Hi Guys,
It’s time for me to ask you, my family, friends,
and random good deed enthusiasts, for monetary donations toward the one big
building project of my service.
When I first got to site, the project that
the village members thought was the most critical was building two classrooms
for the village school. I could see their point: the elementary school has 240
students in six full classes, and half of them do not have a proper classroom
to learn in. The two worst classrooms are temporary sheds constructed yearly of
crentin, a type of wood fencing material, purchased by village parents. Not
only do these annually cost money that many families can barely afford, they
are poor learning environments. They do not shelter the students from the
oppressive heat, dust storms, and constant village distractions, animal and
human, that interfere with learning.
These temporary classrooms are the ones that
we hope to replace with sturdy cement-block rooms, relatively cool, quiet, and
fully functional, that the school and the village can be proud of. The current
school director, an especially dedicated man, and the village leaders know that
education is crucial to their future – that is, crucial to their children’s
future. But the skill and dedication of both the teachers and students is
stymied by the poor learning environment. It is known that pride in one’s
school is often part of a student’s inspiration to succeed – to break the
circle of early drop-out / marriage / kids / fields that their elders are
resigned to – especially for the women.
This project requires a particular kind of Peace
Corps grant, a PCPP (Peace Corps Partnership Program), relying on outside
donations to augment funds the village is prepared to contribute. We are
looking for outside donations totaling $8050, to leverage the $3200 that this
subsistence farming community of 1500 is able to raise. I know this is a lot of
money to ask for, and I’m actually a little nervous to be doing so, but the
need is real, and the result would be real and sustainable development via
education. Not all of Bira’s schoolchildren share dreams of becoming teachers,
or doctors, or the president – but for those of them that do aspire to leave
the village and to do something great, I’m not about to let a lack of decent classrooms
stand in their way.
So: please consider donating if you support the
development of Senegal and/or feel an affinity for adorable African children,
and would like to see them lead enriched lives full of more opportunity than
their parents could have ever dreamed of.
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| No pressure, though. |
Here is the site where you can donate (remember,
tax-deductible!) and where you can read a little more about the project.
Please, if you feel that this project has merit, consider sending this along to
your friends, neighbors, co-workers, in-laws, and anybody you think could do
with a little karmic pick-me-up. We’re going to need all the help we can get!
https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-204
And please, if you do donate, send me an email (aschier87@gmail.com) so I can personally send
you a thank-you note. Donor lists for PCPP grants are notoriously hard to get
hold of, and you all deserve thanks.
Thank you so much for reading, and if you have any
questions about the grant or the project, please feel free to email me! I can
respond to email about every two weeks when I visit the regional capital (with
internet service!) and I would love to hear from you.
PS:
Here is my translation of the appeal letter the
school director (and close friend), Monsieur Ndour, has written. From the start
of my service, I have been overwhelmed and impressed by his work ethic and
commitment to improving education at the village level. He says it best.
From Monsieur Badara NDOUR, director of the school
of Bira, Educational Department of Tambacounda
To you who are willing and of good heart, to NGOs,
and every person or organization that is occupied with the building of school
classrooms:
Messieurs, Mesdames, our school finds itself in a
rural zone and welcomes about 250 students. But unfortunately the school has
only three constructed classrooms out of the six that we use. We have therefore
three temporary structures at the school. The students learn with great
difficulty. We do not have the means to construct a new classroom. And we are
counting on your help.
Messieurs, Mesdames, please know that the
classrooms would be a great help for our students. They will allow them to have
a welcoming environment and one favorable to their studies, and therefore help
them to thrive in life.
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| Monsieur Ndour's class, in one of the temporary classrooms, showing off their new pencils and crayons (thanks to a donation by the Visalia Girl Scouts!) |
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| (L to R) Good classroom, bad, bad. |
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| Inside a concrete brick room. The future of Senegal! |
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| Madame Diatta shows off some new folders (again, thanks to Visalia Girl Scouts) |
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| Monsieur Ndour and Monsieur Marr experience M&Ms for the first time, and discuss the advantages of teaching with a real roof and walls |
