Écho oriental writes about LIFE

Écho oriental has written about our work distributing school kits around the world, and in particular in and around Tambacounda, Senegal. Our NGO works there through its School for All programme.

With the support of LIFE, the association Am Bé Koun Solidarité handed out 625 school kits to first-year primary pupils. The initiative reached 595 pupils from the outlying neighbourhoods and 30 children from the villages where we work. The distribution meets a basic need: giving children from disadvantaged families the means to get a good education.

These families live in remote, marginalised areas. They struggle to meet their children's basic needs and often cannot afford the school supplies they need. The children start out at a disadvantage from their very first days in class, which limits their chances of doing well at school. This distribution aims to close that gap, so that every pupil can attend lessons in good conditions.

Boubacar Sangaré, executive secretary of Am Bé Koun Solidarité, stressed how much this help matters. Delivered in partnership with our NGO, the initiative broke new ground by bringing Tambacounda's primary schools on board. Pupils were selected by the planning office of the Education and Training Inspectorate (IEF) together with teachers, so that the kits went to the families in greatest need. Each kit contains a bag, exercise books, pens, colouring pencils, chalk, rubbers and other supplies. The kits give these children the tools they need to engage more fully with their learning.

The distribution ceremony was held on the basketball court of Tambacounda's regional stadium. It brought together 18 schools: 15 in the town itself and 3 in villages where our NGO is actively at work. Places like these are often overlooked by large education programmes.

Parents thanked the donors, explaining that the school supplies take a considerable financial weight off their shoulders. Mohamed Ndiaye, head teacher of a local school, added that this support is vital in helping pupils, especially those from the outskirts, get off to a good start to the school year, and in sparing teachers from having to dip into their own pockets to make up the shortfall!

This first distribution paves the way for more, in the hope of bringing even more children into the programme and making sure every pupil has the tools they need to succeed.