Providing Alternatives through Dance and Theater

After a successful fund-raising campaign in the United States, Ussoforal's founder and director, Sadio Diatta Rosche, has returned to Africa and is currently in Mozambique on her way back to Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Upon arrival in Guinea-Bissau she will be distributing the contributions that the generous supporters in the United States have made available to the group - 15 large duffel bags of clothing and school supplies as well as numerous cash sponsorships for specific children in the group.

While Sadio has been in the United States activities have continued in Guinea-Bissau. Now 12 adult literacy classes with 15 students each remain active due to the dedication of volunteer teachers. The dance classes for children also continue. But the year has not been without challenges. While the Portuguese Cultural Center previously supported the adult literacy efforts, due to the economic downturn they no longer have a budget to do so. Though the students are making good progress, and are proud of being able now to write their names and perform other basic literacy-dependent tasks they are not in a position to contribute, so transportation stipends as well as supplies such as chalk, notebooks and a computer for the teachers are no longer available.

As for the children, adherence has diminished from 383 to around 300, the economy forcing many families to return to rural areas because they can no longer afford urban life. There are 27 new orphans in the group due to parents dying of undiagnosed causes - most likely HIV/AIDS. With the cost of living escalating and buying power weakening, there is often no money for uniforms or supplies for the children and they must stay home. Some finish high school but then have no money to continue. Previously the Ussoforal organizers would have to walk through the neighborhood encouraging children to come and participate. But now as soon as they hear the drums, they come running, knowing that there will be a good meal and a secure, caring environment. And the parents, knowing that the children are with Ussoforal, are grateful for the peace of mind.

While in Mozambique, Sadio has reunited 6 young men and 12 young women who were part of the Mozambican branch of Ussoforal when Sadio lived there 2000 to 2004. They have organized dance classes, and are passing on the dance tradition to the next generation of young African children. March 30th will be Ussoforal's 12th anniversary, and Sadio will be returning to Guinea-Bissau and Senegal soon in order to begin organizing that. You are all warmly invited to come and participate. Though times are hard in Guinea-Bissau, it is heartening to see how Grupo Ussoforal is making many kids' dreams come true, thanks to the generosity of all of you.

Our heart-felt thanks!

Links:

• For more about Ussoforal, visit our website

Ussoforal's founder, Sadio Diatta Rosche, is wrapping up the fund-raising season spent in the United States and preparing to return to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau mid-March. The season was a success, with generous donations of school supplies and clothing already shipped and en route to Africa where they will be distributed as soon as Sadio arrives there. Sponsorship funds for individual children were also received and will be used to pay school fees for the upcoming school year.

While in the States, Sadio participated in numerous workshops and African dance classes up and down the East Coast from Washington to Boston in her fund-raising efforts for the group. But while she was away, the group's activities continued in Africa, thanks to the dedication of the volunteer dance instructors and teachers of the adult education classes. 

And preparations have begun for Ussoforal's 11th anniversary celebration which will be held this year in the Plack II neighborhood of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau on April 9th and 10th. As in years past, contacts are being made with local artists and celebrities to donate their time and perform for free for the parents and supporters of the group's children, the media, as well as the international community of Bissau who have shown their support through the years.

Sadio would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed over the holiday season to help make the children of Ussofoarl's dreams come true. May 2011 be a year of health and happiness, both for you and for the children of Ussoforal.

Links:

• For more on Ussoforal, visit our website

Since the last project update, Ussoforal's founder Sadio Diatta Rosche has been in the United States raising funds for the group.  Through her attendance at various African dance classes and workshops, primarily in the Washington DC area but also in New York and Boston, Sadio has been collecting individual donations for sponsorships to cover school fees and other essentials for Ussoforal's children in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, as well as contributions of clothing and school supplies that she has been shipping to Africa for distribution.  She also taught African dance at a summer Head Start program to raise American children's consciousness of African culture..

During each trip that Sadio makes to Africa, she purchases quantities of African fabric which she has made into dresses and ensembles. The African dance fora that she attends stateside provide an ideal opportunity to sell this clothing as a means of generating funds for the group.  And while in the Washington area she also caters Senegalese-style cooking as another way of supporting the group.

Meanwhile, activities in Guinea-Bissau continue during her absence. Volunteers are ensuring that the children continue to hold their dance rehearsals, and the adult education classes proceed. 

After 6 years in Tanzania, Sadio's husband has relocated to Mozambique. Sadio had established a dance group with youngsters from Maputo when the family previously lived in Mozambique, and she is looking forward to again trying to spread Ussoforal's mission of assisting vulnerable children there - helping them make their dreams come true through positive behavior modeling and the development of a sense of pride and self-worth.

Sadio, and all of Ussoforal's children, thank you for all of your support from the bottom of their hearts.

Links:

• Learn more about Ussoforal by visiting our website