Men looking for a better life...

INTERVIEW-Senegal boatmen lead new migrant assault on Europe

Thu 17 May 2007 8:59 AM ET

By Pascal Fletcher

DAKAR, May 17 (Reuters) - Blessed by local Muslim holy men and ferried by Senegalese fishermen, hundreds of illegal migrants are once again pushing off daily from West Africa's shores in a renewed sea-borne assault on "fortress Europe".

Packed into the slim, brightly-painted open wooden fishing boats found on most West African beaches, well over 1,000 came ashore in the Spanish Canary Islands over the last week in what experts say was the starting gun of the latest migrant exodus.

"The season has started ... it seems the word is out that it's time to go again," Laurent de Boeck, the acting regional representative for West and Central Africa of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told Reuters on Thursday.

Experts believe lighter winds and calmer seas after months of heavy trade winds may have triggered last week's departures.

From the parched Cape Verde Islands and the desert coasts of North Africa to the jungle creeks of the Guinea coast, Spanish and Italian planes and patrol boats are gearing up for another cat-and-mouse interception mission to try to halt the migrants.

Although the 3,000 migrants who have reached the Canaries this year represent a third of last year's arrival rate -- a decrease attributed to adverse weather and increased patrolling -- experts fear last week's heavy influx heralds a fresh flood.

Spain stands in the front line of the migrant invasion -- more than 30,000 came ashore in the Canaries last year. Madrid has made strenuous diplomatic efforts to persuade West African governments from Mauritania to Guinea to try to stem the clandestine departures in return for increased development aid.

But, de Boeck admits, the European-African response to the migrant problem is still struggling to make an impact: "It's certainly not sufficient and there is need for more support."

Neither the risks of the long ocean voyages, which often end in death at sea for the migrants, nor the increased patrolling seem to deter young Africans and their families who dream of a job in Europe as the key to a better life.

"Most believe that Europe is still the place to be, that you earn more in a month there than in a year here, that there are jobs everywhere, that people are welcoming," de Boeck said.

In Senegal, migration to Europe by any means is viewed as a coveted mark of social prestige and fishermen were abandoning their nets to recruit and carry a much more lucrative human cargo paying up to 700,000 CFA francs ($1,443) each for a place.



BIGGER BOATS

The migrant vessels, local fishing boats known as "pirogues" tillered by experienced mariners, were also getting bigger.

"They keep taking more people. Since they may have already succeeded with 15, they now try with more than 100 (in each boat)," de Boeck said, referring to the recent arrivals.

Departures were organised by word of mouth in local communities, with passengers paying in advance and often being summoned at short notice for fast, night time getaways.

Local Muslim holy men known as "marabouts" were regularly consulted by the migrant smugglers, de Boeck said.

"The marabouts ... are the ones who decide when the boat can go ... whether it's the right day, whether it's a good moon. They bless the people the day they leave," he said.

He believed the Spanish government, under pressure at home where immigration is a hot political issue, would seek to swiftly repatriate the latest Canaries arrivals to send a blunt message to Africa that clandestine entry would not be tolerated.

"Unfortunately, the more people arrive illegally, the more European countries will close their borders and give fewer visas to migrate legally, so it's a vicious circle," de Boeck said.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Who Dat?

This is a one of my favorite photos' from Senegal.
That is a fork that I'm holding. You notice the boys eating peanuts and who's doing the work???
;)

Live from New York!

Well not really...but I'm live from Goshen Indiana. Where in the world is Goshen you ask? I really don't know either...i just followed my map quest map in the dark on Thursday night....
I'm at a conference for a people group in West Africa. It's so cool to be with people who all have a common interest and that is reaching the unreached. Tonight we had a great buffet and even had 'attaya'...Senegalese tea after dinner.
This weekend i have the great honor of speaking at my cousin's church in Michigan. I'm excited about this opportunity knowing that I get to speak about what is on my heart. Plus, Denny is one of my favorite cousins. I still remember as a kid revering him because he was a 'very good' catcher in baseball and he had offers for tryouts with a few major league teams. Back problems, cut his career short.
But, now I have even more admiration for him because he's in a pretty difficult position...a pastor. Us sheep need much tending.
I am honored and humbled to speak there on Sunday.

Develop ( gain through experience)

I recently looked up the definition of develop. There are many definitions. One is to gain through experience. Isn't that what life is? I can't tell you you how many times I have said to myself....'if i only knew then ...what I know now"
I was thinking about how this relates to West Africa. Many don't even have the chance to know now or ever...if someone doesn't tell them. It's like your parents never telling you that you will have to take a bath. If your not told...how can you know?
The things that are going on in most of Africa is truly amazing. Christianity is growing so fast in some countries that leaders can't be developed fast enough.
But, in some parts of Africa...that is not the case. North Africa is closed to any missionaries..in fact it's down right dangerous to claim you are a follower of Christ. So, then I ask who is going to tell them? Who is going to help them develop?

