The project proposes awareness-raising
activities on the fundamental rights
of every human being
Overview
Pikine is one of the immense suburbs of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which is about 25 km away. It has a population of over one million six hundred thousand inhabitants and is constantly growing. Born to eliminate the slums that arose on the outskirts of Dakar at the behest of President Senhgor, it has had an irregular and abusive development by not respecting any building and health regulations. Pikine’s diverse population comes from rural areas of the country and from Dakar itself.
Pikine has no, or almost no, modern type of economic activity. It is an area that lives and has largely lived off a craftsmanship (woodworking, silver, fabrics) whose products are concentrated in the markets. It is divided into several neighborhoods, one of which is Pikine Icotaf where we have been present since 2000 with numerous activities in the health and education field, such as the “Stop Malaria” campaign and the distance support project “Support a child at a distance and his village”.
The multi-purpose humanist center of Pikine Icotaf is the “Keur Marietou” center (the House of Marietou), so named in memory of a child who died of heart complications. The center was inaugurated on January 3 2016 and currently consists of three floors. Here a resolute group of women carries out numerous activities according to an action plan that they themselves have drawn up. “Keur Marietou” wants to give a voice to all those Senegalese women who are burdened by the burden of housework and the lack of education and professional development opportunities; women who are often victims of abuse, sexual discrimination and economic slavery, both inside and outside the “extended” family in which they live. On the one hand, the project includes literacy courses, professional training courses and microcredit projects to provide the women involved with a minimum income and thus make them less economically vulnerable, in married life and in Senegalese society; on the other hand, the project proposes awareness-raising activities on the fundamental rights of every human being, on gender discrimination, on how to recognize and combat the violence suffered, on assistance and reception for women victims of violence; and again, on the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Currently, the structure houses the nursery school, equipped with a canteen, a small library run by the girls of the neighborhood, a first reception center for women in difficulty (where at the moment a woman with her four children, who ran away from home and from husband) and a doctor’s office; micro-credit workshops where women dedicate themselves to dyeing fabrics and organize sewing courses; a space for weekly awareness-raising meetings and professional training courses.
Project Objective
Build a multi-purpose humanist center focused on supporting women and children.
Location
Pikine, Dakar, Senegal.
Mission
“Keur Marietou” wants to give a voice to all those Senegalese women who are burdened by housework and the lack of education and professional development opportunities and women who are often victims of abuse.
Support from
Our amazing volunteers!
