Élisabeth, a community liaison agent in Senegal, works with communities before, during and after the work of Humanity & Inclusion’s demining teams. Her role is essential to ensure the security of operations and trust of the local community.

Élisabeth Léna Ndeye Sambou has been working with HI in humanitarian demining since 2007. As a deminer and community liaison agent, she is proud of her work that enables people to reclaim their land and resume their lives that had been disrupted by conflict.

Elisabeth's job is to support the demining team in the field. Before clearance operations begin, she prepares the community for the arrival of HI’s teams. Her role is to inform communities about demining and explain how the operations will be run. During the operations, she keeps the population informed of progress and establishes a climate of confidence, calm and security.

Once clearance is completed, Elisabeth stays in contact with communities to ensure that they regain possession of their land. To alleviate any last fears that communities may still hold, the HI teams organize a soccer match on the land they have demined or drive their vehicles along the newly cleared tracks.

"It is the communities that motivate me,” Elisabeth explains. “Every time the team removes a mine, it gives me new strength and I’m even more motivated. So every morning I wake up with the same joy for the new day. For me, it's really a wonderful job."

When children come across a rocket…

In May 2022, HI launched new mine clearance operations in Casamance, Senegal. As part of these operations, Elisabeth worked in Bissine, a village near the border of Guinea-Bissau. At one time, Bissine was a prosperous village where the community could support itself with its rice production and fruit trees. But in the 1990s, the area became the theater of violent fighting between the Senegalese army, which occupied the village, and the Casamance independence movement, holed up in the surrounding forests.

The fighting caused accidents and claimed a number of lives. Reluctantly, people fled the village and scattered across the region, but they never lost hope of returning home one day. It was not until 2021, almost 30 years later, that they were able to return to their village.

But the conflict had left behind a deadly legacy. One day, children were out collecting scrap metal to sell when they came across a large piece of iron in the ground. They tried to pull it out, but it was too deeply embedded. They ran to fetch some adults from the village to show them what they had found: it was actually a rocket.

“After this discovery, HI was brought in to clear the area,” Elisabeth says. “Since July 2022, we have cleared over 61,000 square meters of land. During the operations, the deminers found two 120 mm mortar shells. Today, the villagers are very happy. They even tell us that we are now part of their community. Thanks to our work, they have been reassured and can go wherever they want. Demining has contributed to the development of the village.”

Returning land to communities

The demining process freed up farmland and cleared paths leading to rice fields, drinking water and schools. Thanks to the work done by HI's team, the villagers can now go about their business in safety, and life in the village can go back to normal.

“Many villages were abandoned because the population didn’t feel safe there,” Elisabeth explains. “To feel at home, you have to be free to do what you want, to go where you want. By clearing these spaces, we are removing a thorn from the side of the communities and participating in the reconstruction and return to peace.”

HI’s demining operations in Casamance have been made possible thanks to European Union funding.

An opportunity to learn and train

Elisabeth got into demining somewhat by chance, after applying for a job without really knowing what it was. Her family didn't even know what she spent her days doing until they saw her in a TV documentary.

"They were all worried about me, but I told them there was nothing to worry about,” she remembers. “We had been trained. We had been taught the job and knew the rules and procedures for working safely.”

After joining HI, Elisabeth worked her way up through the organization, attending training courses to learn the different aspects of the job and improve her skills. She recounts how in 2011, after being trained to work with the digger—a demining machine—it was a joy for her to go to work, to maintain the machine and tighten or loosen the screws and nuts every day.

"I think it's the best job in the world and I really enjoy it,” Elisabeth adds. “Every day is a learning experience for me. I always say that demining is my first family, especially with the team I work with. It's a really fantastic job.”

For Elisabeth, anyone can do demining. It's a job where you work in a team and help each other, which makes the work easier.

When asked what she thinks of people who say that demining is a man's job, she replies with an anecdote. One day, during a training course in which she was the only woman, someone came up to her and asked, “Why are you here instead of at home with your pots and pans, helping your mother?” Undaunted, Elisabeth replied, "What you came here for is exactly what I came here for, and I won't let you take it away from me.” 

In 2017, Elisabeth received a grant from the U.S. State Department to undertake training in quality management. Thanks to this training, she has been able to participate in the clearance of contaminated land, allowing the population to return and resume their activities. It has also enabled her to support the teams in the field and assist the head of operations.

“It was a real plus in my demining career,” she continues. “Demining is about teamwork. It’s working together as a group that makes the difference.”

Humanity & Inclusion has launched new mine clearance operations in Casamance, Senegal, to help communities safely access their villages, schools and medical facilities.

The new operations in southern Senegal launched in May 2022. The operations, which will last until March 2023, are focused on Kaour and Adéane, in the regions of Ziguinchor and Sédhiou.

"In these regions, the areas surrounding some schools, medical centers, roads, villages and fields are still polluted, or are suspected of being polluted by explosive devices," says explains Abdourahmane Ba, head of mine clearance operations in Senegal. "But as the number of vital infrastructures is limited, it is essential that people have safe access to them."

Approximately 25 acres of land need to be released back to the communities. The aim is to clear areas contaminated by mines and other explosive devices and investigate suspected hazardous areas.

Dating back to 2008, the Humanity & Inclusion’s deminers cleared more than 116 acres of land during previous actions in Senegal.

