Kedougou Area Program

Kedougou is on the far southeast side of Senegal, bordering Guinea to the south and Mali to the east, with an estimated population of 41,837. It is considered the second poorest region in the country with a poverty rate of 62%.

Outside communities go to Kedougou for health care, putting stress on understaffed medical personnel. Malnourishment cases among children are rising and treatments like consultations, ultrasounds, and medications come at high costs. Ignorance about nutrition and sanitation, lack of potable water, and other environmental challenges also affect health in the community.

Poor school infrastructure, understaffed teachers, lack of equipment and poor access to water and latrines have led to deficient learning conditions. Parents cannot afford school fees and supplies due to extreme poverty and low incomes. 

Children lack play areas and no children's clubs or child participation structures exist. Children are often excluded from decision-making, and girls are usually busier with household chores than boys. There is also the persisting problem of many children without birth certificates.

Despite their struggles, Kedougou is rich in culture and tradition, with values relatively favorable to children's well-being. There is good social cohabitation between ethnic and religious groups. These circumstances suggest that sponsorship is feasible.

Kedougou has identified health, education, and child protection as priorities for improvement. Isolation, chronic food insecurity, early pregnancies and marriages, the imbalance between supply and demand in school and health infrastructure, low reading skills among school children, and the rise in insecurity have created precarious conditions for the population.

Health

Children are malnourished, underweight and lack vitamins due to factors like poverty/low income, lack of drinking water, poor nutrition, parental neglect, and poor hygiene. They also face a dominance of malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea. Poor hygiene, dumping of garbage, waterways and wandering animals, associated with the absence of drinking water and sanitation, increases the development of mosquitoes and other pathogens and disease vectors. Several socio-cultural, financial, and environmental challenges add to these issues. 

Although the ratio between inhabitants and doctors/nurses is satisfactory, Kedougou’s health facilities accommodate members from outside communities, putting pressure on understaffed personnel.

Education

The deficit of infrastructure, equipment, personnel, and other socio-cultural factors harbour against an inclusive and quality education for children. Schools are very poorly distributed, requiring some students to travel at least 5 km to get there. There is also a need to increase the number of educational facilities, especially preschools.

Components like the lack of water points, absence of toilets, insufficient furniture, absence of internet and libraries, and almost non-existent school materials keep teaching and learning conditions in some schools far from sufficient.

Adding to this are socio-cultural constraints. Early marriages and pregnancies are the main obstacles to keeping girls in school. Due to poverty, families cannot afford school fees, supplies, and transportation for children. The lack of birth certificates, the influence of artisanal gold panning among teenagers, and initiation ceremonies are all factors that affect academic performance.

Child Protection & Participation

Children are subjected to child labour, physical and psychological violence, neglect, and other forms of abuse at home, school, or in the community. Many children live in families with extremely low incomes and those with limited access to basic public services.

The situation of many children without birth certificates is dire. Birth certificates are detrimental because without them, there may be cessation of schooling to the extent that students cannot write exams. Despite interventions at different levels, the problem persists. Today, efforts are being made to computerize civil status.

Health

To improve access to quality health care for better health for all, World Vision will:

• Strengthen availability and access to public health services.
• Contribute to healthy urban environments where children thrive.
• Work together with health partners and the local authority to contribute to improving the health of mothers and children.
• Develop a Community Management of Acute Malnutrition committee to tackle the problems of malnutrition in children aged 0-5 years and generate community awareness.

Education

For children to benefit from easy access to quality learning spaces and a higher level of education, World Vision will:

• Improve school environments through the construction of classrooms, latrines, gardens, and access to water.
• Raise parental awareness on the importance of school and the retention of girls.
• Raise parental awareness about birth certificates.
• Encourage entrepreneurship through training and support.

Child Protection & Participation

To provide a safe, conducive, and protective environment for child development, World Vision will:

• Ensure that children and their families live in a safe and protected environment, free from violence, abuse, exploitation, and harm.
• Implement children's structures/clubs to promote their training in life skills.
• Set up play areas/spaces and develop public gardens.
• Raising awareness among young girls about attitudes and behaviors.