Opening of a kindergarten class and a multimedia room in Lower Casamance

The Casamance region embodies a major paradox: it boasts one of the highest school enrollment rates in Senegal, yet it is among its poorest regions. More than one in three inhabitants lives below the poverty line.

The Bretagne Casamance association understood that going to school is not enough when living conditions remain precarious. Convinced that education is a lever for lasting reconstruction, this organization has been working with 11 schools in Lower Casamance since 2009.

The school in Baïla, a village 45km from Ziguinchor, opened in 1998 with 20 students and now has 200 students in 5 classrooms and a temporary building. The need to build and equip a sixth classroom has been identified as a priority to improve the learning conditions for the school's students.

Néma 2 middle school, located in a working-class and impoverished neighborhood of Ziguinchor, was built in 2008 and serves approximately 700 students in 14 classrooms. Since the Bretagne Casamance association funded the construction of two new classrooms and restrooms for girls in 2023, the school achieved one of the best results in Senegal on the national middle school diploma exam (end of 9th grade) in 2024. However, the school lacks a dedicated digital space, which limits students' access to this technology.

The Bretagne Casamance association, in partnership with the two schools, is taking a new step by setting up a kindergarten class in Baïla and a computer room in Néma 2.