in the background of this photo stands the maison de la gare, an old train station that is now a center for talibés.

from my thesis (concerning talibés):

“

There are children, called talibés, who are given over to Islamic leaders called marabouts. These young boys are given by parents who cannot afford to take care of them. The system has become very corrupt, the marabouts forcing the children to beg and then taking money from them, all in the name of Islam. These children are left hungry, malnourished, sleeping on the streets.“

working at this center was in addition to my other volunteer work and our primary responsibility was to love and play with the children.

at this center, i was part of the art program, helping kids to learn how to paint.

more photos of this center will probably follow.

revamp project here.

some friends of mine from senegal started a charity to better help the maison de la gare and the talibés–> Streets of Hope.