Literacy and learning for adults

“It’s no longer enough to be a good mechanic – nowadays there contracts and forms to fill in …”

The Diapalante Community Education Centre welcomes everyone regardless of age or background. Children attend in large numbers but it is often the adults who feel the most pressing need for help. Many Senegalese adults have jobs that do not provide an adequate income to support a family, leading to constant financial struggle and to long hours of work. The long hours make it difficult to look for other work or gain the skills needed to seek better work. So the Centre operates on a “drop-in” basis offering learners as much flexibility in attendance and learning objectives as possible. Adults often need more individual attention than youngsters both because of work commitments and because they are often learning formally for first time or after only a brief period of schooling.

Diapalante provides free education to adults – men and women who never attended school, whose schooling was cut short or who need new workplace skills. Some learn to read and write in their mother tongue, while others learn Senegal’s official language (French), the international business language (English) or business skills. They come to improve their ability to do their job or improve their job prospects or to support their children’s early education. Everyone’s long term aim is to shield their families from the worst effects of poverty.

Challenge

Senegal is one of the world’s least developed countries. Though literacy levels are rising many adults (48%) are unable to read or write. Poverty often curtails education before children reach the end of secondary or even primary school. This lack of education can hinder people’s efforts to find good employment or manage businesses effectively. The Diapalante Community Education Centre helps break this cycle by offering free adult education which targets skills that adults need for their work.

Solution

The Centre offers a rare but much needed opportunity for adults to become literate or improve sought after language and business skills. In Senegal these are key skills that improve work opportunities and financial security. Diapalante’s free courses enable adults to catch up on missed education and learn around existing work or family commitments. Motivated by an immediate and real need our adult learners make rapid progress and gain marketable skills which help them break the cycle of poverty.

Long-Term Impact

The project helps adults earn an income which will support their families. Previous beneficiaries: Mariam and Bintou learned to read and write. Mariam to help her children get a good start in school, Bintou to help her start a hairdressing business. Maguette improved her French to train as a midwife. Modou uses his English to sell Senegalese art internationally. Gaye now runs a builders suppliers using English to buy supplies from abroad and French to fill in the government paperwork.

Alioune

Alioune is a nurse at a Community Health Station in Senegal. He started attending the Diapalante Community Education Centre two months ago. He makes a round journey of over 100km several times a week to improve his very limited ability to use computers. There is computer equipment at his health post which is little used because no-one knows how to use it. Alioune explains that the equipment will be wasted unless something is done. He knows computers have an important role to play in healthcare delivery so on his days off he comes to the Diapalante Centre.

Alioune wants to be a competent computer user as this will help him do his current job better and also help him progress both in his professional role and in other activities. Alioune and his fellow workers have no opportunity to learn locally. He was delighted to hear of free lessons in Kaolack with flexible learning times that could fit around his work rotas, and considers the long journey well worthwhile. Alioune is making steady progress and is already beginning to see the benefits to his work.
Alioune is very grateful to the Diapalante Centre and its funders for the opportunity to learn to use a computer. It won’t be long until he starts training his colleagues at work, then the local community will feel the benefits as well.

Joséphine

“Hello my name is Joséphine, I am a Pastor and a student at the English department of the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal. Since I had a lot of difficulties in my English speaking, a friend I met at the university, who was a member of the Centre suggested that I come and strengthen my English in the Centre. And since I started going to the Centre I see a clear progression in English and in computer science.

Joséphine’s struggle to succeed at university is typical of many students. Progress is difficult if school didn’t lay good foundations, when students don’t have access to textbooks, when interrupted by strikes or by illness or by periods when students can’t pay fees. It is common for a student to face some or all of these problems and after years of struggle at university, too many leave without a degree.

Small Steps in Literacy

I really thank the Diapalante Centre for giving me the opportunity to catch up because without the Centre it would have been very difficult.

