Myah brings her talents as an artist to Maison de la Gare
I sought my position as an Arts, Music, and Excursions teacher primarily because of my love for the arts and my strong belief in its power to transform lives. During my first week, I began to get to know the talibés of the center. At first, they were not the most comfortable with me because they were not fond of me. But I knew to expect this and that it would take time to earn their trust.
Our very first activity consisted of painting a sunset. What inspired me to do this project was Senegal’s beautiful beach scenery. The children really enjoyed my first effort, so I continued to go in this direction. From my previous conversations and research, I had learned a lot about the talibé lifestyle and experience. I was sure to remember one very important fact, that the talibés do not get experiences like this very often. So, something as simple as coloring can be very enjoyable to them. I made it my mission to open them up to as many of these experiences as possible.
After some time, I began to notice the steady growth of excitement about the activities that we were doing. The children would make hand gestures telling me they wanted to draw, following me anytime I was walking toward the classrooms with keys in my hand. I would reply, “Talibés, kay bindu!” (come and give me your names) and they’d come without hesitation.
One of my favorite parts about working with the children was their wittiness. Whenever they would follow me, they repeatedly shouted “Myah! Myah!” until they got my attention, pointing at their work in pursuit of my affirmation. Once I replied “Rafetna!” (It’s pretty), they would smile ear to ear or make this silly expression where they flick their tongue out and nod their head, and then proceed to create their masterpieces.
When I first arrived, there was a minimal amount of art on the classroom walls. The talibés did an amazing job changing that. After every project, I had the pleasure of hanging their work up on the walls and, bit-by-bit, the classroom transformed into an art gallery. My favorite part about this was them being able to look at their work and be proud. Too often, the arts go unnoticed and unappreciated, so this was a first step toward changing that.
The pieces that they created can serve as a reminder to the talibés that they are a lot more capable than they knew, and I hope that it encourages them to continue to try something new. Working with the talibés has helped me to discover new things about myself. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had thus far.
So, to the talibés I say thank you. Thank you for allowing me to share my passion with you. Thank you for embracing me into your community. Thank you for reminding me that, despite the language barriers, ultimately love is the most universal language.
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Senegal's Minister of the Interior recognizes Maison de la Gare as a "Non-Governmental Organization"
Monsieur Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, Senegal's Minister of the Interior, promulgated an order on July 3rd, 2019 recognizing Maison de la Gare officially as a Non-Govermental Organization (NGO). This was the fruition of a process that began with submission of our formal application in May 2013.
As our many supporters know well, Maison de la Gare is a local Senegalese non-profit organization, founded in 2007. The organization is dedicated to protecting the rights of the begging talibé street children by improving their living conditions and level of education while providing much needed primary aid.
These talibé children typically come from very poor families in Senegal or neighbouring countries. Although they are meant to receive a basic education and to learn the Quran, in fact they are most often found in the streets where they beg for 6 to 10 hours a day for their food and a quota of money. They live in primitive daaras without access to potable water or basic hygiene facilities, and with only rudimentary shelter. They are excluded from the government education system and must bring themselves up, far from their families whom they seldom if ever see. They are easily victimized by unscrupulous people and are exposed to serious health problems.
Pursuing his interest in social work, Issa Kouyaté left his native city of Dakar in 2006 to work with an international volunteer organization in Saint Louis. Issa was distressed by the very precarious situation of the street children in Saint Louis, the talibés, and he decided to take action to help them. Using his own funds, he purchased bread and prepared nutritious sandwiches for these children, distributing it after work. In 2007, he committed himself totally to this struggle, founding Maison de la Gare with a group of young Senegalese. The organization was officially launched as an Association registered with the local government in December 2008.
The site where Maison de la Gare offered refuge to the talibé children was behind the old Saint Louis railway station in the heart of the local market. The children learned to read and write surrounded by the merchants selling their wares. They received their daily meal sitting on the rails of the station; hence the name "Maison de la Gare".
In 2009, expansion of the market forced Maison de la Gare to look for a new location. Issa found a site in nearby Balacos and construction of the new centre began. It opened its doors in October 2010 with showers and toilets for the children to care for their daily hygiene needs, three classrooms, a garden, an office and two activity rooms. Today the organization welcomes one to three hundred street children each day, over 900 different boys each month, providing food, medical care and education.
Initially, the ten friends worked effectively together towards a common goal with an informal organization. However, it soon became clear that something more was necessary. Not being registered with the national government as an NGO resulted in several nightmarish experiences attempting to import medications and other donated supplies. And, we were soon aware as we applied for financial support that NGO status would give added credibility and enhance our chances of success.