The 10/40 window Some of you might have heard of this....but here's some facts about the 10/40 window.

World evangelism statistics: Of the 55 least evangelized countries, 97% of their population lives within the Ten Forty Window.

Unless something changes soon, most of these unreached people will never hear the Gospel. Why? It's estimated that only about one and a quarter percent ( 1.25% )of Christian mission giving is going to missions work in the 10/40 Window.

What will you do to change this? Experience is what people need to develop.

Serer -Sine people

I'd like to introduce you to the people group that i have been building relationships with.



Introduction / History
The Sereer society is built upon strong family ties and tradition. Farmers and herders, the Sereer live on a subsistence basis, relying on good crop yields for a prosperous year. The men cultivate peanuts and millet for the subsistence of his family and community. After this season the men often go to the cities to work. There is often a network of friends and family in the city for men to live with. When the growing season is over for the main crops, women plant gardens of peas, okra, onions and tomatoes on her husband's land or a small plot of her own. She may form irrigation ditches around these plantings or carry the water to the garden herself.

While the men leave for the city to work, women stay at home caring for her family. The women work very hard, starting before daybreak preparing breakfast and working far into the evening preparing dinner and cleaning. They haul water, work in fields, and care for nursing infants. Young girls are expected to care for their siblings while the boys work in the fields with their father.

Celebrations among the Sereer include marriages and baby naming ceremonies. Both of these celebrations involve feasts and gifts of money. The Sereer enjoy song and dance and it is not limited to special occasions. Funerals are a process that starts when a person dies. Wailing and mourning continues until the burial. A month later a feast is given for the friends and family of the deceased.


Beliefs
Most Sereer adhere to traditional beliefs while some have converted to Islam and about 15% are Roman Catholic. The Sereer have been very gradual in accepting religions outside of their traditional beliefs. Even though people claim to have accepted Islam there are still many traditional beliefs included. Combining these two systems of beliefs is called "folk Islam". All systems of belief among the Sereer include a type of charm. The Muslims wear a picture of a Marabou (a holy Islamic man) and a portion of Quaranic scripture in their charm. This is believed to give the charm power and bless the wearer. Catholic believers wear a necklace with a picture of Christ or a Diocese in their charm. Animists wear a charm with a bone, shell or dried portion of an animal or ancestor who died long ago. Pray that the Sereer may find the true freedom in Christ. There is little isolation or persecution of those who turn from traditional beliefs. This is unusual and special among the various Senegalese groups. Pray that the Sereer will embrace this freedom and start churches that will grow and reproduce in cities and villages.

Life and Times of a Developer

These days are interesting...
Returning from Senegal always takes a bit of time to re-adjust to life here in the states. The rat race of life....of schedules...that meet on time(unlike in Senegal)...family life....business...and of course carving out what's left for God.
This years personal goals where to find more solitude and to begin the process of simplflying life. As we are ending the first quarter of the year...it's time to evaluate.
Solitude- where and when do you find it? At the end of the day as you lay in bed trying very hard to keep your eyes open? The morning when you are thinking about the day ahead and all that it brings? How bout lunch time? Nah...too busy eating lunch and accomplishing something else while I eat. you know what? I'm not doing very good with this to be honest. While our family has taken up backpacking and hiking...I look forward to some quiet time in the woods. But to find solitude on an every day basis is a struggle. I will continue to strive forward and pray for solitude.
Simplification- Oh yes...as a good American ....why simplify? I have all these things at my finger tips to help me simplify. You know...things like the salad shooter and the microwave. Oh how I long to simplify. While I admit, my better half is so good as this...I have a loooong way to go.
Let me tell you...the life in Senegal is so simple. I envy their way of living simply. I learn so much about that when I travel there.

These days are good. God is so good. We should be down on our knees every minute of the day.
I was thinking yesterday, looking at the sun. Just think for a minute. The creator of that sun. That sun that makes every living thing exist. I really connected that the sun(son) and God are so connected... and to think that God, the creator of the sun, knows you by name and desires a personal relationship with you....whoa...God is good.

peace,
rick

West African Food Crisis

The Sahel region of semi-arid land stretching eastwards from Senegal and Mauritania through Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad has suffered chronic food shortages driven by extreme poverty since the early 1970s.

