Village Pilote Gives Street Kids New Hope

Group photo with Ambassador Lukens (Dpt of State)

On Monday, February 6, Ambassador and Mrs. Lukens visited Village Pilote in Lac Rose.  The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr. Henderson Patrick, Mission Director of USAID/Senegal, and other members of the U.S. Embassy in Dakar.  Village Pilote is an NGO that provides food, shelter, education, and vocational training for runaway talibés (Quranic students) and street children.  Village Pilote has been operating in Senegal for almost twenty years and runs two centers, one in the Dakar suburb of Pikine and one close to Lac Rose.

The Village Pilote center in Lac Rose houses 20 to 25 young men between the ages of 18 and 25.  Most of these young men are former talibés that have lived on the streets of Dakar for many years, often having had various run-ins with law enforcement officials.  Most do not know how to read or write.  Village Pilote provides them with basic reading, writing, and math skills.  All learning is geared towards vocational training.  The young men learn words and commands in French useful in masonry, carpentry, construction, farming, etc.  They also receive job skills training in each of these areas.  Village Pilote helps them find internships which frequently lead to full-time employment and self-sufficient, independent living.  “The most gratifying part of this work,” said Loic Treguy, a co-founder of Village Pilote, “is when a former resident of Village Pilote visits the center to show that he is now employed and a productive member of society.”

Ambassador Lukens’ visit to Village Pilote was an important part of understanding the large and complex problem of children begging on the street.   His visit also demonstrates the U.S. government’s commitment to help stop the illegal trafficking of children in Senegal and the region.