Maison de la Gare board of directors. I will be working with Noel to review and advance the karate program, along with teaching. And I'll lock down the program for an upcoming planned karate based group volunteer trip.  I will also work on a special project outside of Maison de la Gare to help secure the future for a lovely family of six kids 

who with their mother are now on their own, without means and very much at risk after the death of her husband, Samir who was the sole earner, and my friend. We will all visit the village of M'Baye Aw, where we are supporting a school that a local cobbler has been responsible for building, inspired by our example with Maison de la Gare. Maison de la Gare has brought the school under its umbrella. Ecole M'Baye Aw, for girls and boys in a village that had no school, and others like it could be one of the solutions for the talibes, just as Rowan and arouna will be mapping out in their illustration of the talibe problem and solutions landscape. All the just over 100 talibes from M'Baye Aw have now been repatriated and are attending school along with the roughly 100 girls, all who previously had no educational opportunity. Rowan and I have many articles to write for the Maison de la Gare and Global Giving websites about all of these things. And, Dad's long list of objectives, working with Issa and the staff of Maison de la Gare, is too long to list, as usual.

Its time to get to work.