By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 10:32 am: Edit Post |
RPCV start Senegalese Education Fund
RPCV start Senegalese Education Fund
Senegalese Education Fund
The Senegalese Education Fund was started in June of 2000 for the purpose of providing monetary aid for education to young people in Senegal. This fund was started by Judith Kader, a former Peace Corps Volunteer, after her return to the US. While she was living in Senegal Judith lived, worked, and connected with many young people. She realized that one of the most important differences that could be made in her friends' lives was having access to both formal and informal education.
Presently, one in 25 boys graduate high school. Only 1 in 75 girls ever achieves a high school diploma. Out of these extraordinary young people who have persevered through high school, only a few can afford to go on to higher education. If a family can afford the cost of tuition of a university or technical school, the cost of housing the student in an urban area is usually beyond their means.
Young Senegalese face many obstacles to getting an education, including sexual discrimination, bribery, and family status and situation. Due to the low enrollment of young girls in the formal government education system, Girls Clubs have started as an alternative all over the country. These offer meetings focused on a central theme, including writing, reading, mathematics, money management, and craft making, while utilizing local women as their facilitators and teachers.
The SEF Project was started to offer monetary supplements to both high school graduates to continue their education and to the Girls Club to support the work that they are doing. An average year at university or technical school costs approximately $1000 and one year of a Girls Club costs approximately $200. This includes all the tuition, books, and living costs of higher education and the travel and materials cost of the Girls Club.
Organization of the Senegalese Education Project
The idea for the Senegalese Education Fund started in Senegal while Judy Kader was a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Senegal from 1998-2000. In July of 2000, she returned home and found others interested in her ideas for promoting education in Senegal.
From July of 2000 to April of 2001, the groundwork for the organization was built and different options for obtaining non-profit status were considered. In April of 2001, the Senegalese Education Fund project was voted in as an official project of the Returned Peace Corps Group of Madison-Wisconsin.
Currently, the SEF Project activities include the creation and administration of two scholarships and the support of The Girls Club.
The Senegalese Education Fund is run by a Steering Committee. This committee is made up of volunteer members who meet regularly to organize and manage the project. All decisions are made through consensus.
Currently, there are six Steering Committee members and one liaison to the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Group of Madison, Wisconsin. All meetings of the Steering Committee are open to the public.
Within the Steering Committee, there are sub-committees, including web site design and maintenance, fund raising, and finance. All interested persons and volunteers are welcome and we encourage everyone to attend a meeting.
By Kevin Miller (ca01-ch03-bl06.accel.pas.earthlink.net - 209.179.168.55) on Saturday, November 15, 2003 - 11:21 am: Edit Post |
I am part of a volunteer organization in Denver, Colorado with non-profit status, "Denver-Senegal Humanitarian Project". Our organization has been working in a small village on the Senegal River, Diorbivol, located in NE Senegal, as well as other cities primarily in the Dakar area, such as Bargny. We are very interested in setting up an education fund, as well, and would like to hear more about how you've established education/living expenses, how the funds are administered/transferred to recipients, how recipients are selected, etc., as these are all difficult things to establish complete answers for. If possible, at some point, I'd love to set up a telecon between members of SEF and DSHP.
Thanks,
Kevin Miller