Statute of the Association and the Project/Mission

 

In this section you can read about the project, the mission and the organization of our association.

With your help and a little bit of time we hope to improve this section for giving all the support we can to the children of Senegal, to create a better future and independent. The more, the better.

 

The garden of Khady is a no-profit association founded with the mission of contribute to improve the living conditions of girls and boys in the villages and suburbs of Dakar in Senegal.

The way we decided to follow is to offer to children a school education and to their families the food support, because they live in conditions below the poverty line and sometimes the members of these families do not have a regular income or are afflicted by serious diseases that do not allow them to start or to continue to work and then they can not pay for the education of their children.

The purpose of this support is to ensure that children do not be abandoned on the street or used for domestic activities only (for female) or sold to religious authorities (see marabouts) who use them in begging, or, even worse, intended for illegal activities.

In this country, where religion and culture allow polygamy, most of the families have a large number of children, from 6 to 10 for every wife, so, when a man has more than one wife, it is clear that the same father can have more than 20 children.

Moreover a country like Senegal without raw materials, without firms in agri-food sectors (except fishing), where peanut production suffered a great reduction, with economic, financial and structural problems  together with a global economic crisis,  is not able to create jobs or activities for improve his economic structure.
Most of the population survives thanks to the marketing of fish and /or vegetables, without the support of the necessary infrastructure. It is clear that there are not enough professional activities  which could develop and grow the economy. In this condition the only way to create work is the retail trade.
 

The large number of children and the failure of birth control means that a lot of childred have not access to public or private school (the latter very expensive).

As the birth certificate is required for public secondary school only, many times parents or the single parent can not nor register neither  enroll in primary schools any of their children. Then the major part of the population, including children, has not a birth certificate, as well as, at the time of death, the death one.

In this context, some  international associations help talibé (from arabic “disciples”), children entrusted to marabouts, who teach them the Koran and push them to begging, and children that despite having a family behind can not go to school, even public.

It is crystal clear that the poorest families need a food contributions in addition to the support for their children.

The establishment of a non-profit association who support (parrainage) school-age children and their families means low costs, and use of funds exclusively for aid, because  there is not nor an heavy structure neither employees, but volunteers and lenders only, both in Italy and in Senegal.

 

The project (S.H.E.Care) of Toolou Khady consists as follows:

 

For School Education

• Enrolment of children in school cycles (public or equal primary and secondary schools) and support, in case of learning difficulties;

• Obligation of learning French language.

• For children who show good skills, the association will consider the continuation of studies.

• When a child lives too far from school, the association choose a host family who take care of him during the school period.

• The goal is to give to children the opportunity to reach a good school level, that will help them an integration into society.

• The association will provide to children the birth certificate

 

For the Children’s Families:

• Financial help for school equipment when the family can not buy it

•  Food aid to the child’s family or to the host family (in this case for the school period only) as long as there are economic and financial troubles;

• This support could be a loan that will be sent directly to the families one or twice a year. 

The amount will be determine by the Executive and will be based on economic resources of the association

The family, who receives the amount, must acknowledge receipt  and declares the way they will use the money.

 

For Health Care

• Conventions at the local hospitals( Maison de Santé) for almost all diseases and especially in case of malaria. This aid could be a cash help.

• During school holidays some families in Italy, host children in order to enable them to follow summer training courses or simply to go on holiday to the sea.

 

Just in Case

An on-site volunteer (a reliable person chosen by the association, who will receive an expenses reimbursement) has to

 

• inspect periodically families and host families in order to check children’s conditions;

• keep relationship with the schools where children  are attending

• find other children who need help

• keep in touch with Toolou Khady in Italy.

 

The more, the better

Funders and supporters will receive regular updates  about child’s health status and progress at school through an information sheet both at the end of the year and quarterly. They can also keep in touch with the children’s families and, if possible, meet children on skype.

The support of local organizations gives the opportunity to make a “journey of solidarity”, to anyone who wishes to take a trip and meets the children, where they live.