Hello, my name is Babou, I am 28 years old. I am originally from the district of Sakal, located in the region of Louga (230 Km from Kaolack). I have 3 sisters and a half-brother. My parents chose to send me to a daara (Koranic school) here in Kaolack from a young age because my father’s marabout (religious guide) lived here in Kaolack. I don’t remember how old I was. Thank God today I have mastered the Qur’an and now I am learning more religious knowledge in the daara.
Every day I wake up very early, Then I pedal my bike to the market. There I help a few stallholders to get ready, sweep, and display their wares. With the money I earn, I am able to save a little so that when I finish my religious studies, I can use my savings to start doing a little business.
However, being aware that I also need to read, write, speak and understand the minimum in French [our national language] and maybe in English, I started coming to the Diapalante Centre 3 months ago to try to fill this gap in my knowledge so important for my future.
Now I can send and read a message on my phone. I can also do calculations. I’m also starting to understand a lot of French words that people mix with Wolof for example: aujourd’hui, responsable, projet, etc. I have also learned some important short phrases in French and English e.g. come here, come back, go there, go back, what is your name, my name is, thank you, sorry etc.
Beyond my business project, if I can read and write French well, I will be able to apply to some private religious schools as a teacher. But above all, I come to learn for my personal development. When I come to the Centre, I also take the opportunity to chat and socialise with the other learners.

Bashir

Hello, my name is Bachir. I come to Diapalante to learn English. Diapalante is very useful to me because I can come whenever I have a free evening, this allows me to learn around my family and work. Such a rare opportunity.

I am married and the father of two children.
I am the first of six children. My mother is a housewife and my father was a trader. My dad did his best, he did all he could for me to succeed in school before he passed away in 2001.
Since primary school, I’ve been really interested in health and helping people. My interest began with the influence of my neighbour, a doctor who ran his clinic from his home. He was like a father figure to me and I acquired medical knowledge when I was young. When I was at college, if ever one of my friends got injured, I would take them home and take care of them, administering first aid.
After getting my baccalaureate in Science I went to university for a year and then went to a specialised health school and got my degree.
I worked in the regional hospital of Kaolack for 3 years, and in Tambacounda for a year. Then I went to specialise in nutrition, working with Nestle as a trainee. Then I moved on to work in Senegal for the Indian pharmaceutical company Troïkaa as a medical representative,
I work with many Indian people who work not in French, our official language, but in English, I think it is their first language. When you speak English fluently you can work more closely with them. If they ever want to promote someone, a good level of English will be a criterion – because you’ll be able to speak, understand and communicate more freely with them.
I attend the Diapalante Centre to improve my communication in English, which will give me more knowledge, opportunities and recognition in relation to my work. English language will give me more chance to travel, communicate with partners and attend some of the many seminars in this field which are organised in English.
I am grateful to my early mentors who were my parents, my neighbour and my teachers. And now I am also grateful to Diapalante, the staff and volunteers here, and the people I will never know, whose donations fund the Centre. Thank you because without the Diapalante Centre potential promotion would be really impossible for me. I don’t have the money to study English even though better English will help me to increase my work knowledge and my salary. In addition, the Centre also strengthens me in computer science, which is also an essential tool in my work. They help me to learn the skills to do my work better, so I can in turn support my family and my community.
Note: Bashir is possibly the most educated among our 100 adults but he is still in need of our help. Our youngsters are inspired by seeing adults, especially an educated adult, learning the same English and IT sessions as themselves and sharing the same struggles and successes along the journey. These adult role models motivate the youngsters and give them ambition and determination. Although nobody mentions it, they are also demonstrating that learning is often a lifelong process.

A Second Chance to Learn

From an early age, Khassoum struggled at school. He was not considered a bright student and was subjected to corporal punishment by his teacher, an experience that deeply affected his motivation and desire to learn. At the age of nine, faced with what seemed like insurmountable challenges, Khassoum made the difficult decision to leave school.

This crucial decision marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Khassoum began working in his maternal uncle’s mechanical workshop. This work allowed him to acquire practical skills and to understand the inner workings of cars and engines. However, despite his success in this field, Khassoum was aware of a major gap in his life. He could neither read nor write. This shortcoming, though partially offset by his technical skills, remained a significant barrier to his professional and personal growth.
It was this urge to be literate that led him to join the Diapalante Community Centre. At the Centre, he discovered a caring learning environment where members share knowledge and support one another. Khassoum particularly appreciated the teaching approach, which stood in sharp contrast to his previous school experience.
He says, “If I had received the same treatment at school, I would never have dropped out.” This statement reflects both his past frustration and his renewed sense of hope. Thanks to the Diapalante Centre, Khassoum has begun to read and write and develop his spoken French (the national language). Between visits to the Centre he uses his phone to practice his new skills. Although his spelling is not always correct, he is able to communicate effectively and give meaning to his messages. This progress brings him immense satisfaction and strengthens his self-confidence.
Simple conversations he has with other members of the Centre bring him great joy. These exchanges allow him to put his new skills into practice and to improve his communication. His clients and friends have noticed his efforts and praised his progress, giving him even more motivation to continue learning.
In addition, Khassoum has formed new friendships within the Centre. These relationships provide him with valuable social support and help him feel less isolated on his journey. Sharing experiences and knowledge with other members creates a sense of camaraderie that he deeply cherishes.
Now, as a father, Khassoum is fully aware of the challenges he has faced, and he is determined to offer his daughter the education he never had. He wishes to send her to school to give her the best possible chance of success. For Khassoum, this decision is not only a way to break the cycle of ignorance, but also an act of love and commitment to his family.
In summary, Khassoum is a young man who has managed to turn failure into opportunity. His involvement with the Diapalante Community Centre represents an important step in both his personal and professional life. Through his determination to learn and improve himself, Khassoum embodies hope. He stands as an example and a role model for future generations.