In 2013, we developed bylaws for Maison de la Gare as an NGO, and prepared and submitted a complete application. Our bylaws laid out our objectives and our governance structure. Maison de la Gare is ultimately responsible to its members, who meet annually to review the organization’s progress and to appoint the members of the Board of Directors.
We succeeded in attracting three Board Members who are well connected to government services and civil society organizations concerned with vulnerable children: Maodo Diagne, Founder and Executive Secretary of Action Femme Enfant, an association working for the most underprivileged, especially mothers and their children; Baye Ndaraw Diop, formerly the director of the Saint Louis division of the Ministry of Justice responsible for street children; and Gora Sèye, Regional Director of l'Action sociale (Ministry of Health and Social Action). The Board also has three representatives of Maison de la Gare’s staff, Issa Kouyaté, Diodio Calloga and Abdou Soumaré, and one expatriate member, Canadian Rod LeRoy.
We have operated under these new bylaws since 2013. There are currently 32 members, all but three being Senegalese. Four are older talibé youth, and four other talibés have been members over the years. All members express their ideas and concerns about Maison de la Gare’s operations at our Annual General Meetings, and this has been a source of strength and renewal.
The road to achieving formal NGO status, however, was long and tortuous. Bureacratic inertial can be a serious problem in Senegal. We were very fortunate to attract Ndèye Diodio Calloga to our staff in early 2016. Diodio holds a masters degree in law from Saint Louis’s Gaston Berger University, and it was she who succeeded in the end in unblocking the process.
Now, as an officially recognized NGO, Maison de la Gare has a new springboard for achieving its mission of improving the lives of the begging talibé children and acting with others to eliminate child begging in Senegal.
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Lest we forget – Kiran Kreer’s amazing photographs and interviews remind us all that we can never let up on our efforts to give these children a chance at life
Tidiane from Podor
“How long have you lived in the daara? I can't remember, maybe four years.”
Tidiane, now 12 years old, is from a desert region in the north of Senegal. He hasn't seen his family for many years and lives in a daara with many others and sleeps on a concrete floor. He is a talibé.
“How much do you get when you go out to beg? About 300 francs a day.” (about US$0.50 or 0.50 euros) “What do you do with the money? I give it to my marabout, for shelter and food. You are asked to beg every day? Yes. You are here to learn the Quran? Yes, I am still in the early stages, the Surah.”
“How much longer do you have? Many more years. I don't know. Before I can go home. Will you see your family? No, I only call them at times. Do you miss them? Yes, I miss my father.”
That is water on Tidiane in the photo, not tears. He had been playing football with the other boys, in sand, and had washed himself. I loved the way he looked, as a reflection of the duality of his life.
Boubacar from Dagana
“How did you get that injury on your back? I was doing some work to build my daara, and a boy hit me with a brick.”
Boubacar is 12 years old now and has been living in a daara for seven years. He is still learning the Quran. He is also a talibé from the north of Senegal.
“Why aren't you in school? I don't know. Do you go begging every day? “Yes, for rice or money. I must bring back at least 300 francs every day for my marabout. And now you are doing construction work? Yes, we are renovating the daara. I work with bricks and masonry. How long have you done that? I don't know. We always build sometime or work. It's not finished yet. How many boys in your daara now? About 50 boys. You don't want to go back home, to see your parents? No. I don't know.”
The more I spoke to him, the more I kept feeling how conditioned he is, like a slave for all these years, uncertain of his future or what real life is as a young boy.
Oumar from Kaolack
“If you have a choice to go back home or stay at your daara, what would you do? I would like to go home. Why? Because I get hit with a cane.”
Oumar, who doesn't know his own age, comes from the area of Kaolack in the south of Senegal, close to Gambia. He has been in the daara for three years now, brought here by a marabout to study the Quran.
“Why do you get caned? If I don't bring back enough money or rice. You must go begging every day? Yes. Sometimes I work at the fish market.”
“How did you get here? A marabout came to my village, spoke to my parents and brought me here with some other boys. When is the last time you saw your parents. I don't know. I can't remember. When will you see your parents again? I don't know; I hope the next Eid festival. Do you like it at your daara? No. Because the marabout canes me.”
Moussa from Matam
I asked him how old he is. He looked down and said, "I don't know."
Moussa is another talibé from the north along the border of Senegal with Mauritania. He loves playing football and his favourite player is Messi. Moussa has been living in his daara in Saint Louis for a few years, studying the Quran.
“How long have you been here? I don't know how long. A few years. Do you go begging every day? Yes, every day. How much do you usually collect? Sometimes 200 francs. What do you do with the money? I give it to my marabout.”
Ibrahima from Gambia
"My marabout hits me with a wooden stick if I don't bring back enough money for the day."