Poor rains and locusts fuelled 2005 crisis

Situation stabilising but still precarious

Long-term support required In mid-2005, a massive international relief operation swung into action in response to a renewed hunger crisis in the region, focusing on Niger, officially the poorest country in the world, according to the U.N. Development Programme. The intervention was launched amid estimates that some 8 million people in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso were facing catastrophic food shortages, caused in part by poor rains in 2004 combined with a plague of locusts. The destruction of pasture land by the locusts weakened cattle and goats, leading to a collapse in the price of livestock. At the same time the poor harvest and fierce market pressures tripled grain prices in some areas. Hundreds of thousands of families were left dangerously short of food. The governments of Mali and Mauritania responded with food distributions. In Niger, the authorities decided to subsidise food prices, but the strategy failed because so many people could not afford even the lower prices. The government eventually allowed free food. Both the domestic and international aid response combined with a decent harvest in August and September to restore some stability by the end of the year, and the situation further stabilised in 2006 following another good rainy season. In September 2006, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) Executive Overview said the food security outlook for the Sahel in 2007 was generally good, citing production estimates in all countries of average to above-average cereal harvests. Nevertheless, areas of Niger and eastern Chad and southern Chad still face localized food insecurity, it said. "In addition, while persistently high rates of acute malnutrition - rooted in poor care practices, poor water and sanitation, a lack of dietary diversity and inadequate healthcare - are likely to improve in the post-harvest period, high rates will reemerge later in 2007." By January, a record crop across the Sahel combined with good rainfall had improved the overall situation yet further. The World Food Programme (WFP), however, has stressed that millions of children across the region remain threatened by chronic malnutrition. Agencies are also warning that donor funds are lacking for the sustained development activities required to lift the region's population out of long-term food insecurity. As Oxfam points out on its website, the real cause of the crisis is ultimately chronic poverty, which across the region is only getting worse, exacerbated by years of chronic drought, no employment opportunities when people are not farming (up to six months of the year), lack of access to basic social services, poor government policies, and more recently regional trade barriers. "The most marginalised people, pastoralist and to a lesser extent, agro-pastoralist communities, have become locked into a cycle of poverty and debt. Every day is a struggle for survival; so people here are extremely vulnerable to any change in their economic or physical environment," the agency says. As a result, NGOs are now trying to focus on longer-term integrated programmes, such as cash distributions and cereal banks. Oxfam has also been vocal in advocating increased spending on agricultural production, as opposed to food and humanitarian aid.

Key statistics

Number of malnourished people	36.4 million (FAO)
Percentage of malnourished people in total population	16 percent (FAO)

For more info on African Hunger ...go to
http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/AF_HUN.htm?v=in_detail

SENEGAL: Marching for street kids

Here's a story I found. We see talibe children all over the place while in Senegal. They always have a little coffee can and are begging for money.
I instruct our teams to always give them food...but refrain from giving them money.As you can see why in the following story.
The UWM team in Dakar and more specifically Jane H. has developed a ministry for the Talibes. They are given food, clean water and some medicine. I don't know all the specifics...but I do know it has made a difference in the lives of a few of these kids.

DAKAR, 20 April 2007 (IRIN) - -
Senegal on Friday marked the National Day for Talibes to call attention to the tens of thousands of children who ply the streets of the country begging for money. Talibe is an Arabic word meaning "one who seeks and asks" and it also refers to street children in Senegal who are taken in by local Islamic teachers, known as marabouts, to study the Muslim holy book, the Koran. The children, in return, gather money in tin cans they hold out to pedestrians and drivers at intersections and give their coins to the teachers. The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) in 2004 estimated that there are up to 100,000 child beggars in Senegal, constituting one percent of the country's 11.4 million people. It is unclear how many of them are talibes. "It is enough to take a survey in the streets to catch a glimpse. The problem of those children is increasing in an exponential manner," said Malick Diagne, deputy executive director of the nongovernmental organisation Tostan. Tostan has organised an annual five-day march from the capital, Dakar, to the city of Thies 70km away to draw local and international attention to the plight of the Talibes, culminating in the National Day for Talibes. About 100 people began the march on Monday, holding banners and chanting slogans to pressure the government of President Abdoulaye Wade to improve the lives of the Talibes. Senegal's National Assembly in 2005 passed a law against the exploitation of children as beggars, carrying prison terms of two-to-five years and fines of up to the equivalent of US$4,000 but so far there have been no prosecutions. "Everyone wants to get involved in dealing with it but it depends on the political will," Diagne said. "The government is playing the game on two tables. The laws are passed to satisfy the international community, but they are not being implemented to keep the marabouts happy." Senegal is 95 percent Muslim and Islamic leaders have considerable political influence in the country. Historically, Koranic schools, or daaras, have been located in rural areas. Parents would send their children to the schools to study Islam and in exchange the children would carry out odd jobs for the marabouts. But in the past 50 years the marabouts have steadily migrated to urban areas, especially following periods of drought and economic constraint. Begging among the children had been considered a way to learn humility. But that goal has been corrupted, child welfare workers say. "It is an intolerable situation," said Boubacar Diop of the Association for the Promotion and Protection of Youth (ASPJ). "The society, family, the state and everyone for different reasons and levels are responsible for this." The family of one young adolescent, Amadou, sent him to study with a marabout. He says the teacher treats him well but he works hard to get money and find something to eat. "We study the Koran from the morning up to midday. Afterwards the kids go out in the streets up to 3 p.m. in search of something to eat and then resume studying, which takes us up to 4 p.m., after which time we go back out to find something to eat," said Amadou, a pseudonym. Diop said one problem is that many of the Koranic teachers take on too many students without the means to sufficiently provide for them. Child rights advocates say certifying the Islamic teachers and paying them regular salaries would help the situation. Biran Sy, a Koranic teacher in Thies, and who has benefited from Tostan assistance, said it is with a heavy heart that marabouts send children out to beg. "But if you do not have means of eating what will you do otherwise?" Conversely, Diagne of Tostan said there are many marabouts who exploit the children to earn money. "If they send out about 50 pupils in the city daily ordering each to bring back 300 CFA [about US75 cents) within a month the money collected is the equivalent of a senior government official," he said.

