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Trip of the First Lady to Senegal South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Eritrea, March 15-29, 1997 (Shipley, overview, Senegal) [Binder][3]
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Trip of the First Lady to Senegal South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Eritrea, March 15-29, 1997 (Shipley, overview, Senegal) [Binder][3]
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Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. briefing
Senegal: Courtesy Call on President Diouf (3 pages)
nd
P1/b(1)
paper
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
First Lady's Office
Speechwriting (Noa Meyer Subject Files)
OA/Box Number: 13006
FOLDER TITLE:
The Trip of the First Lady to Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, and
Eritrea, March 15-29, 1997 (Shipley, Overview, Senegal) [Binder] [3]
2012-0869-S
kc972
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - 144 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - 15 U.S.C. 552(b)|
PI National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRAJ
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute |(a)(3) of the PRAJ
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute ((b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors (a)(5) of the PRA
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy |(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions |(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells |(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
Courtesy Call on
President and Mrs. Diouf
Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. briefing
Senegal: Courtesy Call on President Diouf (3 pages)
nd
P1/b(1)
paper
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
First Lady's Office
Speechwriting (Noa Meyer Subject Files)
OA/Box Number: 13006
FOLDER TITLE:
The Trip of the First Lady to Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, and
Eritrea, March 15-29, 1997 (Shipley, Overview, Senegal) [Binder] [3]
2012-0869-S
kc972
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - |44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act [5 U.S.C. 552(b)|
PI National Security Classified Information |(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information |(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
h(3) Release would violate a Federal statute |(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
h(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information |(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy |(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA|
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
Reception
Senegal: Reception at the Presidential Palace
Context
Immediately following your courtesy call on President Diouf
('Jewf') in the Presidential Palace, you will proceed to the
ballroom in a separate building on the palace grounds. A cross-
section of Senegalese society will be assembled to meet you.
Contingency talking points are attached, should there be a toast
or remarks.
Objectives
O
To meet a cross section of Senegalese society in a social
setting.
To express appreciation for the hospitality extended by your
hosts and the people of Senegal.
If asked, to make general remarks about the United States and
Senegal.
Contingency Talking Points
Mr. President, Mrs. Diouf, it is a great pleasure for me to
be dining with you tonight, and I thank you for this
wonderful event.
Senegal is a uniquely important country to the United States.
Of the many Africans who left Senegal's coast during the time
of slavery, we know that some arrived in the United States.
Today I saw a memorial to the victims of that vicious trade.
Goree Island, a world historical site, underlines that all
human beings are too precious to be squandered either as
chattel or exploited labor.
Mr. President, Mrs. Diouf, Senegal is also important to the
United States because it is a leader. As the winds of change
and decolonization swept Africa, the Senegalese were among
the first to hear them and to turn them to their own
advantage. Leopold Sedar Senghor went from a forced labor
factory in Germany during World War II to become one of the
architects of the independence movement of French Africa.
Some of democracy's earliest roots on the African continent
were set down in Senegal, and they remain among the deepest.
Today under your leadership, Mr. President, Senegal is again
in the vanguard making regional and local governments more
responsible to the people they serve.
-2-
-- Today, I had the good fortune and pleasure to visit other
noteworthy Senegalese. For example, I saw the girls at the
Martin Luther King Girls' School who are off to an excellent
start and productive adulthood. The education of women is
one of the most important functions of any country. Girls
who read and write can participate in richer and fuller
lives, not only for themselves, but for all around them.
-- Educated girls can protect their family's health better than
uneducated ones. They know how to control their rate of
reproduction, to bring healthier babies into the world, and
to serve as better mothers and role models for their
children.
-- Mr. President, today I also visited the ASBEF Family Planning
Association. I learned what Senegal is doing to try to keep
population growth from wiping out all the gains your market
liberalization has brought to the Senegalese economy. We
need more successes like ASBEF and the Martin Luther King
School to raise people's standards of living.
-- Finally, Mr. President and Mrs. Diouf, Senegal is important
because it is open to new ideas. This is particularly
important as all our economies -- indeed our lives -- are
more affected by global forces. There is much we can learn
from each other to our mutual benefit.
-- Mr. President and Mrs. Diouf, I am deeply honored to be with
you this evening. It is with great pleasure that I offer
this toast to you, the Republic of Senegal and its leaders.
MAR-12-97 10:03 FROM:AF/W
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PAGE 4/13
Liste des invités
Réception donnée par le Président de la République
Dimanche 16 March 1997. à 18h30
Première Dame Hillary Rodham Clinton
Membres de la délégation de la Première Dame
Hommes et femmes d'affaires:
M. Maguette Diop
Président Directeur Général
Intercontinental Life Insurance Company
Immeuble Excellence
Ave. Leopoid Sedar Senghor
Mme Mary Friedel
Directeur Général
SENECI
Immeuble Les Fromagers
16, rue de Thiong X Mousse Diop
M. et Mme Richard Kwasek
Directeur Général
Parke Davis
Zone Franche Industrielle
M. et Mms Richard Willems
Président Directeur Général
Mobil Oil Sénégal
Km 7, Bvd du Centenaire
M. et Mme Ez Mazou
Directeur Général
ITCO
Bd du Sud X Rue 12
Point E
M. et Mme Kandolo Kasongo
Directeur Général
Citibank
Place de l'Indépendance
MAR-12-97 10:04 FROM:AF/W
ID : 2026474855
PAGE 5/13
M. et Mme Henning Jakobsen
Directeur Général
NSOA/Colgate Palmolive
Km2, Bd du Centenaire de la Commune
M. et Mme Aziz Dieye
Directeur Général
Coopers and Lybrand
2. Place de l'Indépendance
M. et Mme John Metzger
Directeur Général
ICNS
26 rue Emile Zola
M. Mohamed Camara
Responsable de Projet
Tresp
s/c Africare
Av. Cheikh Anta Diop
M. et Mme Abdoul Wahab Ba
Directeur Général, M.R. Beal and Co.
