One of our primary partners in Senegal is the Evangelical Baptist Church. During Study Term approximately half of our students are hosted by members of the church and our indispensable local coordinator Christine Yanon and her family, David and Nathan, are members as well. Along with attending services and living…
A visit north took us to the service sites for Ally and Theodore in St. Louis and Katrina and Dominique in Ndonba, a village near Richard Toll. Ally and Theodore have been spending time at Yoonu Njub a socio-cultural mission outreach center of the evangelical church. The center provides…
During study term, we spent one morning at a daara in Thiès. Daaras are Koranic schools and have become a widespread part of community life since the arrival of Islam in the country. Originally part of village life, parents would send children, typically boys, to work in fields around…
Our first service visit this summer was to Grand Mbao where Ben and Christina are living for service term. Grand Mbao has become something of a suburb of Dakar. A one time fishing village, it is nestled on the coast just east of the capital city. Narrow sandy streets…
Over the weekend and into the early days of this week students departed for service. Alex and Erin stayed in Thiès where they are serving at the Bartime Hospital, a project funded by Mission Inter-Senegal (MISE). Micah left for Dakar where he is serving at an orphanage caring for…
On May 22 and 23 we spent time experiencing the arts in Senegal, specifically music and dance. On Thursday we visited the Centre Culturele Blaise Senghor in Dakar. At the center we were hosted by professional musicians and dancers. Some of us played music and others danced under the…
Our third week started out with a lecture on religion in Senegal. Then on Wednesday we traveled to the holy city of Touba where we toured the main Mosque of the Mouride brotherhood. The Mouride brotherhood is an Islamic Sufi order that was founded in 1883 in Senegal by…
On the 15th and 16th of May, we traveled to Dakar to visit Gorée Island and learn more about the impact of slavery both domestically, in Senegal, and in terms of the role that memorials like Gorée Island play for the African Diaspora and other inheritors of the colonial…
Part of SST is developing close relationships with the cohort of people who are encountering the unfamiliar with you. During Study we gather three times for an evening meal at David and Kendra’s home to affirm and celebrate that collective experience. In small groups, students are tasked with shopping…
Much of SST is about being present in a different context of everyday life. Grace is being present in the Neto household. Dominique is being present in the Diop household.
