Salaamaalakum ! After a hectic few weeks, we have finally found 5 minutes to introduce ourselves. The centre now knows us (Corran and Polly) as Awa and Mame Diara and it is so exciting to be open for business. It has been a tough few weeks acclimatising to the heat and the bites… mosquitoes, we […]

The diapalante members have been doing a series of sewing workshops led by Lizzi (returned volunteer 2015/16). This has involved learning to use the machines and sew in straight(ish!) lines, cutting, preparing templates and designs to make some lovely, Senegal-coloured bunting.

The younger members of Diapalante very much enjoyed an afternoon preparing and planting seeds – mint, papaya and nebedaye for the Diapalante courtyard. Many thanks to the people who bought the Christmas calendar and supported it.    

Diapalante was proud to host parents and family members for an afternoon tea last week. The celebration was a chance for the members to receive certificates for the hard work they have put in this year – whether that be in Coding, Electronics, Reading, Computer skills, English or just for having general worked hard and

The festivities began on Friday with a carnival, themed ‘Return to Traditional Values’. The members of Diapalante took to the streets in a long procession of horses and carts, motorbikes, a truck playing the Diapalante theme-tune/advert and the rest on foot. Everyone was dressed in their best traditional clothes and holding signs made by the

Last week the Diapalanté centre were pleased to welcome an artist from Dakar to lead workshops in creating art from rubbish. The members used a variety of resources that could be found – Coconut shells, teapots, old keyboards, newspaper, drinks cans, empty bottles- anything that they had – to create a flock of birds that are now

Hi this is Pippa and I would like to take a moment to thank those who bought the Diapalante advent calendar, especially in regards to the whiteboard pens. Whiteboards (and their pens) are one of the most handy and useful resources we are lucky enough to have at the centre. The large ones that can

Thanks to those who bought the Diapalante Advent Calendar the members of Diapalante enjoyed working from some brand-new exercise sheets to help them practice their French language skills (the language used in schools). Given that most children grow up speaking Wolof and then are taught entirely in French at school these French sessions are invaluable

The younger members have really enjoyed a series of maths lessons on shapes and symmetry thanks to generosity of people who sponsored it in the Christmas booklet. The older members have also enjoyed a series of maths workshops on algebra, geometry and other varied topics, lead by a university maths student.