Earlier this year, Karen Homer traveled to Dakar, Senegal to write a story about the talibés—children forced into a life of begging on the streets.

Minute 1: Who are the Talibés?
The term talibé is derived from the Arabic word meaning “follower or disciple.” In Senegal, it refers to boys who have been promised an education but forced to work as professional beggars on the city streets.

• The cycle of entrapment begins when poor parents send their young boys to the city to receive an education, studying Islam and memorizing the Koran.
• In reality, these pupils spend little time studying and are forced by their teachers to beg on the streets for cash and food.

• A 2004 UNICEF report estimates that there are up to 100,000 child beggars in Senegal and the vast majority of them are talibés.
• According to a recent study up to 80 per cent of the street children have been sexually abused, making them vulnerable to AIDS.
• These boys, some as young as five, often endure beatings from their teachers and other talibés.

“Originally, children were sent to marabouts (teachers) to learn the Koran and the virtues of humility. But now the practice is far from its original intent and has become the exploitation of children for monetary benefit,” says Toumieux.

“We are attacking the problem, not Islam itself.”

Minute 4: What is World Vision Doing?
Communities are more likely to keep their boys at home if they have school facilities, sufficient food and income-generating opportunities.

Since child sponsorship programs began in 1986, World Vision and its partner communities in Senegal have accomplished the following:

• 186 classrooms constructed
• 359 literacy centres built or equipped
• 43,000 literacy students trained
• 76,520 farmers trained     
• 16,503 families granted microcredit loans

Canadians currently sponsor 10,200 Senegalese children through World Vision.