Espoir des Enfants NAFOORE (EDEN) is a non-governmental organisation based in the region of Tamba Counda in Senegal, West Africa. EDEN was established by Mr. Ibrahima Ba in 2018 who already had extensive experience in the Aflatoun programme through another partner organisation. The NGO implements the Aflatot and Aflatoun programmes of social and financial education in primary schools, in order to promote financial skills and child-centred-learning methodology. The local association consists mainly of teachers, national education inspectors and school directors. The goals of the organisation are to promote Aflatoun clubs among the children in primary schools and to actively advocate for the integration of financial education into the primary education agenda in Senegal. The EDEN programme is reaching out to over 20.000 children.
As part of its advocacy activities for 2019, the association decided to organise an Aflatoun themed day, to extend the Aflatoun clubs in the remaining primary schools of Tamba and its rural areas. Through these activities, numerous teachers will be trained on Aflatoun’s methodology. Moreover, children will be encouraged to join the Aflatoun clubs in which the children will be in charge of the clubs’ daily management. These clubs will allow children to plan projects and learn the practice of saving.
In this light, EDEN organised a training day at Saré Issa school in Tamba Counda in Janaury. The teachers were trained on the Aflatoun methods and an Aflatoun club was set up. Implementing Aflatoun clubs are salient for children as they consider themselves as actors in charge and participate in the decision-making process by planning, implementing and budgeting their own activities. It also positively impacts the children’s development and growth by equipping them with the knowledge about their rights and responsibilities. For example, in Sare Issa primary school, the children decided to carry out a gardening activity and prepared a school trip to the island of Gorée to learn more about the history of Senegal during the slavery trade.
“Since Aflatoun activities have been implemented in my school, I noticed less and less absence of students and teachers. The students know better about their rights and often do not hesitate to ask why such teacher is absent.”
Director of primary school in Tamba
To learn more about Aflatoun’s global social and financial education movement and how you can join us, click this link: aflatoun.org/join/