Immeuble les Fromagers
16, rue de Thiong X Moussé Diop
M. et Mme Etienne Thibault
Représentant
General Motors
s/c Africars
14 rue Galandou Diouf
M. et Mme Aboubacar Ndiaye
Directeur Général
ABM
20, Av. Pdt Léopold Sédar Senghor
M. et Mme André Podgaietsky
Directeur des Opérations
Afrique de l'Ouest, IBM
s/c ABM
20, Av. Pdt Léopold Sédar Senghor
ID:2026474855
PAGE
MAR-12-97 1 10:04 FROM:AF/W
M. Walter Burr
Partner, CTS
s/c Hotel Lagon II
Comiche
M. Lennart Broman
Directeur pour l'Afrique et le Moyen-Orient
Telia Overseas
s/c M. Burr
Hotel Lagon II
M. Thomas Revesz
Project Manager
Telia Overseas
s/c M. Burr
Hotel Lagon II
Me Kazem Sharara
Avocat
5 rue Victor Hugo
Dakar
Mme Molly Melching
Directrice
TOSTAN
BP 326
Thies
Personnel de l'ambassade:
Son Excellence et Madame Dane Smith,
Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis au Sénégal
M. et Mme James Ledesma,
Premier Conseiller
Mme Anne Williams,
Direct eur de l'USAID
M. et Mme Patrick Barry,
Directeur du Corps de la Paix
M. et Mme. Gerald Huchel,
Directeur du Centre culturel américain
10:04
FROM:AF/W
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7/13
M. et Mme Paul Cariker,
Attaché de la Défense
M. et Mme Jack Ferraro,
Premier Secrétaire
Mme Lili Ming,
Consul
Mme Whitney Baird et M. Andrew Baird,
Premier Secrétaire
M. et Mme David Wagner,
Conseiller pour les Affaires politiques
M. Ronald Montgomery,
Représentant de l'Administration de l'Aviation Fédérale
M. et Mme Gary Gibson,
Conseiller pour les Affaires administratives par intérim
Thies
Reception
Saam Njaay Village
Senegal: Visit to Saam Njaay Village
Context
Saam Njaay (Sam N-JYE') is a village of approximately 350
people located in the Thies (TEE-ez) region of Senegal.
Fifteen years ago, it was typical of the more than 13,000
villages throughout Senegal.
In 1982, the major problems in the village of Saam Njaay
were illiteracy, poverty, a degraded environment due to the
drought, poor health, malnutrition and unemployment. Molly
Melching, an American citizen and former Peace Corps
volunteer resident in Senegal for 22 years, worked with
villagers under a USAID project from 1982-85 to seek
solutions to these problems.
In 1991, the Saam Njaay experience led to the creation of an
American non-governmental organization (NGO), TOSTAN
(meaning "breakthrough" in Wolof) directed by Molly Melching
and supported principally by UNICEF and others.
In 1993, UNESCO chose the Tostan program as one of the major
innovative non-formal education programs and distributed a
full-color publication entitled "Breakthrough," throughout
the world. Many other African countries have adapted
versions of the program and several films have been made
about Molly Melching and her work in Senegal.
Today, Saam Njaay is considered a "model village," with more
than ten successful projects which have been managed and
sustained by villagers (mostly women) for over 10 years,
including income generation, gardening, health and hygiene,
the improvement of the environment, revolving credit and
adult education.
During your visit to the village, you will see a class that
is studying a unit on democracy and meet Molly Melching
whose NGO now employs more than 60 full-time employees and
hundreds of village teachers. You will visit a health hut
and a vegetable garden and meet rural African women who have
gained a sense of control over their lives through
participation in a basic health and small income-generating
projects.
Objectives
O
To provide an idea of village life in rural Senegal.
2
To demonstrate the essential role of basic education and
literacy for obtaining sustainable development in
Africa.
O
To demonstrate the positive impact that USAID projects
have had in Senegal on a long-term basis.
Talking Points
[Beginning of visit:]
-- It is a pleasure for me to be in Sam Njaay (Sam-N-JYE')
today.
-- I want to congratulate American citizen Molly Melching
for her work in Senegal.
-- I am glad to see that so many women and young people are
able to acquire the basic skills that will allow them to
raise their standard of living.
-- [To Molly Melching:] The work you are doing here is
very impressive and I wish you success for the future.
[During the tour: ]
-- What is special about Saam Njaay village that makes it a
model which draws regular visitors?
-- How does Tostan benefit women?
-- How does the vegetable garden project fit into Tostan's
program?
I understand Tostan has developed a successful literacy
program for adolescents and adults. I would be
interested to hear more details about it.
What other countries use Tostan's program?
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
USAID
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.info.usaid.gov
(202) 647-4274
Location
Date
USAID Supports Community-Based Development in Senegal
In 1982, the village of Saam Njaay, located an hour from the capital city of Dakar, suffered the
same problems of some 13,000 rural communities in Senegal: poverty, environmental degradation,
disease, and high rates of illiteracy and unemployment. However, with a three-year, $100,000 grant in
the mid-1980s from USAID and through the determined efforts of an American woman, the villagers
of Saam Njaay have taken charge of their own lives, making successful and sustainable improvements
to their small community of 350. This grant also benefited other villages and resulted in improved
training methods.
Saam Njaay is a typical village in the West African nation of Senegal, a country where
agriculture is still the principal source of income for 70 percent of the population. Senegal's challenges
are similar to those of its West African neighbors: high illiteracy - 77% of women and 57% of men
(in 1982, 100% of the villagers in Saam Njaay were illiterate); high child mortality (13% of children die
before the age of five); an average life expectancy of only 49 years, and a per capita yearly income of
$533. Periodic droughts, the advancing Sahara Desert, over-cultivation of marginal lands and
lorestation threaten Senegal's rural communities. High population growth (the country's 8.3 million
population will double in just over 20 years) and high unemployment (averaging 35%-45% nation-wide,
but much higher in rural areas) pose serious risks for the countrys future stability.
Molly Melching, an American who has lived in Senegal for 22 years, is seeking to stem these
problems through non-formal education programs and community-based solutions. After serving in
Peace Corps, she worked in Saam Njaay. In 1991, with assistance from USAID and UNICEF, she
founded the American nongovernmental organization (NGO) "Tostan," meaning "breakthrough" in
Wolof, Senegal's principal local language. Tostan's activities, building on the success of Saam Njaay,
focus on adult and adolescent education which prepare villagers for small income-generating activities,
revolving credit funds, vegetable gardening and improved health, hygiene, and environmental
management 70% of Tostan's participants are women and special emphasis is placed on women's
rights. Tostan has extended its education program to more than 20,000 participants, and recently
developed a democracy module. In 1993 UNESCO chose Tostan's approach as one of the major
innovative non-formal education programs in the developing world and widely distributed a publication
entitled, "Breakthrough." Many other African countries have requested versions of the Tostan
program.
