Abdoulaye quit his job in the supermarket warehouse after having been offered an internship at a bank as a teller. Certainly I encouraged him to go after it, as did others, and fortunately he landed the position. With a 70% unemployment rate in the country, landing any job is a feat, so we are very excited that he went from one official job to another. Of those employed in this country (the 30%), the majority work as peddlars or maids and are not in officially recognized positions. The internship is two months long, and Ablaye began in February; so he will finish at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, he had to move to the north of the country to a small town about 6 hours away from Dakar. He knew no one when he moved, but has since met some other young, educated contemporaries. We text or call about twice a week, and he is thinking about coming to Dakar this weekend. The internship, however, does NOT guarantee a position afterwards; his fate will be determined by the bank’s demand. Moreover, he could be placed anywhere in the country. We are crossing our fingers he lands a position after the internship, and if the stars align, it’ll be here in Dakar. He gets paid about half of what he made at the supermarket warehouse for the internship, and will not receive any money until the end of February. As one can imagine, relocating to an unknown city, finding lodging and furnishing, and forced to buy new clothes (he only owned jeans and sneakers previously), was an impossible task for him; and that was just to have the opportunity! Needless to say, some of the money collected went to help him with those costs. After all, it’s all designed to help him become self sufficient, and is an investment in his future. Meanwhile, he is trying to continue to offer moral if not financial support to his siblings and parents, as he is the eldest child.
His brother Ousmane and their childhood village friend Malick still live in the bedroom here in Dakar that they were renting. Malick contributes about a third to the rent and fees, and Abdoulaye was and continues to contribute the remainder, as Ousmane does not have a job and is a full-time student at the university. Ousmane has been hanging out with me since his brother left, and when possible, I make him dinner or give him bus fare--things Ablaye would normally do. Finally, they are being forced out of the room they rent because the landlord will use it for her family. Ousmane has been looking for three weeks now and has been unsuccessful at finding a room with electricity (but of course without water or their own bathroom) within their budget of 30,000CFA ($60/month). Yesterday I saw an ad for a room in a decent area for 55,000CFA ($110) and that is just for one room, no private bathroom. Yet the extra 25,000CFA ($50/month) is well beyond their reach. And landlords here are exploiting the overcrowded market which forces people to go hungry in order to pay rent or drives them into the outlying slums, which makes it all the more difficult for them to commute back to the city daily for job or school opportunities. I must note though, that not once, has either brother asked for anything; they accept their situation yet are grateful when aid is extended.
Our original goal was to raise money for transport--a taxi or minivan. If Abdoulaye lands a permanent bank position, the transport idea can still function as a second income since he supports around 10 people in the family. The first step is for him to get a driver’s license, which with driving school, fees, and necessary bribes to government officials to actually procure the documents, is about $300. A permit to be a chauffeur/taxi driver is another $100, but that comes about 6 months after having the driver’s license. We have decided to wait until he returns after the internship or settles in a new city with a permanent position before he starts driving school. So far, we have collected about $1800 for Abdoulaye, with about $200 spent on the above mentioned relocation/job costs. That leaves us with about $1600, with an original goal of $6300. If you can help at any level, please send a check payable to me with Ablaye’s name in the memo space, and send the check to: Elias J. Khalil, Fulbright Teacher / 2130 Dakar Place / Dulles, VA 20189-2130. If you can, email me at eliasjkhalil@yahoo.com to let me know you put something in the mail so I can look for it at the Embassy.
As for Zacheria, he is still diligently working here at the building as a security guard, still making only $150/month, or about $.65/hour. He is doing well, and we are hanging out alot as well.
Today he and I put a deposit down for driving school for him. He will start this week and it will take about a month to get his license. His goal was either a taxi or cattle. Unfortunately, we have not raised much for him; about $400. The bulk of that will go towards his license. I believe having your driver’s and chauffeur’s license opens up otherwise closed doors here in Senegal, so the money is well spent. Nonetheless, a taxi for him will be difficult to procure at the current rate of money collection. He would be very content though retruning to the village to raise cattle and live off the land. That again, would cost around $1500, a sum that seems realistic.
As an alternative, I have thought about trying to take the money raised, use it as a down payment on a vehicle, and have the two guys go into business together. I have mentioned the idea to Ablaye; he is open to it. I have yet to say anything to Zacheria. I want to see how the fundraising turns out by May/June. As with Abalye, if you can help Zacheria at any level, please send a check payable to me with Zach’s name in the memo space, and send the check to: Elias J. Khalil, Fulbright Teacher / 2130 Dakar Place / Dulles, VA 20189-2130. If you can, email me at eliasjkhalil@yahoo.com to let me know you put something in the mail so I can look for it at the Embassy.
Thanks again for your attention and generosity.
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