Project presentation
In the Ziguinchor region of Senegal, where the poverty rate is close to 70%, children are often forced to drop out of school and work to provide additional income for their families. Nearly one third of children aged 5 to 15 are engaged in early child labour, and the situation is even more concerning for girls, who are employed as domestic workers in wealthy households or work as street vendors. Deprived of education and separated from their families, they are exposed to all forms of gender-based and sexual violence and exploitation.
In response to this situation, Futur Au Présent (FAP), which has been operating in the area since 2012, created the Education House (Maison de l’Éducation – MDE) in 2014 in the Kandé neighbourhood (25,000 inhabitants), where four schools are located. As a complementary initiative to public education, the MDE welcomes and supports a new group of 90 girls each year from the most disadvantaged families, helping them leave situations of early child labour and achieve greater autonomy.
The project includes girls’ enrolment in school and psychosocial support, tutoring programmes, educational monitoring, awareness-raising activities on gender equality, as well as mediation actions with their parents.