Fatoumata

Fatoumata came to Diapalante looking for help to improve her writing and reading of French. Her situation shows how the increasing need for literacy, even in less skilled jobs, is making the search for employment difficult for many. Fatoumata is divorced and has three children to care for. Life is difficult so she has moved back to Kaolack to look for work. She has the chance to work as a petrol station attendant but this requires that she is able to complete the paperwork in French.

In Senegal many people speak multiple languages. There are the many local languages, predominant among these is Wolof. The official language and therefore the written language is French. Though nobody’s mother tongue French is the language of administration used in government, school and formal settings. The use of French in school is a stumbling block for many and it is a major contributory factor to the low literacy levels among adults.
Fatoumata

Meet Makhtar

Makhtar is a motorcycle-taxi mechanic. He is in his late 30s and married with three children. The son of a mechanic he left school at the age of ten to join his father’s home-based workshop. Today he very much regrets leaving school so early, and prioritises his children’s education.

Nowadays the situation in Senegal is changing. Makhtar is losing work as more and more organisations require him to be able to read contracts and issue invoices etc to secure their work. He is unable to read, understand and sign contracts which are in French, Senegal’s official language, learnt in school but not a mother tongue. He can speak some French and knows the French vocabulary associated with his work but needs to improve his reading and writing skills. Unable to pay for private lessons, he heard about the Diapalante Community Education Centre about 2 months ago. He now attends 2-3 times a week sometimes for a group lesson but often for a one-to-one session as his learning has to fit around his work. Makhtar is making rapid progress towards his goal as each newly learnt phrase is relevant to his work and contributes to improving his livelihood.

I can now write my name!

Marie is a young adult, 18 years old. She was born in the village of Ker Ngagne Diop, 35km west of Kaolack. She learnt the Qur’an from the age of eight but she never went to school because the nearest school was 3km away and there was no transport.

After her parents separated in 2020 her mother remarried and moved with her two daughters to live with her new husband in Kaolack.
As Marie explains “Today I am an apprentice tailor at the central market in Kaolack. I really like this job although my inability to read and write has caused me many difficulties. When I realised I was having problems I came to the Diapalante Community Education Centre. For eight months I have been coming three times a week learning to read, write and do basic sums. Although there is still a lot for me to learn I feel proud that I can now take and write down the clients measurements. I know how to write my name, I am doing well reading and can do easy calculations (adding and subtracting) and tell the time that is shown on my phone. All this is thanks to the Diapalante Centre. In the future I hope to become a designer, have my own dressmaking business and travel the world.
I am very pleased to be a member of the Diapalante Centre, everyone here is so helpful.”

Why Fallou needs to speak English and French

Fallou’s explainse how the Diapalante Community Education Centre is helping him to overcome his lack of education and advance his dream career.

My name is Fallou. I am a dancer and choreographer. I am 23 years old and live with my mother in Kaolack, Senegal. My father died when I was 8, leaving my mother to bring up myself, my brother and my two sisters. My mother sold fruit – mangoes, oranges, bananas, peanuts … but this provided only a meagre income so I had to drop out of school during my third year of primary school. I went to help in my uncle’s television and radio repair workshop. His workshop was next to a government youth centre where many young artists came to learn and rehearse. This is where an international Senegalese dancer named Pape Ndiaye a.k.a. Kaolack influenced me and guided my first dance steps.
After years of practice with talented artists from different regions of the country, I am now gaining national recognition. Today my goal is to travel the world through my dance.
I perform at a cultural centre, a place for meeting and exchanging ideas and an opportunity to meet foreign visitors, funded by the ministry of culture. Though I am able to express myself through contemporary and traditional dance I find it very difficult to speak with these visitors because I wasn’t at school long enough to master French, our national language, or learn any English, the language that allows communication all over the world.
This is why the Diapalante Community Education Centre is so important to me. It gives me the chance to improve my French (writing, reading and expression) and learn English. Understanding these languages will give me many opportunities in my field. I love to dance because it is the best way to express my feelings.
There is nowhere else like the Diapalante Community Education Centre. Everyone can come and learn here because the classes are free and organised to allow you to attend when you can, whenever you have a free time day or evening, even at the weekend. The lessons are very good and we help each other. There is also a library and the chance to use computers.

