Learning for 100 more adults in Senegal.

In Senegal we are in the middle of the rainy season. Moving around is more difficult with flooding and heavy rain storms. The Diapalante Community Education Centre takes advantage of this less busy time to close for the month of August so that its three staff can take their annual holiday. The Centre is nearly closed but the staff still come in to deal with various tasks and whenever there are staff - learners appear to take the opportunity to use the Centre too!

We would like to use this report to tell you about another of our 100 adult learners. Alioune is a nurse at a Community Health Station in Senegal. He started attending the Diapalante Community Education Centre two months ago. He makes a round journey of over 100km several times a week to improve his very limited ability to use computers. There is computer equipment at his health post which is little used because no-one knows how to use it. Alioune explains that the equipment will be wasted unless something is done. He knows computers have an important role to play in healthcare delivery so on his days off he comes to the Diapalante Centre. He wants to be a competent computer user as this will help him do his current job better and also help him progress both in his professional role and in other activities. Alioune and his fellow workers have no opportunity to learn locally. He was delighted to hear of free lessons in Kaolack with flexible learning times that could fit around his work rotas, and considers the long journey well worthwhile. Alioune is making steady progress and is already beginning to see the benefits to his work.

Alioune is very grateful to the Diapalante Centre and its funders for the opportunity to learn to use a computer. It won't be long until he starts training his colleagues at work, then the local community will feel the benefits as well.