Development and Promotion of Academic Success in the Nyassia District – Phase 2

Socalux is an association created in 2016 which aims to achieve academic success for all children in the Ziguinchor region.

To do this, the organization supports children in 3 areas:

The “school scholarship” component

The “health at school” component

The “pedagogical support” component.

Context

While the vast majority of children in the Casamance region are now enrolled in school, keeping students in school until the end of their cycle often remains a challenge. Indeed, children’s learning difficulties, the poor perception of the value of school by heads of households, the costs associated with schooling, and the need for labor for household chores often lead families to withdraw their children from school. Poor learning conditions also push some young people to abandon their studies. In fact, only 23.7% of schools had access to electricity in 2016. Furthermore, girls face particular difficulties: access to comfortable and hygienic sanitation is not guaranteed in all schools. Thus, it is not uncommon to see girls drop out of school because they cannot maintain adequate menstrual hygiene. The issue of safety, especially on their way to school, is also a recurring concern for them.

The mission

General objective: To contribute to the improvement of academic performance in the department of Ziguinchor

Specific objective: To improve learning conditions in the Nyassia district

Expected results and activities implemented

Result 1 – Children in the Nyassia district significantly improve their academic results

Activities

Identify the beneficiary children

Awarding school scholarships

Organize educational reinforcement courses

Organize introductory computer sessions

Organize days of excellence

Organize the academic monitoring of students

Result 2 – Children in the Nyassia district have strengthened their reproductive health skills.

Activities

Organize conferences on menstrual hygiene management followed by the distribution of sanitary pads.

Organize awareness-raising conferences on various key themes for young people (reproductive health, unintended pregnancies in schools, violence in schools, youth volunteering and civic engagement, etc.)

Set up a system of home health visits and a health insurance plan for students

Result 3 – The organizational development of the Socalux association is strengthened

Activities

Organize reinforcement sessions on the implementation of accounting systems, project cycle management, data monitoring and collection, and reporting.

Strengthening the Socalux team’s capacity in community health, team management and resource mobilization

Train the team in organizational development, and in change and impact management

Beneficiaries

The project will directly benefit 200 young people. These are young people from rural areas who either have high academic achievement or are in vulnerable situations. They will therefore receive subsidies based on their merit or because of their precarious circumstances.

The project will also benefit 2,000 students through awareness sessions on various topics, 300 students through health insurance, and 500 parents. These students come from different schools in the area, along with some parents.

Here are the direct beneficiaries in more detail:

• 200 students for academic support activities (scholarships, educational reinforcement, etc.)
• 930 students for computer science courses
• 500 students from schools in the Nyassia district for reproductive health awareness
• 500 parents of students
• 17 members of the Socalux association for skills development

And the indirect beneficiaries:

• 8000 students
• 1400 family units (parents + children).