Ibrahima doesn’t know his age. He is from a rural village in Gambia. Ibrahima has two older sisters back home and was brought here by a marabout with his other brother to study the Quran in a daara. He too is a talibé.
"I sometimes work at the fish market. Helping the women there carrying heavy baskets. They give me a little money for that. Do you have to go begging every day? Yes. For rice and money. I need to bring back 200 francs for my marabout. What if you don't get the 200 francs for the day? Then he hits me. I have to clean the daara too.”
“When did you come here? I'm not sure anymore, when I was little. How old are you now? I don't know. Would you like to go back home to Gambia? Yes, but my marabout doesn't allow it."
He then stops speaking about it, putting his head down and wanting to go. I could see the fear and conditioning in his gestures.
Lamine from Rosso
Lamine puts out his hand showing me how tall he was when he first started begging on the streets. I noticed him at Maison de la Gare’s center, playing in the sand with the other boys, constantly rubbing his eyes and scratching himself.
"Do you have an eye infection? I don't know. Does it hurt? Yes. How did you get it. I'm not sure."
"So what time do you usually wake up? Around six in the morning. Then what do you do for the day? We study the Quran, then we go out to the local bus station to beg for food and money. I come back around 3 pm; we must come back to the daara. To study the Quran? Yes. When do you shower, or brush your teeth, or how about going to the bathroom? We just go to the river here; we go out around 6 pm. We must go out to look for food and money."
"Where do you go at night? Around here; we go begging house to house. And that’s why you carry the plastic bucket? Yes, we usually get some rice, or sometimes fish. And how much money do you usually get? Sometimes 100 francs, sometime close to 200 francs. What happens when you don't get enough? My marabout will hit me."
"What time do you go to bed? Around 10 pm, after night lessons. So you have been doing this every day all these years? Yeah. How did you get your leg injury? I was running and I fell while crossing the street. Where are your shoes? I don't have any."
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We are grateful to Kiran Kreer for this report of his photo encounters with talibé children in Saint Louis. Kiran has embarked on a “Voyage of Light” in Africa. Voyage of Light is a grassroots movement that supports rural communities living with no access of electricity and basic human needs, with self sustainable solutions, empowering youth and educating children. We invite you to follow his journey at this link.
Kiran has collaborated with Maison de la Gare on this photo series to help create awareness and to highlight the exploitation, trafficking and abuse of the talibé children. He explains that a talibé - meaning disciple or student - is a boy, usually from rural Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali or Mauritania, who studies the Quran and Islamic values at a daara. This education is guided by a teacher known as a marabout. In most cases talibés leave their parents to stay in the daara. Part of the teachings is to beg for food and money. Today this has evolved into exploitation and abuse of these boys. Many talibés live in less than humane conditions, sleeping on concrete floors, begging daily and separated from their families.
Both the names of the talibé children and of the regions they come from in Senegal have been changed in this report.
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Buaró aspires to build his life on his love of karate
It is Thursday morning and he is one of the first to arrive at the center. This early in the day, most of the talibé boys are still out on the streets begging for their daily quotas of money or for a bite to eat for breakfast. But soon, they will begin to trickle into Maison de la Gare. So Buaró works fast, sweeping the sand of debris and pebbles that could hurt bare feet or trip up a martial artist focused on his kata.
As the sun rises higher in the West African sky, children begin to tumble through the gates in ones, twos and threes. They greet Noël who tracks their attendance at the centre and helps Buaró to administer the karate program, and some of the boys entrust him with the money they have collected so far this day for their marabouts. Meanwhile, Buaró sorts through the karate uniforms, the gi, to determine if they need laundering or if they will last for another lesson. Talibés stop to greet Buaró before skipping out onto the newly cleared sand to wrestle and play. Some stay to watch him, waiting for the signal that it is time to put on one of the white karate gi's and line up for class.
Buaró was sent to Senegal at the age of seven from his home in Guinea Bissau to be a talibé, when his mother died. His eight brothers and six sisters remained at home with his father. Buaró did not see his family or home again until three years ago. Now he is 22 years old and he misses his family very much. Although he cannot read it, he keeps his birth certificate with him, evidence of his full proper name and proof of a family far away. He prefers to be known simply by his family name, “Buaró”.
Buaró still lives in his daara. He says he will remain there as long as he must, until he is ready to move on. Despite having forgotten most of the Portuguese of his childhood and hardly knowing his family anymore, Buaró longs to return home someday, this time for good. He devotes his life to karate as much as he can. He discovered karate in Saint Louis even before it was offered to the talibés at Maison de la Gare. He worked extra hard for years, raising enough money to not only pay the required “versement” to his marabout, but to cover his monthly dojo membership fees so he could practice karate at night.