USAID supports Tostan as part of its strategy is to promote economic growth through increased
cultural productivity and sustainable use of natural resources. The USAID strategy also includes
empowerment of and increased participation by women, the devolution of decision-making and
basic services to the community level, and improved governance.
MAR-03-97 15:04 FROM:AF/W
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Donors In Saam Njaay
Donor
Date
Project
Approximate
Amount
USAID
1983 - 1985
Non-Formal Education In the Rural Area
$100,000
US Embassy
1985
Village Health Hut
$4,000
Self -Help
Garden Project
$1,000
Africare
1985 - 1986
Millet Machine
$2,000
Well and Wind Mill
$6,000
Village Maternity
$12,000
Animal Patterning
$2,500
UNICEF
1992- 1994
Non-Formal Education Classes
$2,000
TOSTAN
Village Latrines
$1,000
Adapted Wood Stoves
$150
Repair to Windmill
$1,500
Construction of Classroom
$4,000
American
1996
Women's Health Model
$300
Jewish World
Service
MAR-03-97 15:04 FROM:AF/W
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PAGE 4/12
Projects In Saam Njaay From 1983 - - 1997
1983 - 1985
Name of Project
Date
Donor
Principle Actors
Amount
Non-Formal
1983 - 1985
USAID
Molly Melching
$100,000
Education in the
Bollé Mbaye
Rural Setting
Malick Pouye
Results of Project
Education
Classes in non-formal education for 50 villagers including literacy, numeracy,
mathematics, environmental education, health education, problem-solving skills,
management skills, etc.
Autonomy of villagers for managing and sustaining village projects.
Creation of village documents to record births, marriage, deaths, and other events.
Creation of non-formal education materials used in other projects throughout Senegal and
funded by USAID (Oral Rehydration Therapy, Nutrition, Malaria, Environmental
brochures, etc.)
Two villagers trained as TOSTAN trainers five villagers trained as TOSTAN facilitators.
Awareness of the importance of basic education and request for classes by surrounding
villages.
Environment
Production of a theater on the environment by villagers. This theater was performed for
many villagers and was on the radio many times.
Construction of 50 adapted wood stoves to save on firewood and protect the environment.
MAR-03-97 PROM:AP/W
Environmental education: classes on reforestation, compost, and adapted wood stoves.
Planting of a village woodlot (funding of $100 from Africare).
Health
Construction of a village health hut in 1985 (Funding from the US Embassy Self-Help
Fund).
Continuous health service for Saam Njaay and 20 surrounding villages 1985 1997.
Health education in Saam Njaay and in 20 surrounding villages.
Clean water system installed by the Government of Senegal, connection Saam Njaay to
the main pipeline from the Lac de Guiers. Water system managed by villagers.
Publication of flip charts and brochures for health education (USAID).
Construction of a village maternity (Africare- 1987) equipped by UNICEF in 1997.
The "Hygiene" Project to clean the village every Thursday and Sunday started by village
women.
Income Generation Projects
Millet machine project for women funded by Africare and women of Saam Njaay in
1986. Managed and run exclusively by women. Repaired through efficient management
of project funds.
Garden project funded initially by US Self Help Fund Further funding from Africare in
1985 to construct a wall and install a windmill.
1992 - 1994
Name of
Date
Donor
Principle
Amount
Project
Actors
Non-Formal
1992 - 1994
UNICEF
TOSTAN
$8,650
Education for
Development
MAR-03-97 15:05 PROM:AP/W
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PAGE 6/12
Results of Project
Education
TOSTAN Non-Formal Education Program for 50 village women (funded by UNICEF).
Construction of a village education classroom (funded by UNICEF).
Autonomy of participating village women to manage and sustain village projects.
Classes held in six surrounding villages.
Environment
Construction of new adapted wood stoves to save on firewood and protect the
environment (funded by UNICEF).
Health
Construction of 12 village latrines (UNICEF funding).
Baby weighing project begun by tow newly literate village women to fight against
malnutrition in the 30 participating villages.
Income Generating Projects
Women's Credit project with start-up funds resulting from money collected in the
Hygiene Project.
Revolving Credit projects to loan money to farmers needing seeds form the rainy season.
MAR-03-97 15:05 FROM:AF/W
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PAGE 7/12
TOSTAN- UNICEF
Basic Education Program for Women and Children
Languages: Wolof. Pulaar, Mandinka and Serrere
Funding: UNICEF
Dates:
1988- 1997
Module 1
Themes for Discussion
A process for problem-solving (Problem
identification and analysis, choosing
appropriate solutions, planning skills for
implementing a solution, evaluation skills)
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, pictures, games.
Literacy Learning
An Introduction to Reading and Writing, pre-
reading and writing skills.
Numeracy learning
Number 0 through 9, simple addition and
subtraction.
Module 2
Themes for Discussion
Application of skills learned in Module 1
related to village health and hygiene.
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, pictures, games.
Literacy learning
Study of texts, sentences, words, syllables
and letter.
Numeracy learning
Addition and Subtraction. Telling time. using
the calender.
MAR-03-97 15:06 PROM:AP/W
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8/12
Module 3
Themes for Discussion
Basic health information on the Oral
Rehydration Therapy and Vaccinations
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, pictures, games
Literacy learning
Study of texts, sentences, words, syllables
and letters.
Numeracy learning
Addition and Subtraction with carry-over.
Module 4
Themes for Discussion
Management of financial and material
resources.
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, pictures, games.
Literacy learning
Elementary grammar lessons.
Reading and writing skills.
Numeracy learning
Multiplication.
Module S
Themes for Discussion
Leadership and group dynamics.
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, and pictures.
Literacy learning
The writer's workshop.
Numeracy learning
Division
Module 6
Themes for Discussion
How to do a Feasibility Study.
Methods
Theater, flip-charts, stories, and pictures.
Literacy learning
Reading and grammar skills.
Numeracy learning
Mathematics for doing a feasibility study.
Mathematics.
PAGE
9/12
TOSTAN Modules for Continued Education
(Each Module Includes 24 Sessions and Lasts 2 Months)
Module 7
Women's Health (2 Month Program) funded
by American Jewish World Service reached
4,000 women in 1996.
