Africa Education Initiative

Senegalese children learn to read home-grown stories with overseas help

Delivering 270,000 children's textbooks in 10,000 plastic boxed libraries from across the Atlantic to schools throughout Senegal sounds like a massive venture. It's possible, however, through meaningful cooperation all round.

The formula is simple: Local authors write. National government collaborates. Historically black American colleges and universities publish. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) finances. Senegalese children learn.

It works through the Textbooks for a Global Society, a major component of the Africa Education Initiative (AEI) that was launched by President George W. Bush in June 2002. Over a period of four years, USAID will provide 4.5 million textbooks and other learning material for children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Senegal is one of six countries to receive assistance initially. Teacher training and scholarships to 250,000 girls are other key AEI investments in African education.

At a lively ceremony on June 23, 2004, the children of Khar Yalla School in Dakar were the first children to lay their hands on a few of the 270,000 new books. The remainder of the huge shipment, enough to fill a couple classrooms, will find their way to each of Senegal's 6,000 elementary schools before classes resume in early October.

"Convinced that the children of Africa are the future of the continent, our government is committed to a massive investment in their education," U.S. Ambassador to Senegal, Richard Roth, told the crowd of children, teachers, parents and government ministers. "Education is key to the country's future economic growth and the fight against poverty as well as a determining factor in building a sustainable democracy."

According to Dr. Sarah Moten, USAID Education Bureau Director, Senegal was chosen because it is "one of those countries that we felt we could make a difference in because it is open and receptive in terms of education." She noted that President Abdoulaye Wade ran on a platform of youth and education and that U.S. President Bush has emphasized education.

"When I return to this school, for the third time, I want to see every child able to read a book that we provided," she said at the Khar Yalla ceremony, calling on parents to support their children's efforts to read and learn.

Thanking the US government, the Mayor of Dakar's Grand Yoff district, Malick Sow, said the books represented a "symbol of the dynamism marking US-Senegalese cooperation". He and school director Massene Sene instructed teachers and children to take good care of the books.

North Carolina's Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) has worked closely with USAID, authors and education officials in Senegal to arrange the book donation.

"We are hoping that it will bring about a systemic change in reading habits," said Johnny L. Houston, UCSU program director. Teachers can carry the boxed libraries between classrooms, and allow students to take individual books home on weekends to read.

"The idea was to impact not just a pilot school, or one school, but to impact all of the elementary schools by emphasizing reading to get them more eager to read," he said. The project is also to provide mathematics and science books for elementary schools in Senegal.

The books are certainly in demand. Even though the percentage of children attending elementary schools rose from 68.3 percent in 2000 to 75.8 percent in 2003, there has been "strong degradation in the quality of education, resulting directly from the increasing size of the system," explained Senegal's Education Minister Moustapha Sourang.

"By choosing to support through AEI, your government has once again demonstrated a perfect understanding of the challenges facing education in Senegal," he said, adding that the book donation will "considerably transform working conditions of teachers and students."

One of these challenges is a lack of financial means for the less fortunate.

"Books are expensive, but with this gift you have made it possible for children to read," said local author, Fatou Ndiaye Sow, adding that she would like to see books written by Senegalese authors find their way into libraries in English-speaking countries one day. "These books can help children find their dignity."