Source: IRIN

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

Home again

Our team returned home safely on Monday evening after a twenty-four hour journey from Dakar. It was a wonderful twelve days with a great group of people that had developed into a family of sorts. Rick and I have been blessed with some great people on these trips the past four years and this group was no exception. Everyone on the team played an important role and the people of Godel fell in love with each of them.

Over the years each trip to Godel has had its own special purpose. Our first trip was considered a "vision" trip; one in which we scouted out the possibility of "partnering" with Mission Inter-Senegal (MIS) for the purpose of deepening the church in Godel. Following the trip, the leadership at Community Church decided to enter into a seven year relationship with the village of Godel and our first "investment" in the village was the construction of a church building. The following year CC and MIS established a medical program and a grain bank in the village. Last year the focus was clean water for the village. This year there was no specific "project." Rather, the focus was on deepening our relationships with the people of the village and doing some dreaming about the future development of the village. While relationships were deepened and we discussed future projects such as the construction of a new school building and library and the development of a community garden, this trip helped clarify what has been accomplished in the village over the past four years. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together.......

Over the past four years/trips, CC and MIS have invested an enormous amount of time, money and love into this village and it is clearly "paying off." The people of Godel (believers and non-believers alike) love the team members from CC and have been encouraged by them. The people of the village also know they are loved by CC because of the financial investment CC has made in the village. CC is the only organization (including the Senegalese government) that is actively investing the village and the people of the village are very grateful for our efforts.

As a result of our continued visits and the investments CC has made, the doors have been opened in the village in a spiritual sense. Not only is the church growing numerically, but it is growing in depth. The women from our team heard some wonderful stories from the women of Godel about how the Christians in Godel have become bolder in sharing their faith since we began coming. Bible studies and women's ministry are happening each week now in addition to weekend services. It is very cool to see all of this taking place in a matter of just a few years. God is a long way from being done in Godel.

One of the highlights of this trip for me was a visit to the school on Friday. Our team had some school supplies to give to the school so Dave Berka and I walked over to the school to talk with the headmaster. He invited us into his classroom and we proceeded to shake hands with each of the students. As I was about to finish one of the boys opened his desk and pulled out a tattered photo of me that had been taken in the village several years ago. He held it up to show me as if to say, "I haven't forgotten you; thanks for coming back." As I walked around the village, people I didn't even recognize would call out "David"! The people of Godel are clearly moved by the fact that we (CC) continue to come back and invest in the village.

Although each of our team members were ready to return home, there is a part of me (and I suspect this is true of all of us) that has been left in the village. I have been so blessed to have been able to return to the village each year and renew my relationships with the people there. I have also been blessed to have been able to do this with such wonderful people from CC over the years. God has showered me with his grace.

Before signing off for this trip I want to say thanks to each member of this year's team for the investment you have made in the people of Godel. Alleks, Dan and Darcy, Dave, Kathy, Kirsten and Lorna, your gift of time, energy, resources and love will have an impact on the village for eternity - literally. You may never return to the village but you will have a great time some day renewing some old friendships in heaven, and part of the reason for that is because you cared enough to go to Godel. So thank you for all you gave to make this trip happen and thanks for doing exactly what Jesus called all of us to do - love our neighbors as ourselves.

Dave

Goodbye Africa

Well today is the day of departure. I can't believe that it is already time to say goodbye to this country that has captured my heart and I have so quickly begun to love. Godel, Thies, Dakar and all the places in between were filled with people that have taught me so much on this trip. I learned the importance of generosity, love, smiles, awareness, and relationships. It was so hard to leave our friends at the village, but it gives me peace to know that if I don't see them again in this lifetime, I will see them in the kingdom of Heaven someday. Thank you to everyone who supported us on this trip. It gave me peace knowing that there was someone praying for us. Bo jeff lackus Africa ( until next time).
Alleks Mitchell