Module 8
Early childhood development funded by
American Jewish World Service to reach
2,000 couples in 1997
Module 9
Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights - -
1996. Funded by the United States
Government.
Module 10
Nature resource management funded by
USAID (NGO support project).
MAR-13-1997 16:09
AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SVC
P. .02/02
JEWISH
989 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10018
AMERICAN
WORLD
(212) 736-AJWS (2597)
(212) 736-3463 Fax
SERVICE
|[email protected]
March 13, 1997
Dear Mrs. Clinton,
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is honored that you have chosen to visit
Tostan in Senegal during your upcoming trip to Africa. AJWS is a non-profit
organization that works in partnership with local grassroots organizations to provide non-
sectarian support for agriculture, education, health, and economic development
throughout the developing world. We have been working in partnership with Tostan
since 1994, to develop and implement the "Women's and Children's Health, and Early
Childhood Development" project.
Through this participatory, action-oriented training, over 6,000 women are now
learning about their health, their bodies, and their human rights. For the first time ever,
women are discussing and addressing sensitive issues such as menopause, family
violence and female genital mutilation.
This year, Tostan will begin the second part of the AJWS training program,
involving children's health and early childhood development. The 48-session module
will address the issues that affect a child's health and development, including family
planning, nutrition, vaccinations, common illness, and mental health.
Through our volunteer program, the Jewish Volunteer Corps, AJWS has provided
Tostan with two skilled professionals who assisted the Tostan staff with strategic
planning, computerized record-keeping, and production of a promotional video.
We very much appreciate your commitment to grassroots human and economic
development throughout the developing world and hope you will have a productive and
inspiring trip.
Sincerely,
Andrew Griffel
President/CEO
TOTAL P.02
The seeds:
building on tradition
"He who rejects his traditions may find
that after only a few weeks many children were
himself being deceived by other traditions."
reading small texts." With puppets modeled on
Wolof proverb
traditional Senegalese dolls, children staged their
own puppet shows performed in the neighbour-
OSTAN's roots go back to Melching's early
hoods and later on Senegalese television.
T
years in Senegal, when she studied under
The Demb ak Tey Centre expanded its
the late Cheikh Anta Diop, a fervent believ-
activities by reaching out to thousands of other
er in the development of national languages and
Senegalese children in a two-hour weekly radio
the importance of indigenous African cultures.
programme in Wolof from 1978 to 1982. Named
Since then, Melching and her collaborators have
"The Circle of Yesterday and Today", a reference
travelled the country with the spirit of ethnolo-
to the way children once gathered round their
gists, collecting songs, proverbs, legends and
grandmothers in a circle to hear songs, riddles,
stories that are a rich source of literacy materials.
proverbs and stories, the programme focused on
Children were their first testing ground.
the activities and interests of children in rural
In 1976, in collaboration with the Senegalese
Senegal. Like a caravan in ancient times, the
Ministry of Culture, she and Bollé Mbaye, a dra-
programme's producers went from village to vil-
matic arts graduate well-versed in African
lage collecting materials. "Suddenly, parents
We found that
traditions, opened "Demb ak Tey
began working with children so that when the
after only a few
(Yesterday and Today), a centre to promote
radio programme passed through, they would
non-formal education in Wolof for
have good and interesting materials. It became a
weeks many chil-
Senegalese children by giving them access
kind of competition between villages to see who
dren were reading
to books, theatre, puppetry. games and art
would have the richest materials," Bollé and
small texts."
activities based on their traditions. Located
Melching recall. The programme became very
in the Medina, a crowded section of down-
popular: the village children and even the adults
town Dakar. the centre became a favourite meet-
could just about recite every play and story
ing spot for neighbourhood children who other-
broadcast from the previous week. This prompt-
wise spent most of their time on the streets. At
ed the producers to put more messages into the
first, the children were given various new
show about health, the environment and the
reading materials in Wolof. "We noticed that
importance of education. "We started doing
books at school were in French, which meant
plays on health and the environment, and songs
children not at school could only look at the pic-
on the importance of reading and writing.'
tures in them. We saw the children were very
Children and adults listened regularly to the pro-
excited about reading," Bollé explained. "So we
gramme and used it as a forum for discussion in
devised a game. We cut out a lot of letters and
their villages.
drew pictures of day-to-day objects the children
knew. They would use the letters to create the
corresponding words which had been used in the
books we had been reading with them. We found
12
ALL: Mahing It Work Briching Through, 1995
The Saam Njaay
adventure
incouraged by this, the Demb ak Tey Centre
moved to Saam Njaay in 1982, a
drought-stricken Sahelian village of 300
people located an hour from Dakar. Melching
and Bollé's arrival in the village was auspicious:
as the story goes, El Hadji Moustapha Njaay, the
because every innovation came after dialogue
Every innovation
village chief who was 95 years old, had known
with villagers. "We spent a lot of time talking
came after dialogue
40 years earlier that an unusual woman could
about what people did already, what their prob-
with villagers. "We
come to Saam Njaay because his father had
lems and needs were," says Melching of her
dreamt of her arrival and the changes she would
team's early days in Saam Njaay. "We talked
spent a lot of time
bring about in the village. What started as a
about traditional farming and the kinds of events
talking about what
three-month theatre project financed by the
that were really important to them. Their first
people did already.
non-governmental organization ENDA-Tiers
priority was to have access to water. Their sec-
what their problems
Monde turned into a two-year stay, during which
ond priority was to read and write. They wanted
and needs were
a basic education programme was developed
to learn how to write their names and corre-
with villagers. The experiment was financed by
spond with their friends and relatives. They
the United States Agency for International
were very open and excited by our approach and
Development (USAID) in conjunction with a
our interest in them. We recorded everything
project at the Senegalese National School of
and told them we would write it down, come
Applied Economics (ENEA).
back and say 'look: this is what you have
"When Molly came", the village chief told
said!".
a visitor, "the village women walked five miles
At first, villagers saw French as the lan-
a day to get water. Now they get water here.
guage of progress. Since colonial days, mastery
Before, we had no system for gardening and our
of reading and writing in French had been syn-
people often went hungry in the dry season.
onymous with paid employment or, more impor-
Many of the village's babies died before the age
tant, a job in the civil service in Dakar. The team
of 2. Now we have enough food for the dry sea-
pointed to the large number of unemployed.
son and a health hut that serves this and 18 other
educated people in cities and considered the
villages. The young men also used to get bored
advantages of learning Wolof. "The villagers
and restless and left the village to go into Dakar.
became increasingly excited to discover that in
Today they are here with us, deeply involved in
only a matter of months, they would be able to
village projects." Proof of that is the grinding
write letters, understand receipts and forms (for
mill, run by the women and now making a good
selling their millet and peanuts) and manage
profit. The dispensary is self-financing and the
their own village projects," said Bollé. They
nursery garden, known for its production of egg-
unanimously chose to begin classes in Wolof.
plants, has prospered.
