The Senegal Initiative |
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by Karen Ujereh |
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About 95 percent of the people in the nation of Senegal are Muslim. Bill and Roberta A. Smith, the first United Methodist missionaries sent to Senegal by the General Board of Global Ministries, arrived in Dakar in May 1995. It took one year to get authorization to start work, which began in 1996. At that time, two other families arrived in Dakar: the Rowleys and the Streyffelers. In March 1998, the Ndjungu family came from the Democratic Republic of Congo to reinforce the team, and the Ujereh family arrived in September of the same year. Today, the Ndjungus and the Ujerehs are the only standard support missionaries remaining in Senegal. There is also one Missioner of Hope serving the initiative, the Rev. George Warner. Sunday services began in 1998 in the home of Alice Saperau. At that time, Alice was a lay preacher and a key person in the early life of the church in Senegal. (Alice is now married to the Rev. Ernest Lyles and resides in Shepherds- town, West Virginia.) The first congregation of Senegal was chartered on Pentecost in May 1998 by the Rev. Debbie Fisher from the Northern Illinois Annual Conference. Today, we have 16 preaching points in Senegal: two in Dakar, the capital city—Nord Foire and Grand Yoff; and 14 in the regions—Thies, St. Louis, Kaolack, Fimela, Yeyeme, Thiadiaye, Pecc Maxa, Mbassis, Nobandane, Fassana, Nianing, Pointe-Sarene, Louly, and Mbour. The church now has about 700 participants. Twelve lay preachers and some very committed local lay persons are working hard to establish The United Methodist Church in this land. The UMC in Senegal does not own a single building. All of our churches and different programs and ministries are performed in rented houses. We are appealing to people of good will to make donations to build a church in Senegal.
Pastors’ School of our pastors were trained as Assemblies of God pastors and need United Methodist history and doctrine. The other six pastors are attending a Bible school in Dakar. At present, the only ordained clergy are missionaries. The pastors’ school held in March 2004, was the first step in a process that will lead some of the candidates to ordination. The session began with a 3-day retreat at a Benedictine monastery called Keur Moussa. Pastors’ spouses participated in this retreat. Training focused on the Wesleyan tradition. Trainers came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, and Switzerland. Three Areas of Service
Christian Education The Wellness Program
We closed three of the five nutrition centers that we had because of financial constraints. We hope to reopen them as soon as the financial situation improves. It costs $5000 per year or $400 per month to run one nutrition center. The program provides food, salaries, and supplies. The Community-Based Health-Care Program helps poor people treat themselves without high cost. Thanks to the knowledge that Mbwizu Ndjungu (the coordinator of the Wellness Program) and her team acquired in India, people learn how to treat some common diseases with plants and herbs. Take for instance the case of Issa Sene, a 16-year-old boy. Guinea worms had infested his leg. At the hospital, he was told that the only way to save his life was to amputate his leg at a cost of $1500. With no money, he had no choice but to wait for death at home. However, thanks to the Wellness team, his leg was healed using a wild plant. Today, he is healthy and attends church in Mbassis. Economic Empowerment Women’s Skills Center For the 2003-2004 sewing year, we registered 6 third-year, 11 second-year, and 28 first-year students in the Dakar Center. On July 7, 2003, the Women’s Skills Center graduated its second class of three students. The three-year program often has difficulty getting students to return. Anta, Agnès, and Ndickou stuck with it and are now able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The three have similar stories. They all come from families of six to seven children. They all dropped out of school when they were 11 or 12. And thanks to the Economic Empowerment Programs, they are now able to earn a living and help with family expenses. Agnès is the oldest at 21 years old. She was awarded a Singer sewing machine because of her excellent work. Ndickou and Anta, 18 and 16 respectively, were given gifts of needles, thread, material, and other sewing notions to help get them started. We would like to thank the churches that donated sewing supplies: Jonesboro UMC Boy Scout Troop, Munholland UMC Vacation Bible School, and First UMC in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Each of the three young ladies live in Nord Foire, near the church. They hope to further their studies in the years to come by taking more advanced classes in dressmaking. In addition, they would like to take French literacy classes to help them communicate with a wider sector of the community. Micro-Credit Program Julianna left Ghana to join her husband, who was a political refugee living in Dakar. Felix had left Julianna and the children in 1989 because he feared for his life. He was given refugee status, which simply meant that he was allowed to remain in Senegal. Julianna joined him in 1998. Florence, on the other hand, left Ghana in 1997 in search of a better life. Sleeping on a freight train in Mauritania, she fell off while dreaming that the train had stopped and subsequently lost her leg. The two women met in 1999 as members of Grand Yoff United Methodist Church. They both buy items from Ghana and sell them in Dakar. They are also members of the micro-credit group, Association de la Grace in Dakar. Because of United Methodist giving and the Economic Empowerment Program in Senegal, they are able to pay rent, see a doctor when they are ill, purchase medicine, and buy food. Fitness Centers Prison Ministry Working in the prison this past year has been difficult. There are constraints on money, culture, and the well-being of the prison team. The main work of the team deals with reintegrating the released prisoners back into their families. Our work continues at Camp Penal and Rufisque, both prisons for women, and at Fort B and St. Louis, both for male youth. Our work with repeat offenders (prostitutes) has expanded and we are now in two locations, Colobane and Guediawaye. Our extension work with repeat offenders is fully funded by the Women’s Division. We were also given a grant to purchase sanitary supplies and to construct a shower for the prison in St. Louis. A Rooftop Success Shortly after the training, Mrs. Samb established her own garden on the roof of her family home. She has 15 office-sized vegetable tables (equivalent to five beds). She grows pepper, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and other local vegetables. Before showing interest and training in rooftop gardening technology, Mrs. Samb was unsuccessful in several trading ventures. She learned gardening so well and fast that Mr. Ka and Mr. Dieng paid her to help them establish their own gardens. More clients may be onthe way. Now she and her family eat better. She also sells some of her harvests, bringing more income into the family. Mrs. Samb has been a resource person in our subsequent training sessions and a role model.
Date posted: Sep 21, 2004 |
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The Mission Magazine of the United Methodist Church
