Batik, jams, shells

Where: Mbour, Medine

Who: Ong CPS

Thirty women cook, welcome, make art crafts with tourists

We are in the south of Senegal, Thies region, in the town of Mbour, quarter of Medine.Here the Ngo Cps, in association with a local "Group of economic interest" called EIG Boolo Suqali, promotes a tourism project working happily with 30 women protagonists. The very special day with them dissolves too fast, making juices, fruit preserves, batik and cous cous. Getting there, tourists are welcomed by the President Saly Diatta, explaining what the GIE is and introducing activities and members. Then, at the batik boutique, each guest chooses its favourite colour for the personalised batik scarves that will be donated at the end. And then at work: knotting, tying, dyeing, melting and washing. While the manager Khoudja Fall supervise!While the colourful batik creations are drying on the sun, whoever is curious to know the Senegalese kitchen’s secrets can spend time cooking with the "Restaurant Commission’s women”: of course the dish of the day is cous cous with onions and fish, served with juices made by the women of Boolo Suqali. Info at: www.cps-ong.it and www.viaggiacps.wordpress.com With the Ngo CPS it starts the 9 or 12 days trip going south. You can book through the Italian and the French tour operators Viaggi Solidali and Vision du Monde. You will visit the island of Gorée, sadly known as a slaves collecting town in colonial times, Mbour and its harbour plenty of colourful boats, the shells island of Joal Fadiouth. You will cross the Saloum Delta Park and sleep in the happy families of Sokone. You will relax in a rural village at Bao Balong Valley and then visit the lagoon of Somone, where to act as a welcoming committee there are thousands of species of birds and mangroves.

To know more, this is the complete Report about the Project. Areas of intervention: The EIG performs the following activities: - Sessions of batik dyeing and catering during trips of responsible tourism; - Cereals processing; - Local fruit processing into syrups and jams; - Vocational training courses in sewing, embroidery and hairdressing; - Management of the multipurpose center "Stefano della Valle" which houses all the Various income-generating activities of the GIE. The gain received with the processing of cereals, production of syrups and jams and dyeing batik, minus expenses, is shared as follows: 45% is intended as compensation to women who work and the remainder goes to the cashier of EIG. For the activities of responsible tourism, each tourist pays a share of 6000 FCFA, of which 1000 are divided between the working women as compensation and the remaining 5000 are in cashier. Structure and function of the EIG The EIG Boolo Suqali assembles members of the district of Médine Liberté, expanding district of the city of Mbour. The EIG is organized into four commissions by area of intervention: - Catering Commission - Batik dyeing Commission - Cereals processing Commission - Fruits processing Commission Genesis

The EIG was created in 2001 with the aim fo join forces to contribute to the economic and social development of the district of Médine Liberté (located approximately 2 km from the center of the city of Mbour) and improve the living conditions of the population through the promotion of income-generating activities. The EIG was officially founded in 2001 but even before there was such an attempt, by a group of 10-15 women who met every Thursday practicing the so-called "tontine" for the purchase of food and hygiene products , with the intent to support each other with small loans. The products were sold to women in the group through the form of microcredit, which would be returned the following week at a subsidized interest rate. With the "Development Fund 2011" (derived from the payment of a fee of EUR 70 for each tourist who participates in the activities of responsible tourism), a training of six (6) women in the GIE in the transformation of local fruit was financed for the production of juices and jams, plus working at the resort "Baia del Silenzio" and training in tailoring and hairdressing are carried on. The aim of these activities is to provide the women involved some economic autonomy, which would enable them to participate in the household expenses and the payment of any school fees of their children. As noted in this regard that families cannot always allow their children to attend school, due to the fact that very often only the head of the family works; in some cases even the father hasn’t a stable and lasting job, reason why children are destined to work activities while at school age. Then point to the economic value added by the mother, allows the family a major, albeit minimal, well-being that can prevent the children of working and allows them to going to school. Central is the EIG Boolo Suqali, the active and determining figure of the Director of the multipurpose center, Mrs Khoudja Fall, also treasurer of the EIG. Thanks to her, in fact, the center's activities are carried out with regular dedication and efficiency. She’s a central and highly motivating figure for all the women involved, as well as contact person for the CPS and the same EIG. She is strong, determined, although she received little formal education, but made by the all-day-life-school and involved in social life at 360 °. In addition to the EIG, in fact, Khoudja Fall is voluntary in many other projects in the neighborhood: from awareness to prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, monitoring the weight of the children to avoid malnutrition.

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