New!

I am excited to report that a new project is starting up with the almudos in Senegal now (March 2003). It is not a Sidewalk Angels project but we hope to help support it through this website since, in its initial stages, it is very similar to what we propose below. Check back here soon to see the project outline and some photos of the almudos.

This is now online - Click here.

Sidewalk Angels Project

Current Activities

Sidewalk Angels is currently sponsoring three former almudos in school. Several more former almudos are awaiting sponsorship. This is a good and direct way to assist these children right now. Click here for more details.

Proposed Activities

This project is based on past experience of working with almudos. A detailed proposal would probably take 30 or 40 pages. What follows is a summary of projected activities. Please Contact if you have specific questions on any aspect of this project.

Children who will participate in the project - Almudos and talibes.

In The Gambia and Senegal people use the terms almudo and talibe more or less interchangeably to refer to the most common type of male street children. For the purposes of this project the two terms will be defined as follows; a talibe is a street boy attached to a marabout. An almudo is the more inclusive term for a male street child. He may be or may have been a talibe in the past. Almudos who are not talibes are more vulnerable as a result of the lack of adult supervision but almudos and talibes both have many of the same needs and face the same difficulties. On the streets they are indistinguishable. Almudo is the inclusive term, i.e. a street boy is an almudo. He may or may not be a talibe.

Location of the project

The project will take place in Dakar, Senegal, a city of about 2,000,000 people, located in West Africa. Dakar has probably the greatest concentration of almudos of any city in West Africa. There are probably five thousand almudos in Dakar. Their numbers are growing all the time and their circumstances become progressively more dangerous and difficult as their numbers increase.

There are 5 main parts to this project proposal:

1. Drop in center providing services - food, personal hygiene, medical care, and a playspace.
2. Communication program
3. Education program
4. Re-establishment program
5. Scholarship program

1. Drop-in center. After obtaining the necessary administrative permissions from the relevant government agencies, a modest drop-in center for almudos will be opened. Initially this will be focused on meeting the immediate needs of the almudos for basic necessities such as food, personal cleanliness and medical care. It will also enable us to establish relationships with the almudos, a requirement if other components of the project are to succeed.
2. Communication Program: This part of the project is already underway. It consists of this website. It is proposed to reflect the daily activities of the drop-in center on the website. Photos and when possible, streaming video, will be used to capture the immediacy of project activities at the drop-in center, ideally on a daily basis. There is no reason that digital photography cannot be used to provide updates and news on a daily basis. Supporters should be able to chat online with almudos. This online communication strategy is the single most innovative aspect of this project - immediate reporting of project activities and two-way communication between the kids and project supporters. A monthly newsletter will give regular summaries of services provided and report on project progress.
3. Education Program: There are two areas of primary significance here: Glue sniffing and other drug abuse and HIV/AIDs education. Solvent abuse in Senegal and The Gambia is called 'gensing' and is rapidly spreading among the almudos. Generally the children are unaware of the dangers posed by these two threats. Initially, information about drugs and HIV/AIDs will be made available at the drop-in center on an informal basis, as relationships are established. Early learners will form the basis of peer education teams that will spread this information more widely. Programs of functional literacy and numeracy will be implemented later as the opportunity arises. The almudos are keen to get some education. Sometimes they will even pool their meagre funds and hire someone to tutor them.
4. Re-establishment program to move almudos out of the city and back to their villages. This is the long-term goal of the project and will not begin until other components of the project are fully functioning. It is based on the reality that many of the almudos would return home if it were possible. This return is prevented by poverty in the villages and sometimes by simple lack of transportation. The best place for these children is at home in their rural villages with their families. Achieving this will not come about until good relationships are established with the marabouts and talibes as well as with other almudos and their parents. The basic activity here is the establishment of small income generating projects in the villages that are home to the almudos.
5. Scholarship Program: Almudos who leave the streets still need assistance in going to school. Usually this will be a simple matter of paying school fees. Click here to find out more about current sponsorship of almudos in school.

Some fundamental principles:

1. Start cheap and small and stay cheap and small. Growth should be organic. This is not a project for 5,000 kids. It will be a project for one kid at first, then 3, then 5 as the word spreads. The drop-in center needs a building on a compound large enough to provide a private play area. The building should be as simple as possible and located in an area that is easily accessible to the almudos. There are two fundamental principles here. A big expensive facility is not necessary. It also leads to unrealistic expectations about the potential of the project to enrich participants. A big expensive facility also distances the almudos from the project. They have nothing. A place with walls and a roof where they can get themselves clean and have their wounds tended and an area to play in are luxuries they currently live without. In administrative terms, one large center might be easier to manage. But with regard to establishing relationships of trust, a small center with a small clientele is better. If the number of almudos were to grow too large for a small center (say in excess of 100) it would be better to open another small center.

   Small and cheap is a significant departure from established practice, where large portions of the budget are allocated to vehicles, buildings, fans, air conditioners, office supplies and equipment and other kinds of generally accepted infrastructure. Most of this stuff is not needed except to provide comforts for project staff.

2. Communication through the web is essential. If the internet community is to support activities like this then they must be involved on a daily, immediate basis. We have the technology to do this. There is no longer any excuse for reports from the field every few months. We can report in words and pictures on a daily basis. The almudos are incredibly engaging children. To expose them on the internet will be to share their joys and difficulties and the amazing spirit with which they meet these. The world will be a better place if it gets to know the almudos.
3. Project timelines and activities will be dictated by project development. The project will grow according to how it is accepted by the almudos and the internet community. As the almudos push it to move, it will go ahead. In this way it becomes their project and will help them to meet their needs as they perceive them. They will not be led or pushed, they will be followed and supported. The project will offer information and options.

   It is expected that once the project is underway, it will be possible to fund it on a continuous basis through website revenues, which should increase once activities are being reported on and website visitors get a better sense of what is being done. Secondly, once a project is in place and working, outside funding can be solicited from other agencies. However, to get a project started means to have funding in place sufficient for at least 6 months. $20,000 is the minimum amount to begin this project.