Students from Guédé Village High School give a thumbs up for the recent improvements at their school.
Andando has had the privilege of partnering with schools at all levels, from kindergarten through high school. This year, that meant supporting two schools on opposite sides of the country and at very different points in Senegal’s educational story. At Ndiédieng Elementary School, aging colonial-era buildings had left students learning in hastily built temporary spaces. At Guédé Village High School, one of the country’s newest schools, inadequate facilities and rising enrollment had created major barriers to education.
One of the temporary classrooms at Ndiédieng Elementary School which are now no longer in use.
Overcrowded or deteriorating classrooms make learning harder. Students lack desks and textbooks, teachers have less ability to manage the room, and constant exposure to heat, dust, and rain undermines concentration. Too few bathrooms create another serious barrier, especially for girls, who often miss school when menstruation cannot be managed with privacy and dignity. These are the kinds of conditions that keep children from enrolling and make it harder for them to stay in school once they do.
Aliou Ba (left), and Seynabou Ngom (right), top of their class, spoke at the inauguration of the new classrooms.
Though these schools exist in very different local contexts, they ultimately needed the same thing: infrastructure that could keep pace with growing demand. That is why Andando constructed two new fully furnished classrooms at each school, along with bathroom improvements and new facilities to help ensure that children can attend school in conditions that support both learning and dignity. At Guédé Village High School, one teacher described the impact this way:
“Before your arrival the situation was very complicated because classes were overcrowded. They used to sit generally 3 students at a table and it was very difficult for us to deal with. With the arrival of Andando and the building of these two classrooms, it’s a sigh of relief.”
Bright and comfortable new classrooms give students at Guédé Village High School a better learning environment.