Saam Njaay is a symbol of the future
TOSTAN basic education programme. First,
13
A meaningful road
to literacy
Looking at
Ithough the Tostan programme takes eigh-
familiar objects
A
teen months, villagers learn basic reading
that resembled
and writing skills in four or five months. In
Saam Njaay, most participants (men, women and
letters. the
children between 10 and 60), had never seen a text
in Wolof. The first step was to motivate partici-
huts De
pants by writing down their names, their proverbs
Dund
and stories, or their daily activities, then reading
mats woven DV
these texts back to them. The villagers copied the
texts in shaky but determined handwriting. The
women were
team only introduced the study of individual let-
perfect
ters at a later time and then through use of an
alphabet song using traditional rhythms which
soon captivated the whole village. They toured the
village with learners and identified familiar
objects that resembled letters. The roofs of two
huts became an "m". The round mats woven by
women were perfect "o"s. The first lessons were
in the backyard of a village compound. "We
helped everyone practise writing circles and lines
until they were used to holding a pencil. Then
each participant chose a favourite word to learn.
We gave each person his or her word and asked
them to copy it several times," says Melching.
"The artist on our team, Malick Pouye, drew pic-
tures of the objects represented by the words.
With these words we put together a basic village
vocabulary to which we adapted traditional Wolof
games to reinforce word recognition and
spelling." Unlike most literacy projects in West
Africa which stress letter repetition and syllable
combination, this approach, influenced by the
"whole language approach", emphasizes meaning,
exposes participants to real texts from day one and
encourages them to create texts. Because they are
familiar with the text's content, reading comes
more easily.
Within five months, many villagers had start-
14
ed to write. Some began taking notes at meetings
later secured funds to build a health hut.
The TOSTAN programme
and recording the births and deaths in registers.
The positive experiences in Saam Njaay,
has incited women to
As they acquired literacy skills, they also gained
combined with visits to numerous literacy cen-
form cooperatives and
confidence in their ability to change their living
tres around the country, convinced the project's
take an active role in
conditions.
team to make its teaching methods available
managing village funds.
At one literacy meeting on the environment,
more systematically to larger numbers. A first
women talked about the long distances they had
attempt to organize materials into a modular sys-
to walk to find firewood, although they knew of
tem for an educational programme took place in
the dangers of deforestation. After visiting the
1987 in forty-two villages of the Kaolack region.
nearby Forestry Department. a group of villagers
In 1988, UNICEF/Senegal and the Minister of
wrote a play on this theme, featuring a child who
Social Development reviewed the Saam Njaay
meets the king of all trees in Senegal while look-
experience and the first draft of the basic educa-
ing for wood. He transports her to a magical
tion programme in Kaolack. Both parties were
country where every tree talks to her through a
convinced that the hundreds of broken down mil-
poem or song, explaining the importance of pro-
let machines, pumps, windmills and health huts
tecting and planting trees. Besides a performance
in rural Senegal would still be working if vil-
in Wolof for the national "Day of Trees' ceremo-
lagers had been more involved and educated
ny, the play was broadcast several times on
before project implementation. Between 1989
national radio. An exhibition by the villagers
and 1992, upon request from the Senegalese
was the basis for an educational brochure pub-
government and with funding from UNICEF and
lished by the National Forestry Department. As a
the Canadian International Development Agency
result of this mobilization, the villagers planted a
(CIDA), TOSTAN further developed and tested
small wood lot and built more than fifty clay and
its basic adult education programme.
sand stoves in five nearby villages. Health
issues, including malaria prevention and treat-
ment, were also introduced into the literacy pro-
gramme. Villagers elected a health committee
and the head of each household gave FCFA
1,000 (US$2) to buy medicines. The committee
15
Learning by modules:
a progressive approach
You never
teach children
anything: they
learn because
they want to
learn."
T
OSTAN has never abandoned the philoso-
know why a new technique is being intro-
phy of education developed in Dakar when
duced, they need to analyse it and understand
working with underprivileged children:
it, then decide with others if it's right for their
"You never teach children anything: they learn
community." The experience in Dakar and
because they want to learn. What you have to
Saam Njaay also proved that games, songs and
do is to stimulate them." In Saam Njaay, vil-
theatre rooted in local traditions encouraged
lagers were motivated when they found mean-
participation.
ing through learning and understood why they
In the TOSTAN programme, learning
were doing things. "We treat villagers as very
how to read, write and do mathematics goes hand
intelligent adult learners", a TOSTAN co-ordi-
in hand with improving living standards. Since
nator, Sidy Cissé, explains. "All our education-
women are both the main care givers in the
al materials are based on the idea that people
Senegalese family and the least educated group in
have a vast store of knowledge which they
society, the programme has been adapted to them.
have learned through different methods. They
This involved rewriting and retesting the pro-
need to think about what they are doing and
gramme to take into account the fact that most
understand why they are doing it. They need to
village women have never been to school and are
16
rarely exposed to letters and numbers.
The "whole language approach," for
example, is well-suited to this kind of sit-
uation since it starts with stories of rele-
vant experiences rather than abstract let-
ters that at first have no meaning.
"Studies on the ways women learn stress
values such as nurturing and interdepen-
dence. We emphasize people's need for
one another, we try to show how people
can work together, often citing traditional
proverbs, said Ramata Dia of TOSTAN.
"Women learn very quickly this way.'
Journeying from the concrete to
the abstract is used for teaching mathe-
matics. Adapted from a method intro-
duced at the Mauritanian Institute of
National Languages, the approach
emphasizes the notion of "base" as the
IM
to
foundation of all written and oral numer-
digg.
DE
to
to
DI
ation. One of TOSTAN's education spe-
YOUR
of
number
wospq
&
new
cialists, Amadou Alpha Bah, perfected
00
19
number
and
8
the method, adapting it to the Senegalese
environment and especially to women.
