Secure livelihoods for vulnerable youth in Senegal

Dear Friend of Aspyre Africa,

Graduation Ceremony

On the 20^th April, Senegal’s national day of the Talibe Child, our partners and us proudly witnessed the culmination of the 10-month journey that has given our young beneficiaries the skills they need to secure a livelihood. Wearing their graduation polo shirts and surrounded by their friends, they were all smiles as they received their certificates. It felt like a true milestone for all who were present, including some reporters.

Sustainable livelihoods

While their individual ambitions today may differ, all of them came out of the training with a love for horticulture & aviculture, and a real motivation to put to good use what they have learned. All of them are also facing the same reality: they must urgently secure an income to cover their daily expenses while finishing their Koranic learning.

It is not surprising therefore that following the great success of the aviculture module during their training, the talibés themselves suggested chicken farming as a first and collective income generating activity. Following a market analysis as well as lengthy discussions with all those concerned, they are confident that the profit will allow them not just to cover their expenses, but also to save up for the purchase of the equipment they will need to start a second activity in horticulture.

Access to land, local funding, & support

We will soon have access to a piece of land located very closely to the training centre and which belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture. Committed to finding sustainable solutions and aware that a chicken-farming project requires a bigger infrastructure investment than what we had anticipated; we explored the possibilities of mobilizing local support. Things are looking very promising and the investment will most likely also benefit future cohorts of talibes who will receive the same training.

The vocational training centre’s expert in aviculture will provide the technical support for the management of the chicken-farming activity. In addition, social support will be provided by our local partner (AJE) to guide the talibés and most importantly to explore with them their longer-term options.

Your support

Despite the delays on the ground, we are confident that the decisions made will help achieve our goal of securing the livelihoods of these young men. Any additional funds raised for this project will go towards buying extra equipment, further technical capacity building as well as extra support to individual income generating projects. Thank you so much for your trust in Aspyre Africa and for making this possible.

With warm wishes, Savina