Kandia

The needs in Kandia

Sponsor a child in Senegal

Education
A large percentage of school-age children are not enrolled in school, and the dropout rate is quite high. Schools are often far away, and students have to travel 3-5 kilometres in order to attend. Children are also extensively involved in farm work, and parents often lack the financial means or motivation to send their children to school. Fewer girls are educated, as their work in the household is valued over their right to attend school. Early marriage of girls is also very common in this area.

Despite the high population of preschool-age children, there are no kindergartens in the area. Children are often are left unsupervised, as parents are busy with daily tasks to make ends meet. Literacy classes are conducted for women, but in some areas the dropout rate is as high as 50%, mainly because women are too over-burdened to find the motivation and the endurance to complete the class cycle.

Health Care
Prenatal care and immunizations are uncommon in Kandia, and proper hygiene practices are not followed. There is a lack of preventative and home treatment measures for basic illnesses. High infant and maternal mortality is problematic, along with high undernourishment rates, especially among women and children.

The health sector is particularly plagued by the lack of infrastructure, equipment, and human resources. Out of 66 health centres identified in the department, 50 are not functional, and there are only 2 doctors per 121,000 inhabitants. The lack of good roads and the inaccessibility of the majority of families during the rainy season are among the major causes for the low attendance rate of health infrastructures.

Food
Agriculture and animal husbandry constitute 70% of the primary earnings of virtually all households in Kandia. However, there are many challenges that make it difficult to earn a good living. Farmers have a low level of technical knowledge and have difficulty accessing loans. Most farmers are unable to benefit from modern seeds and farming technologies.

For the majority of households, the production of grain is not enough to cover their domestic needs during the months of June to October. There are high levels of insect and pest attacks, particularly on cotton, as well as difficulty in accessing remote markets.

Farmers often face unfavourable prices for their agricultural products. Due to the lack of storage facilities, they are obliged to sell their food crops at cheap prices immediately after harvest, only to face food shortages and higher food prices months later during the lean season.

Water and Sanitation
Less than 1% of households in Kandia have access to safe drinking water. Throughout the community, water is provided from traditional wells that have the tendency to dry up between the months of April and June, which makes it difficult to get water for livestock and gardening. The poor quality of water obtained from non-protected wells is a major source of concern. Where boreholes exist, families lack of revenue and capacity to manage water sources constrain the sustainability of the water points. As a result, proper hygiene and sanitation behaviours are not common.

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Kandia's Community News

Thanks to the generous support of donors, we’re making great progress toward the well-being of children and their families. These are a few of the areas we focused on in the past year:

The Kandia community is located in the region of Kolda, 650 kilometres southeast of Dakar, the country's capital. Like most rural areas in Senegal, it is dotted with mud houses with thatched roofs.

The climate is characterized by the rainy season from June and October and the dry season from November to May, during which the cool, dust-laden harmattan winds blow across the area. Average temperatures are quite high, reaching 45℃ , but also dropping at times to 25℃ .

The population is composed predominantly of the nomadic Fulani ethnic group. Almost ¾ of the population are women and children under the age of 15. The main occupation is farming. Sorghum, maize, peanuts, and cotton are the main crops. The major sources of potable water in the area are traditional shallow wells, most of which dry up during the dry season. As a result, access to potable water remains the priority of the majority of the community.

5,898 individuals learned about child rights and protection issues to help ensure children's safety and participation
180 people learned how to work with local authorities and influence decisions to improve services and child well-being
36 community groups are engaging with local authorities to advance their rights and create positive changes for children
14 clubs are in place for children and youth to improve their learning through tutoring and extracurricular activities
2,300 children and youth were trained in essential life skills such as critical thinking, self-esteem and communication
108 teachers and volunteers learned child-friendly teaching methods to improve the quality of education for children
49 individuals including children are better equipped to protect themselves from disasters and respond to emergencies
187 malnourished children were enrolled in nutritional programs and monitored to ensure they are growing healthy
2,337 children and adults are members of savings groups, helping families meet their financial needs and access small loans
9 savings groups are helping children and adults save money and access loans to grow businesses or cover basic expenses
2,420 people were trained on practices to preserve and manage the environment and its resources

Education
To ensure children can access and benefit from quality education, World Vision will assist the community to:

Establish functional literacy classes for adults and adolescents.
Support the construction of primary and preschool classrooms, and ensure that they are equipped with drinking water and latrines.
Motivate students academic performance with scholarships and academic competitions.
Promote women and children's right to a more equitable education.
Help community leaders and parents committees acquire skills in project planning and management to lead development activities in their schools.

Health Care
With the partnership of Canadian sponsors and the community, World Vision will work to:

Promote preventive health measures, including home diagnosis and treatment practices.
Conduct medical consultations and immunization services by health post nurses on a regular basis.
Reinforce the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
Establish community health insurance programs so that people have access to funds to pay for the cost of transport, medicines, and health care when needs arise.

Food
To ensure parents in Kandia can provide for their families, World Vision will partner with the community to:

Increase the volume of grain, livestock, and vegetables produced, consumed, and sold by families.
Establish grain banks to assure steady food stock, quality seeds, and stable grain prices for farmers.
Help qualified entrepreneurs, groups, and households to access loans for tools and food processing equipment.
Organize economically viable micro-enterprises for families to raise their income with activities that can be done in the dry season, such as irrigated vegetable gardens.

Water and Sanitation
In partnership with families and sponsors, World Vision will work with the community to:

Increase the availability and accessibility to potable water supply for households, and for their livestock and gardening needs.
Train water committees in the management of potable water sources and support the installation of community water payment systems.

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current conditions

To protect the privacy of children, this map shows only the general area of the community, not the exact location.

Life cycle of a sponsorship community

Kandia, is in Phase 3

PHASE 3: Enhance sustainability

Children and families enjoy improved living conditions. They're ready to become independent and continue the work you helped start. We invite you to help another child and community!