Chez les Filles!

Not only have the boys changed in the 10 months I was away from Dakar, but the House of Hope itself has changed as well. Last summer, the Masion d'Espoir actually consisted of two houses: Maison I housed 12 adolescent boys between the ages of 11 and 17 while Maison II was the home to 8 elementary school-aged boys. This year, a Maison III has been added to accomodate the first girls to be part of the House of Hope. The younger boys have moved into Maison III while the girls are at Maison II. Unlike with the boys, the girls do not live at the house; instead Maison II functions more like a school. The girls arrive in the morning and go back to their homes in the evenings. I do not know the backgrounds or stories of the girls very well, but I do know that, unlike the boys, they do have a home to go to at night. However, for whatever reason, they have been deprived of an education. (So Maison II is now a school. And I am the newest teacher!

Maison II has 9 students between the ages of 4 and 9. We study French and Math. I teach both subjects which means, yes, I am a French teacher...in a Francophone country. How did that happen? These girls know little to no French. Though French is the official language here in Senegal, it is not the first language of most Senegalese. At home, or on the streets, most people speak Wolof or a regional language. So I actually know more French than these girls. But it is a bizzare turn of events. After 8 months of struggling to learn French, at times convinced that I would never be able to confidently speak French, here I find myself teaching it!

I am only responsible for two of the girls, Olivia and Ally (names changed), who really don't speak or read French at all. So I'm teaching them to identify letters and sound them out. It's fascinating to see how quickly they progress - even in a matter of days. We also do math - identifying numbers, counting, basic addition and subtraction.

I work with the girls all morning, from 8:30 to 1pm, and then eat lunch with them. Remember how about a week ago I remarked on how quickly the boys eat here? Not so for the girls. The first time I ate "chez les filles" I had to put on the brakes to ensure that I didn't gobble down the entire plate. If we ever have a Maison d'Espoir meal with all three houses there are going to be a lot of hungry girls...

Below is a photo of the mural one of the boys did at Maison II. Quite impressive!