Because Les Foyers in Tambacounda is sending so many young women to college, we opened an extension of it in Dakar where the graduates could continue living and learning together in a safe, supportive environment.
As of 2019, about 46% of the female youth population in Senegal is neither in school, working, or receiving job training.
In recent years, students at Les Foyers des Tambacounda have been passing the baccalauréat, Senegal's college entrance exam, at a rate higher than the national average. The majority of those who go to college do so in Dakar, where student housing is notoriously hard to come by: the universities have limited and often crowded accommodations. And because Dakar has become expensive, seeking other lodgings is beyond most students' financial means.
Maimouna Ka Sow, the director of Les Foyers des Tambacounda, suggested that Le Korsa try to house students in Dakar so they could continue living and learning together in a supportive environment, and help each other navigate the adjustment to university.
Thanks to donor Laurel Hixon and Michael Keane, we first rented a small apartment in a neighborhood conveniently located near public transportation, which could house 12 girls. As the number of girls coming to univeristy in Dakar increased, we sought a larger space, and are now housing 23 students from Les Foyers. The house is equipped with a shared kitchen and laundry facilities, and we provide a stipend for groceries as well as laptops to share.
How You Can Help
$50.00 can buy the students' groceries for a month.