In my village they have started to call me Teacher

Moustapha, another of our adult learners, tells how the Diapalante Community Education Centre (and your donations) is supporting him on his educational journey.

Originally from the village of Wayende located 65 km from Kaolack. Moustapha is his father’s 7th child and his mother’s 3rd. He has a younger sister and 2 younger brothers in primary school. Moustapha’s father is polygamous and has 3 wives of which his mother is the 2^nd wife.
Moustapha is a determined young man full of ambition.
Having completed both his Quranic studies and primary schooling Moustapha left his native village to live with his paternal uncle in Kaolack and pursue his formal education. Aged 21, he has now completed the first year of 3 years of 6th form studies in a Franco-Arab school, where he has distinguished himself by his seriousness and commitment.
He lives in the Thiofak neighbourhood, a bustling area of Kaolack, just 20 minutes walk from the Diapalante Community Education Centre, a place that has marked a turning point in his life.
Moustapha considers the Centre a real gift from heaven.
“The Diapalante Centre is one of the places where I discovered opportunities that will certainly influence my future life.
Thanks to the Centre, today I have skills in Word and some skill in Excel. I have also perfected my levels of reading, writing and mathematics. As far as English is concerned, I have been at the top of our class for 2 years. I have even inspired three of my classmates to become members of the Diapalante Community Education Centre.
After each activity, I carefully put away the day’s handouts so that I can reuse them with my friends and family from the village. In Kaolack I am a student but in my village they have started call me “Teacher”.
In addition to academic courses, Diapalante offers personal development and leadership sessions. These courses were a new discovery for me. Members learn to understand each other better, and to cultivate co-operation and leadership qualities.”
His learning has allowed Moustapha to set clear goals and chart a course for his future. His ambition is to become an Arabic teacher, a profession he sees as a way to pass on knowledge and contribute to the development of his community. This ambition is the result of his career in a Franco-Arab school, where he developed a love for the Arabic language and a passion for teaching.
At the Centre, Moustapha is also a source of inspiration for the other young people. Always assiduous and ready to help his comrades, he has established himself as a model of perseverance. His seriousness and discipline are rare and precious qualities.
Today, Moustapha sees the future with hope. He dreams of a world where every young person, like him, can benefit from an environment conducive to learning and growth. He readily admits that without the support of the Diapalante Centre, his journey would have been much more complicated. For him, this Centre is not only a place of learning, but also a space where kindness, compassion and generosity reign.
With his goal of becoming an Arabic teacher, Moustapha wants to not only teach the language, but also inspire future generations, showing them that dreams are achievable through determination and hard work.

Mariama Tells Her Own Story

Today, we want to share with you the everyday but inspiring story of Mariama, a 24-year-old woman, and a member of the Diapalante Centre. Mariama lives with her mother and her younger brother and sister. They live in a modest but loving home, supported mainly by the tireless efforts of this determined young woman.
Like many girls, Mariama left school very early because her late father believed a girl’s place was not in school but at home next to her mother.

Mariama explains “Currently, I work at the S M D bakery as a cleaning lady. And in the evenings I sell bottles of local juice (Bouy, Bissap and Ginger) that I prepare with the help of my little sister and my mother. With the money I earn from the juice, I pay for my brother and sister’s school transport and I have a little to manage my simple needs. Their achievements are a source of great pride to me, and every good academic result is a reward for the sacrifices we make every day.”
Every morning, Mariama goes to the bakery to do her various chores before returning home to prepare her local juices, which she sells in the neighbourhood. This seemingly modest work is in fact one of the main financial pillars of the family.
“In the bakery where I work, my boss, who is something of a father figure to me, asked me to improve my level of writing and maths so that I could take on more responsibility within the bakery.”
Encouraged by this Mariama began to seriously consider resuming her studies, although this was yet another challenge to fit in her busy day. She knew that this could open new doors, not only for herself but also for her family.
“Obtaining a position of responsibility within the bakery as a stock manager will allow me to earn 3 or even 4 times my current income.
Last April, in parallel with my activities, I started to attend the Diapalante Community Education Centre. Since my brother and sister are already members, they invited me to come with them and benefit from the Centre’s activities. Its a place where people like me come to improve their reading and maths skills.
Diapalante is a valuable opportunity for me, providing me with a learning environment with experienced staff who are dedicated to the well-being of the members. Without the Centre, I would have had to pay for private lessons, which was going to be very difficult.
I have also found other learners here who share the same aspirations, which makes me feel supported in my journey. At first, I thought I would find it hard because I hadn’t been in school for a long time.
Since I started attending the Centre I have significantly improved in my level in reading, writing and maths. Joining the Centre has also given me more confidence and allowed me to develop my leadership skills. In short, I will never stop being thankful and praying for Diapalante and its supporters, because the Centre makes a gigantic contribution to our community.”