/
/
Each maths lesson is tied to a practical
/
skill and moves from the concrete (real
3
$
objects) and the semi-abstract (drawings
of objects) to the abstract (numbers).
The eighteen-month TOSTAN
Basic Education Programme, presented
to participants as a path of discovery, comprises
Many classes create study groups to review new
six learning modules, each covering twenty-four
information outside class hours. In one evalua-
sessions and lasting two months. Each session
tion, a majority of village women maintained
lasts about two hours. Based on their work
that coming to class regurlarly, namely every
schedules, learners choose the days and times of
other day, was essential to sustained learning
classes. Classes usually meet three times a week,
because it gave them the time needed to assimi-
every other day, but during the rainy season,
late new knowledge.
learners generally meet once or twice a week.
17
PAGE
2
6TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1994 Inter Press Service
Inter Press Service
April 12, 1994, Tuesday
LENGTH: 1018 words
HEADLINE: AFRICA-CHILDREN: A LITERACY BREAKTHROUGH IN SENEGAL
BYLINE: By Amrita Shlachter
DATELINE: THIES, SENEGAL, Apr. 12
BODY:
It is ten in the morning, and Yabata Njaay is hunched over his log-book in
the primary health care centre of Saam Njaay.
The small village is on the outskirts of Thies, one of three main cities in
the West African nation of Senegal.
Called the Neegu Wer-gi-yaram, Wolof for "Hut of Health of the Body, the
one-room facility serves not only the 300 inhabitants of Saam Njaay but also the
people of other mud-and-thatch villages surrounding Thies.
Not so long ago, common ailments such as fevers, eye infections, minor cuts
or worm infestations either went unattended or if they got out of hand entailed
a tedious bus journey into the nearby city centre.
But that was before Yabata became literate, and before he realized that he
d be of valuable service to his people.
A solemn-looking man of 40, who goes about his business with meticulous
precision, he is one of a number of Senegalese to whom literacy came late in
life.
For Yabata, literacy meant a new job. It enabled him to learn the skills
needed to become his village's health care worker.
For his fellow villagers, literacy has made life's everyday problems easier
to tackle.
"We used to believe that malaria was caused by the rays of the sun," says
Yabata.
"But now we know it is caused by mosquitoes, and that they breed in stagnant
water. We have learned that they come out between one and two o'clock in the
morning. So now we know what to do."
Yabata gained literacy the "tostan" way. In his native Wolof, tostan means
hatching of an egg, or breakthrough.
It was conceived by an American educator, Molly Melching, who came to Senegal
18 years ago to write a doctoral thesis on African culture.
PAGE
3
Inter Press Service, April 12, 1994
It took her 10 years of trial-and-error experimentation to develop tostan.
Today this informal approach to learning has received the endorsement of the
galese government. It is supported by UNICEF, the U.S. Peace Corps and the
Canadian International Development Agency.
A tostan course usually starts with a common problem, like a broken
hand-pump.
Over a period of weeks, students identify the steps needed to fix the pump:
Can one of the villagers fix it, or must they find someone elsewhere? How much
will it cost? How will they raise the funds?
Letters of the alphabet are made easily recognizable by drawing parallels
with common objects. Hence, the conical roofs of two huts become an "M"; the
round mats the women weave become perfect "O's"; a gourd drinking cup becomes a
"Q."
Simultaneously, the learning process is reinforced by displaying key words
all over the village on wooden plates.
"Our program uses a whole language approach and emphasizes reading and
writing for meaning, rather than just decoding, says Melching.
"Our participants start the learning process with texts rather than letters,
words or sentences.
In Senegal, once regarded as the crown jewel of the French colonies, literacy
es remained abysmally low decades after independence.
and, as in other male-dominated societies, illiteracy among women was the
highest: 82 per cent of Senegalese women have never received any schooling.
The tostan method aims to boost literacy by targeting adults, especially
women, who would otherwise be excluded from the learning process. The philosophy
evolved out of a rural management project that Melching supervised for USAID
during the mid-1980s.
When her team arrived in Saam Njaay, they discovered that what people wanted
was to read and write. "Literacy brings progress,' they explained.
By literacy, they meant fluency in French. Melching and her co-workers
pointed out the large numbers of unemployed, educated people in the cities, and
the years it takes to become functionally literate in French.
They began to talk to villagers about the advantages of learning to read in
Wolof. They explained that in a matter of months they could learn to write
letters, understand receipts and even manage their own village projects.
Informal classes started immediately, and with each session the people showed
a hunger to learn more. Especially encouraging was women's participation.
To them, the idea of being able to hold a pen and sign their own names, to
understand receipts for the millet and groundnuts they sold, was something
approaching a miracle.
PAGE
4
Inter Press Service, April 12, 1994
Before long, the women began to show management skills in running the village
millet-crushing enterprise and in developing community kitchen gardens that
vided their families with a more nutritionally balanced diet.
The program was, as the name suggests, an awakening or breakthrough for the
small community. Currently about 5,000 villagers in 80 Senegalese villages are
learning to read through tostan.
The government is anxious to bring the program to the cities as well. The
teaching modules can easily be adapted in different languages. UNICEF and the
Peace Corps use them in a dozen other parts of Africa, including Guinea, Mali,
Namibia. and Niger.
The key component in the tostan method is creating a meaningful connection in
the learner's mind between what is being taught and the environment in which the
learner lives. Western educators call it "applied learning."
For Melching, who has been a student of African culture for nearly two
decades, applied learning techniques make enormous sense. Scores of literacy
projects have failed to achieve their goals, she says.
As a result, when foreign donors pour money into elaborate development
schemes such as irrigation systems or introduce labour-saving farm machinery,
many of these projects also fail.
"This is inevitable," she says, "because the people have not been encouraged
to build the group or leadership skills, let alone the technological skills,
required to sustain development." II
ack in Saam Njaay, Yabata's wife is eager to take a course in primary health
: SO she can assist her husband in the health hut.
He is trying to raise money to buy a motorcycle so he can create a mobile
health care system to reach surrounding villages. As the tostan method has
"hatched" literacy in the village, so is it nurturing the seeds of sustained
development.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: April 14, 1994
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
STATEMENT ON VISIT TO SAAM NJAAY VILLAGE
SENEGAL
MARCH 17, 1997
Let me begin by thanking all of you -- the people of Saam Njaay village -- for opening
your homes, your schools and your hearts to my daughter and me this morning. Chelsea and I
have been touched by your warm hospitality and kindness.
