Sora
Sora is an organization of volunteers committed to quality healthcare and education in the village of Daga-Youndoum Bambara, Senegal. The development of the child is paramount in every project of Sora in the region. To improve the wellbeing of the Daga inhabitants, Sora organizes several annual fundraising activities in Belgium.
Humanitarian project in Daga-Youndoum Bambara
In Senegal, Sora strives to reduce child and maternal mortality. Furthermore, the organization strives for affordable and accessible healthcare, especially for people from remote areas. The very first project Sora started in 2006, was the construction of a local hospital called Dioula Nana Dramé in the village of Daga-Youndoum Bambara, 37 km from the city of Kaolack. Daga-Youndoum Bambara, which has approximately 1400 inhabitants, is an agricultural village with scarce facilities. The Dioula Nana Dramé hospital is designed to meet the basic medical needs of the patients and is therefore equipped with a minimum of medical equipment, running water and solar panels. Currently, the hospital provides assistance for childbirth, pre- and postnatal counseling, birth planning, vaccination, diagnosis and basic treatment.
The hospital pharmacy provides the necessary medication. The Ministry of Health and Prevention has employed permanent and paid staff. For a small fee, both the ambulatory patient and the hospitalized patient receive the necessary care from a head nurse, midwife and a pharmacist. A second-hand ambulance available for emergencies.
Over the past 15 years, the health status of the inhabitants of Daga and the surrounding area has improved remarkably. The mortality rate of children and mothers during / shortly after the birth is almost zero.
Sora wants to improve the learning and development opportunities of children
The primary school of Daga-Youndom Bambara was founded in 1957. Between 1957 and now, only two classrooms have been added to the building. The school is intensively used by 550 students, 400 of whom are from Daga-Youndoum Bambara and 150 from the 12 neighboring villages. In 2015, Sora started renovating this primary school by performing paint work inside and outside, renovating windows and doors, repairing school desks, applying educational murals and installing a computer class. In 2018 Sora started to build a wall around the primary school to guarantee the safety and privacy of the school children.
In 2020, Sora takes on a new challenge: the construction of a secondary school in Daga-Youndoum.
Currently, the children of Daga and the surrounding villages have to walk 20 kilometers per day to the nearest secondary school. That journey is often too far and too dangerous to undertake, which means that many parents keep their children at home after leaving primary school. Sora hopes to improve the development opportunities of the young people in Daga-Youndoum Bambara by constructing a secondary school in their own neighborhood.
Every project of Sora in Daga-Youndoum Bambara is carried out in close collaboration with the inhabitants of the village and the local authorities. Sora believes that cocreation is the best way to find sustainable development solutions.
Other realizations of Sora
A container with medical equipment intended for various Senegalese medical centers, is regularly shipped by Sora from Belgium to Senegal.
Every year, Sora organizes a 'medical day' in and around the hospital Dioula Nana Dramé in Daga-Youndoum Bambara. On this day, Senegalese doctors and nurses, trained in various disciplines (geriatrics, paediatrics, cardiology, ophthalmology, infectious diseases, stomatology) hold free consultations. Medication is also freely accessible for the inhabitants of Daga-Youndoum Bambara and the surrounding villages.
The projects of Sora in Sengal are open to volunteers and students from the educational field and the hospital world (e.g. internship, volunteer work…).
Immersion trip
If you’re interested in the projects of Sora in Senegal, you can join to organization during their annual trip during the Easter holidays.
Support
Our project receives financial support from, among others, the province of West Flanders. With the help of many volunteers, Sora organizes annual fundraising activities. Sora is always happy to welcome new, motivated volunteers who are interested in education and health care. Sora is also looking for additional financial resources for the daily operation and maintenance of the hospital, the purchase of medical equipment, a container transport with medical and educational material, the organization of a 'medical day' in Daga (purchase of medication and drinking water, transport costs and facilities, doctors), the construction and operation of the secondary school in Daga.
Do you want publicity in return? Please contact us to learn about the terms and conditions.
Fundraising activities in Belgium:
Easter egg sale during Lent 2020
Soirée Sénégalaise on 16 May 2020 in Hooglede
Sora Senegal on 17 October 2020 in Hooglede
Promotional stand of Sora during various activities at different locations
www.sorasenegal.com
Facebook: Sora in Senegal
Godfather: Brecht Dejaegere (KAA Ghent)