Not long after karate began at Maison de la Gare, Buaró met the young Canadian who had founded the program there, Robbie, and they became close friends. He became a recipient of the Maison de la Gare program sponsoring monthly dojo fees for more advanced talibés, and devoted himself even more to karate. Buaró's sensei soon sent him, as an advanced belt, to Maison de la Gare to assist with the morning classes there. As a talibé himself, Buaró could relate well to the boys, and they trusted him. Under Buaró's leadership, Maison de la Gare’s karate program has continued to grow, regularly attracting new talibé students excited to unlock the mysteries of martial arts.
Recently Buaró earned his black belt, an extraordinary achievement that was celebrated by everyone at Maison de la Gare, as well as by his sensei and dojo and all the international supporters of Maison de la Gare’s karate program.
Buaró experiences a challenging language barrier with many people, as he does not speak French. However, when teaching and practicing karate, the universal language of karate breaks down the communication barriers. He hopes to have time to begin learning French soon in the classes at Maison de la Gare.
Buaró is grateful to Maison de la Gare for giving him the opportunity to devote more of his time to karate training, and for sponsoring his participation in local, regional and even national karate tournaments. This moves him ever closer to his objective.
For Buaró, karate is life. He has a dream, to progress and learn enough from his sensei and his experience with martial arts to prepare him to return home to Guinea Bissau to start his own dojo. Buaró knows this road will be long. There is much to learn before he will be ready. But it is a dream worth working towards, to be able to make karate, the love of his life, part of his life forever.
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Issa describes a renovation campaign that transformed the Saint Louis welcome center
“A Canadian family arrived at Maison de la Gare’s center a few months ago. We have been working with a LeRoy family foundation for over ten years, the Rev. C.F. Johnston Foundation which has become a very important partner. As proof, this Foundation has been supporting us since our very beginnings and it is still involved in all our activities.
This year, it was almost the entire family that arrived to work with Maison de la Gare and the talibé children, including members from the grandfather to the grandchildren. This is the family of Rod LeRoy, our main partner, who was at our side facing the challenge of setting up the Association and has been with us ever since. Rod spent his time getting our expenses in order and preparing the meetings that must be held every six months to support our organization and assure our financial stability.
Sonia, Rod’s oldest daughter, devoted her attention to several areas. One was the karate program, which she organizes and inspires. Another was the sewing apprenticeship program which has become an important revenue-generating activity for older talibés who are completing their training. Sonia organized a karate tournament at the center, where Maison de la Gare welcomed some of Senegal’s major senseis. This tournament was a showcase for young talibés demonstrating their skills and their commitment to become future champions. Ah Sonia!!!
And Mike was there!!! The work was divided up so that as much as possible could be accomplished in a short time. A complete renewal of Maison de la Gare’s center was soon underway, and two key people drove it. Mike, the eldest son of the family, demonstrated during this first visit to Senegal that he too is dedicated to the fight to eradicate child begging. A jack of all trades, his holiday was transformed into a non-stop work bee.
Mike and Robin made a very visible contribution with their painting skills. Robin is Sonia's husband, so Rod's son-in-law. It was his second time in Saint Louis and he was also totally committed, working non-stop at the center all day for 15 days.
The painting, the cleaning of the center, the screening of the sand, everything was happening at once. And, behind the scenes, the repair of electrical fixtures and toilets and the replacement of lights, windows and torn screens. The center was being totally refurbished, with different family members working in every part of the activity. And they motivated everyone else to help. Abdou, Lala, Elhage, Abou, Mohamed and I as well as talibés of all ages painted, sifted the sand, moved books, cleaned and performed many other tasks. It is a clear statement to the world that nothing is impossible if we all work together.
Grandson Robbie embarked on two fronts, painting the library and computer rooms and the emergency shelter, and at the same time training young karate students. He is the founder and ambassador of this activity at Maison de la Gare, a sport that he has been practicing from a very young age. He is a national champion in his country.
Granddaughters Alicia and Rowan launched a major renovation and reordering of the library and contributed to repainting the emergency shelter and the center’s walls. Hard-working young people who have responded again and again to the call of volunteering. That's the LeRoy mentality.
Our main partner did not hold back in his efforts. Rod developed a new collaboration agreement between the family foundation and Maison de la Gare, to allow our two organizations to continue to work effectively together to help vulnerable children. He proposed new projects and helped us with all the challenges facing Maison de la Gare.
We have found this exceptional family very determined and committed, believing in our work and supporting us in all the challenges and commitments of our mission. In two weeks, they led us in beautifying our welcome center from the ground up.
It was a marvel to see the center after the LeRoy cyclone had passed!!!
A thousand thanks…”
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