I am Arouna Kandé

A talibé shares his life experience, and the role played by Maison de la Gare

My name is Arouna and I am a talibé and Assistant to the administration of Maison de la Gare. I grew up in Kolda in Casamance in southern Senegal. I was entrusted to a daara of I left Saint-Louis in 2006 at the age of nine to continue my studies of the Quran. I had left behind my parents and my three younger sisters, who are still in my thoughts. And I have been orphaned since.

As soon as I arrived in Saint-Louis, I saw children everywhere in the city with pots in their hands, wandering around barefoot in torn and dirty clothes, unable to wash or get medical care. I thought to myself: "What kind of world is this? What's the point? Why live when it was no longer possible to be yourself?"

I was sad from sunrise to sunset, my hands in my trouser pockets. At those times, my thoughts turned to my family. Ah!!! With my family, I would have discussed things, I would have given my point of view. But among all the marabouts, I was, like all children, a slave.

After three years of ordeal, I came across an association called Maison de la Gare. I learned about it from one of my classmates who passed by the center every day.

Maison de la Gare is a non-profit, apolitical and secular association, founded in 2007 by a group of Senegalese people driven by the desire to improve the living conditions of talibés in their country, Senegal. Maison de la Gare aims to help talibés integrate into Senegalese life both socially and professionally by giving them access to education, information on professional training and sports or artistic activities.

From my first day at the center, I saw lots of children inside. Others were in the classrooms, the infirmary and the library where they took their showers. It was unimaginable to see all the talibés in the center as if they were with their families. After a week, I started literacy classes with Bouri Chérif Mbodj as my French teacher. I spent the mornings at the center to wash and sometimes to take care of myself. And I came back in the evenings, again to take math, French, history and geography classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And from Thursday to Friday, we organized soccer matches with other children from the city of Saint-Louis; sports contribute a lot to the development of children, so that they can better prepare for their future.

In just three years, I mastered basic grammar. Finally, I told President Issa Kouyaté that I wanted to go to middle school. He asked me, "Arouna! Are you afraid to speak in class?" I replied, "No." Then he asked me, "Arouna! Are you afraid to play with your classmates?" Again, I replied, "No." He enrolled me in a public school called CEM Amadou Fara Mbodj, a school located north of Saint-Louis.

At the age of only sixteen, I had accumulated the knowledge to become a leader and role model among the talibés. I devoted myself to my studies and often skipped soccer games or activities in favor of my studies. I worked occasionally in my daara by moonlight until midnight. Despite my experience on the streets, no one forced me to beg; I had always dedicated time to providing a small quota of money for my marabout. To do this, I sold fish at the local market that I found on the banks of the Senegal River, discarded by fishermen. Yet, I always had time to look after the young talibés. I was also available to help out with the chores we often do in the center.

Beyond even the questions of life in the daara, I asked myself the question of life after the daara: what should I What can I do in life if I don't speak French (the official language in Senegal) and I don't have any professional skills? The best become marabouts in their turn or teachers of the Arabic language, but what about the rest? Throughout my childhood, the age when we learn about life in society, I was excluded from everyone, because of my smell, my clothes and the fear of the parents of other children. I also lacked the skills necessary to look for a job, even if it was precarious!

Today's youth is tomorrow's society, they say. What kind of society are we building like this? Let's not kid ourselves; a Muslim education must be complemented by technical skills! The truth is, if I find myself once I reach adulthood Without skills or employment, I will be lost to society and will join the ranks of outlaws.

Maison de la Gare provides me with a family environment. I am also encouraged to communicate with my correspondents in Canada via the Internet, by the volunteers of Maison de la Gare who know my qualities and my potential.

I and so many other children like me are the future of Senegal.

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