In Pursuit of Education.

My name is Ali and I am 23 years old. My family home, where I grew up with my parents and seven siblings, is in the village of Daggo Secco, about 50km from Kaolack. I started school, age 11, when a school opened in Daggo in 2012. I am part of the first generation in the village to attend school and learnt many subjects including French, our national language.

After primary school in Daggo and middle school in Nioro, I was forced to either come to Kaolack to continue my studies or to stop because the closest Franco-Arab high school was in Kaolack.
The first three days I spent in Kaolack were very difficult because I didn’t know anyone. It was after that that I approached a daara (daaras are informal religious boarding schools teaching only or predominantly the Koran and the Arabic needed to understand it). I spoke with the Marabout and since then I have lived in in the daara.
Ousmane, a classmate at the Franco-Arab school, introduced me to the Diapalante Community Education Centre in 2021 and since then I frequently come to the Centre, which has become like family to me. I have a very good relationship with the other members. The centre is like a second family for us because we share, we discuss and we provide mutual support. It was in the Centre that I had my first European friends. I remember I had a photo with my English friends that I shared with all my friends in the village.
The Centre brings me a lot both socially and educationally. I touched a computer for the first time in the Diapalante Centre. Today I can do my research on different subjects and enter my texts using Word. I can also print, scan and photocopy. I have greatly improved my level of maths, French, but especially English. I am in Terminal class (3^rd and final year of high school studies) and I am among the first in my class in this subject. And this is thanks to the Centre. Beyond the lessons we get here, we sometimes come here because it is quieter than the Daara to learn our lessons.
Many of my classmates have the means to pay for private lessons (the level of teaching in school is often inadequate for success in the Baccalaureate exams). However, the Centre gives me everything free. Even when I have problems with school supplies, the centre provides me with support in a very discreet way.
On the other hand, I also try to make my contribution to the Centre by supervising certain members who have difficulties in Arabic and English.
My dream is to obtain the Baccalaureate (the final exam at the end of high school, which determines whether you are able to attend university) and continue my studies at university (which would be a first in my family) to either become an Arabic or English teacher or perhaps work with international NGOs.
I will never stop thanking the Diapalante Centre and the Daara – without them I would not be able to continue my studies.Every morning, Mariama goes to the bakery to do her various chores before returning home to prepare her local juices, which she sells in the neighbourhood. This seemingly modest work is in fact one of the main financial pillars of the family.
“In the bakery where I work, my boss, who is something of a father figure to me, asked me to improve my level of writing and maths so that I could take on more responsibility within the bakery.”
Encouraged by this Mariama began to seriously consider resuming her studies, although this was yet another challenge to fit in her busy day. She knew that this could open new doors, not only for herself but also for her family.
“Obtaining a position of responsibility within the bakery as a stock manager will allow me to earn 3 or even 4 times my current income.
Last April, in parallel with my activities, I started to attend the Diapalante Community Education Centre. Since my brother and sister are already members, they invited me to come with them and benefit from the Centre’s activities. Its a place where people like me come to improve their reading and maths skills.
Diapalante is a valuable opportunity for me, providing me with a learning environment with experienced staff who are dedicated to the well-being of the members. Without the Centre, I would have had to pay for private lessons, which was going to be very difficult.
I have also found other learners here who share the same aspirations, which makes me feel supported in my journey. At first, I thought I would find it hard because I hadn’t been in school for a long time.
Since I started attending the Centre I have significantly improved in my level in reading, writing and maths. Joining the Centre has also given me more confidence and allowed me to develop my leadership skills. In short, I will never stop being thankful and praying for Diapalante and its supporters, because the Centre makes a gigantic contribution to our community.”

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