News from Maison de la Gare
Excursion to Bango
Tweeter
A step towards a balanced and healthy life
Maison de la Gare works to give the talibé children a
better understanding of their 
environment and of the world beyond their lives in their daaras and on
the streets. Thanks to the support of Maison de la Gare's international partners, excursions are
included in the curriculum of the children who come regularly to the organization's centre in Saint Louis, and
this allows them to feel involved in the broader Senegalese community. Such excursions are particularly
valuable for these children who live in very difficult circumstances and are not able to take charge of
their own learning.
In this context Bouri MBodj, a teacher in Maison de la Gare's centre, organized a field trip to Bango
on the banks of the Senegal River so that the children could experience the amazing diversity of this
place that is only a few tens of kilometers from Saint Louis.
For many of these children, this was the first time that they had had such an experience. Bango is
one of the extensions of the Saint Louis region, stretching northward on the right bank of the Senegal
River. 
The area has been populated over time by the Peulh community, but it is also important for
all Senegalese. The largest military training center in Senegal is in Bango, and half of the country's
fruit crop comes from the area. The Bango region is particularly notable for its biodiversity,
reflecting both the close proximity of the Senegal River and the open spaces which have been preserved
for natural vegetation and animals such as monkeys, warthogs and hippopotamuses.
Mangrove trees are
found along the river, together with the great variety of
aquatic species which they harbour.
After completing our visit, we spent time with the children to help them to understand and
retain what they had learned about this area and its environment. They learned the meaning and
significance of words and concepts including mangroves, fish nests, riverbed, and degradation of
arable areas. The correct answers which the children gave to Bouri and to Bineta Coly,
MDG's nurse
who had accompanied them, showed that they had learned well from this experience.
And after the explanations, we took action! We illustrated the value of nature during a session on
tooth brushing - information for example on the type of wood to be used. There are species around
us that can heal the body without a lot of expense, such as the "kad" fruit tree that produces
tamarind and of which the wood bleeds a fluid that hardens the enamel of teeth. Many children took
advantage of twigs from this tree to brush their teeth.
At the end of the day, we celebrated with a well-earned lunch break, and all of the children returned
to Saint Louis with some positive ideas and a better understanding of the environment that they live in.
It was a wonderful day for children and young people of Maison de la Gare's center!
