When I went on vacation to Senegal in December 2025, I never would have thought that my life would take a new turn when I happened to end up at a daara.
A daara is a Quranic school where children study the Quran for part of the day. However, in Senegal there are different kinds of daaras. And many are “fake daaras” where children are forced to beg in order to enrich their Quran teacher, known as a marabout. They all live in extreme poverty, without medical care, hot water, food, or love… and most of them suffer abuse (physical, sexual, etc.).
When I first met these talibés, I was stunned by their profound sadness. The suffering I saw in their eyes was a wake-up call for me. I knew at that moment that it was my duty to help them.
So I’ve been traveling regularly to Mbour, staying in touch with these children, and trying, despite everything, to maintain a cordial relationship with their marabout. This is essential to ensuring I can continue being a part of the children’s lives.
During my visits, I’ve organized little trips to the beach and activities at the daara, which they absolutely love. It gives them a different perspective on the world and, above all, brings them comfort—even if only for a few hours.
Their daara is extremely dilapidated and dangerous, so thanks to the donations we received, the floor was completely renovated and new restrooms were installed, which gives them a greater sense of dignity.But there's still so much left to do...
The most important thing right now is providing food for these children. Because in addition to begging for the amount the marabout demands from them every day, they have to fight for themselves to get enough to eat.
So we started with hard-boiled eggs, and now a woman is cooking porridge for them (a kind of Senegalese rice pudding, very nutrient-rich), and we’re continuing with pasta and sauce. Slowly but surely!
Why give them that and not something else?
Because it’s the only thing the marabout won’t take away from them. Of course, at first we bought mattresses and mats so they wouldn’t have to sleep on the bare ground, sand, and dirt anymore, but when I visited last time, everything was gone. Including the toys, coloring books, paint, and so on...
But where are the parents?
Unfortunately, the children are entrusted to the daaras by their own parents, and often the parents have no contact with them for several years.
These parents believe they’re doing the right thing because, for them, learning their religion is the only thing that matters for their children’s future. Some are deceived by the Quran Teacher who promise a bright future for their children. And there are some parents who don’t care about their children and prefer to “give” them away for a while...
Sometimes children even never return to their families as some run away, disappear, or die... often at the hands of their marabout or even other talibé children.
