Pandion Supports Tougoupeul
The Tougoupeul projects started with the occasion of the birth of a homonym, Dirk Vanhoecke Gallo Dia in Senegal in December 2000. During a visit in 2005 we discovered that, like all children in the area, he didn't go to school, as there simply were no schools in the village. In 2007 the plans of the first project became concrete: the construction of a small school in Tougoupeul.
The following projects were started by VZW Tougoupeul:
Project 1: School Tougoupeul
Project 2: Dispensaire Mouït
Project 3: Scouts North Senegal
Project 4: National Park "Langue de Barbarie"
Project 5: Keur Xaleyi
Tougoupeul is based in Northern-Senegal. Projects in the neighbourhood of Saint-Louis. Tougoupeul and Mouit situated about 20km south of the old capital Saint Louis.
Project 1: School Tougoupeul
VZW tougoupeul built a school in 2007 and was fully operational from 2009, each year we provide the school with necessary school books, notebooks, stationary, slates and chalk, while maintaining the infrastructure. 'Plan International' (UNESCO) is following the school programs and teachers are being paid by the Senegalese government.
In April 2014 we started extending the school with a sanitary facility and since December 2014 VZW Tougoupeul is financing lunch at the school for all children, prepared by some parents. The number of pupils increases each year and an extension of the school is needed to support further growth.
Project 2: Dispensaire Mouït
In 2011 VZW Tougoupeul built a new Hospital in Tougoupeul which is since December 2015 part of the National Park LB. This means that the Ministry of Defence (authorized for the national parks) pays nursing staff while maintaining a good collaboration with the neighbouring field hospitals.
VZW Tougoupeul also pays nurse or pharmacy assistant training for local people. The hospital was extended with three extra rooms in 2019 and A new polyvalent room, for the project Keur Xaleyi, where children not going to school today, are having activities together, under guidance of teachers and medical personnel. They try to motivate children to go to school.
Project 3: Scouts North Senegal
The local scouts were an important support for our project in Mouït (field hospital) and thanks to the support of the Scouts and Guides of Flanders, we were able to finance some projects for the local "Scouts du Fleuve" of North-Senegal. In 2014, we built a small centre for them which received an extension of three extra rooms in 2019.
During summer of 2015, they organized a camp in the NP Langue de Barbarie (see new project). Scouts together with about 60 local children have plant mangrove, scattered rubbish in the park and made nest protection for the sea turtles. The Ministry of Youth came to visit, and requested to repeat this camp every year – which happens now, with support of VZW Tougoupeul.
Project 4: National Park "Langue de Barbarie"
VZW Tougoupeul has a contract with the government untill 2023 to make a new management plan for the National Park “Langue de Barbarie” (PNLB). This needs to be done because the ecosystem is completely changed since a beach has been developed in the Langue (2003) causing a big impact on the fish stocks and nature.
We support in creating the management plan by monitoring, analysing and defining the target species to create action plans which will benefit the nature and local fishermen.
In November and December 2015, VZW Tougoupeul let 2 Spanish biologists monitor, analyse and train local staff in the PNLB which helped in the development of the management plan.
The management plan for the PNLB was presented during the festivities of 40 years PNLB, in presence of the Minister for environment. In consultation with the local authorities and conservator of the PNLB, evaluation is done with action plans which might be financially supported by VZW Tougoupeul. Fish grounds with mangrove (planted by local scouts), are today the route to success increasing fish stocks in the area. It also attracts more birds. We also financed the new observatory close to the bird island.
How to support
VZW TOUGOUPEUL
IBAN: BE21 1430 9343 0303
BIC: GEBABEBB
VAT: BE0599.759.413
