Senegal offers a total change of scenery. As the land of music and poetry, Senegal is a safe and one of the most diverse states in West Africa. The country is rooted in a tradition of exchange and openness. It is a 100% African Senegal that you will discover, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Tourism is increasing and the beautiful country has many sights that are included in the UNESCO heritage.
The country has almost 20 ethnic population groups with their own language and culture and is a model for society worldwide. In addition to their own ethnic language, 70% of the population speaks the “Wolof” language.
Almost half of the population earns less than €1,50 per day, which often encourages (forced) corruption. Most women and half of the men are illiterate. Child mortality is highest among children in rural areas, in poor families and families with poorly educated mothers and is strongly linked to poverty. Earning more money will not achieve much, as long as it is not combined with education, public health care and drinking water.
Education, especially for girls and mothers, will undoubtedly save children's lives. Most families (60%) live from agriculture, but fields often yield too little (lack of knowledge) to feed an entire family. Our children's parents have never been to school and cannot read or write. They live in large families. From the age of 10-12 they go fishing with their father or they trade vegetables, fruit, fish, grains, etc. which they transport by horse/donkey and cart.
When you volunteer in Senegal, you travel to the village of Warang near Mbour, 45 km from Dakar.
Warang is a quiet tourist village where the school and your place of residence are located. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, beach walks and a beautiful sunset are possible.
The “Petite Côte” has become a major tourist destination, ideal for seaside activities. A closer look, there are still many beautiful corners, villages and beautiful (quiet) beaches.
Mbour 8 km north is the nearest town. Mbour is an important and typically African town, full of activities and the main economic centre of the Petite Côte. The majority of the income comes from artisanal fishing. Visit the fishing port, the market and the arrival of the beautifully coloured fishing boats around 16.00:XNUMX.
The projects below are perfect for a diverse group of friends who want to do volunteer work abroad together.
All projects take place in the same school group, so that the volunteers of the different projects work closely together. In addition, all volunteers stay in the same accommodation.
Students, gap year and recent graduates are welcome in all projects.
The inn where we house the volunteers is located about 1,5 km walking distance from the school & only 500 meters from the Atlantic Ocean.
All rooms are equipped with a double bed or 2 separate beds, each with storage space, mosquito net, fan, sheets and towels. There is western plumbing and hot water showers. Electricity is 220 volts and there are plenty of sockets available. Wifi is available in the entire building.
You share the room with a maximum of 1 other volunteer. You share the bathroom and toilet with a maximum of 4 other volunteers.
You eat your breakfast and dinner on the roof terrace of the inn. You eat your lunch at your workplace in the school group.
Volunteering in Senegal is more than just working. You cannot compare volunteering to a full-time job. You have enough time to discover the area together with other volunteers and you also have a say in your hours.
Senegal is known for its beautiful beaches. Your accommodation is located just 500 m from one of these beautiful beaches. You can always go there for a nice cool down or an afternoon of relaxation.
Depending on your interests, there are plenty of remarkable and unforgettable sites, in a beautiful atmosphere and a total change of scenery.
You can take numerous excursions, boat trips, and folkloric sights, many of which are included in the Unesco heritage.
Volunteering abroad comes at a cost and it is not the intention that the community you will help have to pay for it. If there were sufficient budgets to cover these costs, we would spend it on a local employee who knows the local culture and daily customs. If you want to know more about our transparent system, take a look at the transparency page.
These costs, which you pay on site, are specific to your stay, such as your accommodation and meals. Through payable locally you are also sure that your contribution will go directly to the person who organizes it and will not be left behind at various “intermediate stations”.
Note: these costs are only for individual volunteer work. For group projects, different prices apply depending on various factors
We want to ensure that there is sufficient influx of volunteers to keep each project viable. After all, many projects require continuity from volunteers in order for the project to succeed or to create sufficient impact. Unfortunately, marketing and raising volunteers costs a lot of money. The budgets that the participating organizations collect during recruitment campaigns are used to develop projects in the south for the benefit of the local population and we therefore do not want to address these funds for marketing campaigns.
The membership fee serves to cover the costs of our volunteer platform. We ask each participant for a one-time contribution of €130. This is only the first time volunteering and only after you have been accepted. After payment of this contribution, you can do unlimited volunteer work in the future at any project (if there is room and you meet the requirements of course).
As soon as you are a member, we will inform you as soon as new projects are added to our alliance.
What is your connection fee used for?
You can read all about the possible costs on our transparency page.
We will of course not let you leave without thorough preparation and guidance. With Volunteer Abroad Allliance we have developed a system that ensures that you can sleep soundly and leave with peace of mind for your volunteer work abroad. As soon as you have been accepted and everything has been arranged, you can count on the guidance of our experts.
Once you are registered and accepted for your project, your preparation can begin. You already get a lot to read on the website, but you can also prepare for your trip in other ways. Once you have arrived, you can also count on the guidance of our local team.
Volunteering will have an impact on you and on the local population. We think it is very important to create awareness for you as a volunteer, so that you can optimally prepare for what awaits you as a volunteer. That is why you will receive the login codes for the project page after acceptance as a volunteer. Here you will find information that is important to you as a volunteer for your preparation. You can read everything about your project, accommodation, instructions for a visa application, a packing list, cultural advice for your country and much more…
Our experienced mentor will contact you and will help you with advice and answers to the questions you have. Your mentor is a member of an organization that is part of our alliance and has been working with fundraising for the project you are traveling to for years, so you can speak of a real specialist. Our mentors are members of our alliance and have years of experience in the projects. This system ensures that you receive 100% expert guidance from VAA.
Despite the fact that we consist of great projects, it is no longer feasible for our volunteers who carried this alliance.
Soon you will find a list of the participating organizations so that you can contact them directly.
In the meantime, the registration form on this website has been closed.
