Education Senegal Project #29284

Secure livelihoods for vulnerable youth in Senegal

by Aspyre Africa

Project Report | Feb 18, 2020
A Valetine's day to remember

By Savina Geerinckx | Project Leader

What a special Valentine's day it was indeed! On Friday the 14th February 2020 I had the great pleasure to be there in Saint-Louis to welcome the newborn chicks, and see our first cohort of talibes embark on this new journey as entrepreneurs. It had been a long wait, and days before the arrival of the chicks, the purpose built coop was still not quite up to the standards to guarantee the full safety of both the chicks and the talibes.

Thankfully, the CIPA centre's coop happened to be empty and (our partner) Director Mr Diop kindly offered it to the talibes. Plan B was put into place, with added benefits that the security was guaranteed and the location would allow the technical supervisor to be even more available. Both the CIPA team and the vet in charge of technical support at the SEDIMA (the company from which we bought the chicks and the feed) provided the talibes with all the support and advice needed to succeed.

"We are very very happy, we keep praying for you, to thank you. We never lost our motivation for this project. Today, the trust we have in you, makes us want to do more!" Abdou

"Today the chicks have become my main subject of conversation, even with my Koranic teacher. This project means everything to me. I am so grateful!" Mamadou

The talibes themselves organised their group into teams and agreed on the most efficient way to coordinate the work to be done and make their income generating project a success. Ownership will be key to guarantee the success of this project. Advice and support will be offered in response to their requests. The chickens should be ready to be sold in about 45 days. We look forward to updating you on the results of this first batch of chickens.

Meanwhile I also had a chance to meet with a representative of the USAID "Feed the Future" project who updated us on the funding secured by the CIPA for the technical training of our next cohort. We are hoping that the project will start in April/ May. We would have liked to start sooner, but remain convinced this collaboration will provide real opportunities to increase the impact of our work.

Last but not least we had the great pleasure of receiving a visit from the British Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal Ms Victoria Billing OBE. We were delighted to have been given the chance to present our work and introduce our partner the CIPA centre.

We look forward to updating you again very soon. In the meantime, as we are starting the procedures to recruit the next cohort of talibes, we would like to make sure to mobilise the support we need to reach our fundraising goal for this project. We truly hope that you will continue to be our partner on this journey. Many thanks in advance for your continued support.

With warm wishes,

Savina

Permalink

Nov 19, 2019
November Update from Saint-Louis

By Savina Geerinckx | Project Leader

Aspyre Africa & CIPA team with former beneficiary

Greetings from Saint-Louis!

It is always a joy to write updates straight from the field. This time we have come to Senegal accompanied by trustee Marie-Laure Prévost and external evaluator Chie Yagyu for whom it is their very first visit to the project.

The construction of the chicken coop, contribution of local partner AJE to the project with funding from GIZ is, after many delays, almost completed. Having visited the site, several issues with the construction were identified and discussed and are now being addressed by AJE.

Since our last update, many of the talibes returned to their villages to celebrate the Tabaski (Feast of Sacrifice) with their families. Several extended their stay to take part in the harvest of the seasonal crops, and are gradually returning to Saint-Louis.

Together with the new CIPA Careers Advisory Unit, we conducted individual interviews with the talibes to check for any change in circumstances or aspirations. We were delighted to hear first hand that despite the delays, which were beyond our control, they are still very much committed to the project.

A meeting between the talibes and the poultry specialist of the CIPA training centre is planned for this week. Together we will review the business plan in order to be set and ready as soon as the construction is completed to the satisfactory standards. We are also meeting with their Koranic teachers, whose participation in the project is key to its success.

“It’s amazing to have seen how much trust and connection Aspyre Africa has built with local stakeholders and Talibé students through their participatory approach. Through regular one to one interviews Aspyre Africa takes into account the students’ input and adapts the project accordingly, which is what I believe differentiates them from other organisations. It was really great to see how confident and committed the Talibé students are to the project!“ Chie Yagyu

Checking out the construction of the chicken coop

Permalink

Aug 22, 2019
Strengthened Partnership with the CIPA Centre

By Savina Geerinckx | Project Leader

The strengthened CIPA team

We are delighted to announce that we have launched the “Career Advisory Unit” at the CIPA training centre of Saint-Louis. During our June visit we were able to recruit Nafissatou & Niasse who will be sharing the role(s). With two very complementary profiles, this new CIPA team will be able to respond to the individual needs of our beneficiaries, but also strengthen the relationships with both the community and potential employers.

With this pilot project, we want to document the impact this type of support can have on the long term success of our beneficiaries: by supporting them from the moment they start their training while understanding their individual profiles, needs and aspirations.

During our June visit, the CIPA training centre also confirmed that, as a result of the success of the training of our first cohort of talibes, they managed to secure USAID funding from the "Feed the Future" programme. This means that for the next cohort all technical training costs will be covered by the grant. For Aspyre Africa, this a great recognition of the work done so far, but also means that we will be able to focus our funding, as we had hoped for, on our added value: the individual support that can lead even the most vulnerable young person to secure (self) employment.

"Without Aspyre Africa's support the training of these vulnerable young people would never have taken place, because access to training centres is particularly difficult for them, even impossible, because they are very selective and you can only enter by competition" Mr Diop, Director of the CIPA

Finally, the official opening of the new buildings of the CIPA took place in July, with a visit from the Minister of Agriculture, representatives from the South Korean Embassy, the Governor, a delegation from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the funder of this remarkable project, and many more.

With the new CIPA buildings up and running and the new team on board, we look forward to a new chapter of this strengthened partnership, and welcoming the new cohort of talibes soon.

UPCOMING EVENT 3^rd October @ Africa Centre LONDON, UK

Celebrating Senegal for Black History Month with Music, Dance and Food

This event will put Senegal’s rich history and promising future in the spotlight, taking the audience on a musical and historical journey to discover the rich sounds and moves of this amazing West-African Country.

It will also be the opportunity for Aspyre Africa to celebrate its 5th anniversary and commitment to empowering vulnerable young people in Senegal to secure a better future.

The New CIPA Training Centre in Saint-Louis

Visit of the Minister and official delegations

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.