It's perhaps no understatement to say that I've seen the hope and future of Senegal in this
village. I've seen it in your health clinic, in your classrooms, and in the vibrant culture and
traditions you've shared with me today. Most importantly I see it in the eyes of each man,
woman and child of this village who is working hard to bring greater progress, health and
prosperity to your families and your community. You are an inspiration to all of us.
Through "TOSTAN," you are gaining what I like to call the tools of opportunity --
reading, writing, problem-solving, and the principles of good hygiene and health, leadership and
financial management. With these tools, you have the power to build better and happier lives for
all people, the power to gain all the blessings of the world. And I am very proud that so many of
my fellow Americans, beginning with Molly Melching, have come to work in partnership with
all of you to make sure every member of this village has the opportunity to fulfill his or her
greatest God-given potential. We have a great deal to learn from each other.
I understand that TOSTAN is Wolof for "breakthrough." I commend you on the many
breakthroughs you have already achieved and I am confident that in the coming years and
decades, many more will come.
Thank you very much.
###
Peace Corps
Training Center
Senegal: Visit to Peace Corps Training Center
Context
The Peace Corps program in Senegal is one of the oldest and most
respected in the region. The Peace Corps has been active in
Senegal since 1963. In 1974, Peace Corps began using the
facility at Thies to train volunteers for assignment in Senegal.
The center currently also prepares volunteers for assignments in
Guinea (Conakry) and Cote d'Ivoire (approximately 180 volunteers
graduate from the center per year). The center occupies 2.8
acres. It consists of 8 buildings, a kitchen, several storage
rooms and classrooms. All of these facilities are provided to
Peace Corps at no charge by the Government of Senegal. The
center is managed, under contract, by CHP, International, a
private voluntary organization which specializes in language,
cross-cultural and technical training. CHP is based in OakPark,
Illinois.
Peace Corps is currently serving in 90 countries worldwide. Of
those served, 29 countries are in the Africa region. One hundred
forty-seven thousand Americans have joined Peace Corps over the
past 35 years. More than 56,000 of those people have served in
Africa and the number is growing. Currently there are 2,261
volunteers working in the Africa region.
Objectives
To underscore the importance of Peace Corps in promoting
world peace, friendship and grass-roots development.
To show appreciation to the volunteers and trainees for their
work.
Talking Points
Senegal and the United States have been friends for a long
time. Peace Corps --working in Senegal since 1963- is an
important part of that relationship.
Your work benefits those in the villages where you live, but
also promotes understanding and builds bridges between
diverse people and cultures.
-- Tolerance, understanding and joint efforts to make the whole
world a better village in which to live exemplify the best in
America's spirit. That is what you and Peace Corps all over
the world represent -- the best America has to offer. Thank
you for your efforts here.
MAR-11-97 20:35 FROM: PEACE CORP
ID:2026063110
PAGE
2/7
TALKING POINTS
FIRST LADY HILLARY CLINTON
DRAFT
Visit to Thies Regional Training Center
March 17, 1997
Purpose
You will visit the Thies Regional Training Center in Thies, Senegal. Each
year, approximately 180 Peace Corps trainees from Senegal, Guinea, and Ivory
Coast receive their pre-service training at the center. The three months of
training includes developing local language skills, technical skills, and Cross-
cultural understanding. Trainees live with local families to enhance their
cross-cultural experience and improve their language proficiency.
Background
The welcome, the openness, and the sharing by the town of Thies, Director
Kayego Bwaratsi, and the Senegalese training staff deeply touches new
Volunteers as they begin their African experience. The center's Senegalese
staff provides exceptional language, cross-cultural, and technical training.
The staff share their lives, traditions, and skills with new Volunteers,
providing the knowledge and confidence necessary for the Volunteers to
meet the challenges they will face in their assignments.
Talking Points
-
I am pleased to have this opportunity to meet with Senegal Volunteers
and to tour your training center. President Clinton and I are very proud of
the work that you and other Peace Corps Volunteers do throughout the
world. All Americans appreciate your dedication and effort.
-
I would also like to thank the Senegalese government and the town of
Theis for your longstanding support of the Peace Corps. I know that the Peace
Corps is especially proud of its partnership with the people of Senegal and
with this community in particular. The work of Director Bwaratsi and the
training staff makes the excellent work of Peace Corps Volunteers here
possible.
-
To the Volunteers, I understand that nearly half of you will be
completing your service in June. We thank you for your contributions to the
Peace Corps and to the people of Senegal. I know that you'll bring more than
a little bit of Senegal back with you to the United States.
14
12
Nouakchott
Senegal
International boundary
Boutilimit
Region boundary
*
National capital
MAURITANIA
©
Region capital
Railroad
Aleg
Road
Track
Poder
Bogué
0
25
50
75 Kilometers
Rosso
O
25
50
75 Miles
Richard-Toll
Haire Lad
Kaedi
Saint-Louis
Mbout
Thilogne
Kankossa
Lagbar
Leona
Louga
Matam
Ndiaye
LOUGA
Tioukougne Peul
SAINT-LOUIS
Kébèmer
Dara
Linguère
Fás Boye
Darou Khoudas
Darou
Sélibabyl
Mousti
Mékhé
Vélingara
Mamari
Kayar
DAKAR
Tiveouane
Bakel
Cap
Thies
DIOURBEL
Mbake
Veri
Dakar
Rulisque
Diourbel
Popenguine
THIES
Kayes
Gossas
Mbar
Mbour
FATICK
Payar
Naye
KAOLACK
Fatick
Guinguined
Toubere Bafal
MALI
Joal Fadiout
Kaffrine
Goudiri
Ndangane
Kaolack
Koumpentoum
Nganda
Keur Madiabel
Tambacounda
THE
Georgetewn
TAMBACOUNDA
Barra
Kereivan
Mansa
GAMBIA
Banjul
Kooka
Basse
Santa So
Brikama
Dialakote
Kalagi
Gunjur
Diouloulou
Bounkiling
KOLDA
Vélingara
Diana
Kolda
ZIGUINCHOR
Malari
Mako
Saraya
Bignona
Sédhiou
Tanat
Ziguincher
Oussouye
Farim
Koundara
Kédougou
Diembereng
São Domingos
Gabú
Cacheu
GUINEA-
Kah
Canchungo
Bula
Mansoa
Bafata
Mali
*
BISSAU
Bissau
(Enxude
ty
Gaoual
ARQUIPELAGO
Bdba
GUINEA
Tougué
Bubaque
Catió
DOS
Labé
Cacine
Sangarédi
BIJAGOS
Télimélé
Boundary representation is
Boke
not necessarily authoritative.
