Projects
L’ EMOTION EST NEGRE, COMME LA RAISON HELLENE
(Senegalese proverb: Léopold Sédar Senghor)
African people have so much, the emotions, the country, the enthousiasm, the love,the pronouced happiness and beauty, but sometimes not enough money to meet western standards. And then courage, will power and hard work, just ain’t enough. We all have something, and we all miss something.
And that is where we come in. We get a piece of that emotion, that enthousiasm, that beauty and then it is only just, that we give something back.
The hotels Les Palétuviers have already helped out in quite a few important humanitarian projects during the past few years. And we will continue to do so. But, as far as possible, distributed on a larger area, namely Niombato, almost as large as a Belgian Province.
We are proud to tell you about the various projects which we could achieve thanks to your aid:
Operation Clear Water
The construction of a well and water catchment areas in Toubacouta: these wells provide the population of fresh water (the existing sinks was brackish water – half salt). Now, the people can focus on gardening. Their vegetable harvest is sold to the hotels. In this way a new crop can be sown, and the local population has an additional income. The achievement of these wells took 2.100.000 FCFA or €3.281.
Operation Hyena
The hyenas continuously violated the cemetery of the local population. Therefore, a solution was the construction of a wall around the cemetery.
The construction of the wall was a great success, the hyenas remained out of the wall. The cost amounted 5.000.000 FCFA or €7.810.
Operation Moskee
The construction of the great mosque was supported by a gift of 1.000.000 FCFA or €1.562. (The manager of the hotel will count on 60 virgin in the afterlife).
Operation Good Report
Together with 3000 travel agents, we help out with the development of the people and children. Customers also are free to bring clothing, medication, educational equipment, …
It’s also possible to buy educational equipment in the hotel. The yield is entirely used for helping out the schools.
By result, a lot more school pupils can afford to go to school, because their exercise books, pens and books are paid by the customer and/or the hotel.
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook wrote in its brochure:
Each client who resided in Senegal or in The Gambia in the summer of 1998, supported to the realisation of SCBL BAOBAB with 810 FCFA or €1,2.
St.Lambertuscollege in Toubacouta
Fraternization of the primary school of Toubacouta and the St. lambertuscollege of Ekeren (Belgium) 2001 2002
Restoration of the classes of primary school in 2001
Purchase of 220 mosquito nets in 2002
Purchase of a delivery table in 2002
Operation Kindergarten
Construction of the kindergarten ‘Baobab’ in Toubacouta (2002), and the daily providing of bread and milk for 130 children.
The kindergarten ‘Baobab’ was built by hotel Les Palétuviers in 2002, thanks to the financial gifts of tourists. Every day the children receive bread and milk. (fully paid by hotel Les Palétuviers). Per month, we need about 150.000 FCFA (€235) to be able to pay for everything
Operation technical school IMOV
Cooperation of the technical school in Toubacouta and the professional school IMOV at Ghent in Belgium (now SYNTRA).
Among other things, a container was sent (estimated value by the customs is € 125.000) by hotel Les Palétuviers and IMOV.
The container contained following gifts:
-Hospital equipment
-Material for the technical school
-Material for the primary school
-Clothing, medicines
-1 000 pairs of shoes which helps the people to protect themselves against the snakes, while working in the field, especially during the rainy season.
Operation Raise Funds
Financial aid to the institutions of the Waters and Forests and Hunting, the gendarmerie, the police and army 3.000.000 FCFA or € 4.687.
And certainly not to forget, the aid to the maintenance and repairs of these institutions, the giving of petrol in order to burn the dry fields and in this way to prevent major forest fires.
Operation Kitchen Garden
Project Keur Aliou Geye 2002 – Wells – Vegetable garden 1800 planten
Keur Aliou Gueye, a small village at 7 km of Toubacouta. A typical rural village, under the baobab and the mango trees. Thanks to the help of tourists, supporters and hotel Les Palétuviers, the small village now has a school and a vegetable garden. The majority of the harvest is sold to the hotel and in that way, the villagers earn an income and have the possibility to expand their gardens.
One of the many excursions organized by the hotel is a visit to this small village where we drink tea along with the villagers and visit the school and the garden.
The donations are used to purchase educational equipment, seeds and to pay the needs for the village (e.g. medical costs for the poorest people).
Operation Couscous
For the purchase of the generator for the couscous grain mill at Haidara (a small village at 15 km of Toubacouta)
Operation ‘kill that damn mousquito’
The fight against malaria 2002 – 2003
To help out the population in their fight against malaria, we try to buy a series of mosquito nets each year. Too many children die from malaria by a lack of prevention. A mosquito net easily costs 3.750 FCFA or €6.
We have already distributed 1.500 mosquito nets in the Toubacouta region.
Operation ‘Perpetuum Mobile’
Continuous projects
-Constant financial aid for the fight against malaria
-Provision of medicines, clothing, toys, educational equipment in surrounding villages
-Transport of the patients to the hospital of Sokone, by the lack of material in Toubacouta
-Financial aid to the social families in the case of emergency, disease and shortage of eating…
-Cultural week for the customers and the local population, folklore and distribution of meals to the villagers
-Financial aid for the local football and basketball teams
Footballs are bought for 1.000 FCFA and are sold for 1.500 FCFA. The benefits are used to help projects for young people.
Operation ‘It’s a boy!’
The maternity was complete renovated in 2003.
One of the future plans is to set up a room where the pregnant women and young mothers can come together to be provided more information about giving birth, hygiene, vaccination for the children…
Additional childbirth tables would be a great help for the future mothers.
Operatie ‘Nurse!’
The latest great project we have realized, is the modernization of the local hospital. There certainly was not enough equipment to be able to work in a good and hygienic level (shortage of microscope and other medical equipment, …). Also the construction of some new rooms, where the sick may remain under the supervision of a doctor contributes to a medical responsible and more rapid healing was very welcome.
The people of Toubacouta and the surrounding area thank you for all the help they have already received.
If you would want to contribute to these aid projects, there is the chance to give and to write in the Golden Book on the reception single-handedly or to carry out a payment to the account of non-profit association SOS NIOMBATO.
VZW SOS NIOMBATO
KBC 445 – 7627321 –81
Swift KREDBE 85
Nazareth Dorp 35
9810 Nazareth (Belgium)
The Senegalese people of the region Niombato would like to thank you.