Base 801131 (B00541) 2-89
Martin Luther King
School for Girls
Senegal: Visit to Martin Luther King Girls' School
Context
The Martin Luther King Girls' School was built in 1972. There
are 807 students. It is the only all-girl junior high school in
Senegal and one of only two schools named after an American. It
offers both academic and vocational training. This is the only
Senegalese institution named in memory of Dr. King, but most
educated Senegalese are aware of the significant role Dr. King
plays in American History. In 1996, the African-American and
African Foundation on Science, Education and Economic Development
(AAAFSEED), based in New York City, donated 100 desks.
Objectives
To stress the importance of education in general and girls'
education in particular.
To communicate Martin Luther King's message of pride and
empowerment.
To emphasize community-to-community initiatives such as
relationship between AAAFSEED and the MLK School.
Talking Points
-- The education of girls and women is and should remain a
priority for our two countries.
-- Martin Luther King taught us that great changes can occur
peacefully, through the efforts of individuals, especially
students like yourselves, to better themselves and their
communities by standing up for their rights.
-- Educating young women will impact future generations.
The best way to thank your parents for the sacrifices they
have made is by studying hard and being the best you can,
whether wife, mother, doctor, lawyer, businesswoman, public
servant or president.
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
USAID
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.info.usaid.gov
(202) 647-4274
Location
Date
USAID Employee Profile: Margaret NDiaye and the Martin Luther King Girls' School
The Martin Luther King Girls' School located in Dakar, Senegal was created in 1972, and is one
of the most progressive all-girls junior high schools in the country. The public school currently has an
enrollment of 807 female students ranging in age from 12 to 15 years. The school is led by Madame
Aminata DaCosta. Entrance into MLK Girls' School is based on tests conducted by the Ministry of
Education and only those girls scoring exceptionally high are admitted. Graduates typically go on to
high school and university. The school is a model for affording greater opportunities to both current
and future generations of young Senegalese women to become full partners in Senegal's development.
In Senegal, as in Africa as a whole, the literacy rate for females is low (23 percent overall, but
10 percent or less in rural areas). Of girls attending school, only 16 percent go on to secondary school
and only one percent attend university. Professional women make up only 4 percent of Senegal's
private sector work force.
Despite its commitment to excellence, MLK suffers from the same lack of resources that plague
Senegal's educational system: outdated and inadequate supplies of textbooks, rudimentary pedagogical
materials and supplies, insufficient operating expenses and inadequate facilities and equipment.
Heeding this need, an African-American woman, Ms. Margaret (Fuller) NDiaye (pronounced "N-Jye")
took the initiative to help the school named after the man with whom she shares a common dream, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Ms. NDiaye, an eleven-year veteran of USAID, believes that a society's
growth and development requires a strong educational base. To that end, she has fostered a better
understanding of the meaning of those stirring words, "I have a dream," and has actively supported the
efforts of young Senegalese children to obtain an education. In January, 1996, knowing of the MLK
school's need for 88 desks and chairs, Ms. Ndiaye began fundraising, receiving an outpouring of
donations from the American and Senegalese community. She subsequently located and solicited
serviceable school furnishings from the University of Ann Arbor, with assistance from Dr. Richard
Ross, President of the African-American and African Foundation on Science, Education and Economic
Development (AAAFSEED). Ms. NDiaye's tireless efforts and devotion to the school's 807 girls
culminated in the delivery of 100 donated desks and chairs to MLK in October, 1996.
Ms. NDiaye, a native of Alton, Illinois, and a graduate of the University of Arizona, has dedi-
cated her life to quality education for all children of color. Embodying the best in USAID employees,
she has volunteered countless hours to charitable activities, orphanages and schools, and to fostering
understanding between Senegalese and Americans. She is a two-time recipient of the Ambassador's
Award for Community Service and, in 1996, received a Special Tribute from the State of Michigan
legislature. She was recently nominated for the Dept of State Secretary's Award for Volunteerism.
Embassy Meet
and Greet
Senegal: Visit to U.S. Embassy
Context
The entire staff of the American Embassy, USAID and the Peace
Corps will be present to greet you. The group will include
approximately 100 American employees and their spouses and about
400 foreign national personnel. Due to space considerations only
foreign service employees, not their families, have been invited
to this event. You will arrive at the Embassy from your visit to
the Martin Luther King school. The Ambassador will escort you
into a waiting room and then to an outdoor terrace attached to
the Embassy where you will make brief remarks. The Ambassador
will then introduce you to a few of those near the podium and you
will have an opportunity to shake hands with some of the crowd.
The Ambassador will then escort you back to your car.
Objectives
To meet the American and foreign national staff members of
the U.S. mission to Senegal and thank them for making your
visit and make it a success.
To express pleasure with your trip to Africa and especially
this stop in Dakar.
To recognize the dedication of all to the furtherance of U.S.
goals in Senegal and acknowledge the difficulties of American
families who live and work overseas.
Talking Points
-- The work of the U.S. Mission in Senegal reflects the best
that America has to offer its friends overseas.
-- Your sacrifices and hard work are bringing economic
assistance, greater democracy and respect for human rights to
Africa.
Your work, often in difficult circumstances and under less
than ideal conditions, exemplifies the best traditions of the
U.S. Foreign Service and service to the U.S. government by
our foreign national staff.
I admire your dedication and unparalleled effort to assist
Americans and those of other nationalities during last year's
evacuation of civilians from war-torn Liberia.
Though my time here was short, I saw many wonderful sights
and met great people, both American and Senegalese. I take
back with me a treasury of memories which I look forward to
sharing with the President. You have made this trip
extremely successful and meaningful for me and I thank you.
-- I also congratulate you on the recent successful West African
Invitational Softball Tournament which I'm told is known as
WAIST. While an out-of-town team won the tournament, Dakar's
five American teams showed real grit. You have left your
mark in the annals of baseball in West Africa.