Diverse mine clearance techniques

Humanity & Inclusion has set up its operational base about 30 miles from Ziguinchor. The teams stay there for 10 days while they carry out operations, then have a 3-day rest in town. The demining staff recruited for the project have more than 10 years' field experience. The teams are made up of a project manager, an operations manager, two team leaders, six deminers, two nurses, two community liaison officers, a mechanic, two development officers and three drivers. In total, 10 deminers work for Humanity & Inclusion in Casamance, including two women.

"We do manual demining,” Ba explains. “Deminers inspect the land with metal detectors, inch by inch, along a marked corridor.”

Humanity & Inclusion also does mechanical demining, using the Digger, a demining machine that extracts mines and explosive remnants from the ground. Ba explains that the machine is mainly used in areas where there is a suspicion of undetectable mines such as the Belgian-made PRBM35 and the Spanish-made C3A/B, which are frequently found in Casamance.

"We are also planning to use drones to support our demining activities," Ba adds. "Among other things, they will improve our mapping of suspected hazardous areas. They’ve been used successfully in the Chadian desert, but now we need to test them in a different environment. In Casamance, we are demining in an environment mainly composed of forests and dense vegetation.”

A mission is underway to evaluate the feasibility of using drones.

Working in the rainiest region in Senegal, operations will have to adapt to the rainy season, which runs from July to October. Torrential rains would slow down demining activities, and for safety reasons neither deminers nor the Digger can work on flooded ground.

Working alongside communities

"Alongside the demining activities, Humanity & Inclusion conducts awareness and risk education sessions in the region, in partnership with the Senegalese association of mine victims," Ba continues. "The aim is to understand the habits of the population and to suggest safe behaviors that are adapted to their daily lives. Thanks to the work done by our liaison officers, all the members of the communities—including people with disabilities, women or the elderly—are involved in deciding which areas should be cleared as a priority.”

Humanity & Inclusion will also accompany communities once they start returning to the cleared areas and contribute to economic recovery. The organization will provide people with construction materials, and will also support the development of income-generating activities.

Contamination in Senegal

Armed independence groups and Senegalese government forces have been in conflict for almost 40 years. Anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines, which were used on a massive scale in the region between 1990 and 2000, still threaten civilians today. Between 1988 and 2017, almost 850 people fell victim to mines or explosive remnants of war.

n Casamance, nearly 300 acres of land are still suspected of being contaminated and need to be made safe. With its substantial natural resources and strong agricultural, mining and fishing potential, clearing land in Casamance is a humanitarian and development priority.

Senegal hopes to achieve its goal of becoming “mine-free” by 2025.

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My name’s Fama Ka. I’m the mayor of Mbour in Senegal. I’ve had a visual impairment since I was 13. I’m now 54. I have a long track record in fighting for women’s rights, particularly the rights of women with disabilities.

I am a women’s representative for several women’s and disabled people’s organizations. I’ve been involved in campaigning since 1990. I’ve represented Senegalese and African women with visual impairments in Kenya, Canada, Burkina Faso, Japan and Thailand. I am vice-chair of the Senegalese Federation of Disabled People’s Organizations and general secretary of the National Committee of Women with Disabilities.

I am also the treasurer of the Pikine organization of persons with disabilities and member of the drop-in center run by the organization for women with disabilities, one of Humanity & Inclusion’s partners. I listen to a lot of abused women. They share their experiences, their problems and their needs with me. This drop-in center has made an enormous difference and I’m proud I helped set it up.

Women didn’t have anywhere they could go to talk about their feelings or to share their problems. This center is a place where they can open up to their peers and talk about the difficulties they face.

Our fight is everyone’s fight

I was proud of being a girl and I am proud of being a woman. But women in our country suffer all sorts of abuse: psychological, verbal, physical, and so on. Especially women like us, with disabilities. We suffer abuse both as women and as people with disabilities.

Women with disabilities in Senegal are highly committed. They join organizations and form alliances with other women. They’re improving their lives because they’re seizing the opportunity to talk about their problems.

Their fight is now everyone’s fight—the fight of all women.

Society needs to advance our rights. It must fight alongside people with disabilities. Just as it advances the rights of children, it must take action and advance the rights of people with disabilities. We need to promote local and inclusive development and involve people with disabilities in managing communities. Fortunately, things are changing, and more attention is being paid to the problems facing women with disabilities. For example, as part of a job creation scheme, I’m currently training 15 young women with visual impairments to run their own businesses.

Developing my community

The role of our partner, Humanity & Inclusion, is to support people with disabilities in their struggle and to supply their projects with technical and financial assistance. Humanity & Inclusion has worked alongside women with disabilities for many years, including by helping to advance their rights and promote their inclusion in society and the workplace, and by funding their projects. Humanity & Inclusion has done a lot for people with disabilities, and this is something we welcome and value.

Things have changed. Many women with disabilities now help run society. They have a voice on decision-making bodies and can influence the way people behave.

What also drives me is the fact that I, as a visually impaired woman, have a role to play in society. I even train people without disabilities now because they have confidence in people with disabilities.

I am proud to be not only a woman but a woman with disabilities. Because this has not prevented me from helping my sisters or from helping develop my local community and country.

Fighting to advance our rights

I want to appeal to my sisters to continue combating violence against women and to advance our rights. The goal is to build a society where no one is excluded, where everyone has the same opportunities and privileges.

I work with young women with disabilities to prepare the next generation of campaigners. I have been fighting for people with disabilities for three decades; it is time to pass on my knowledge and skills. These young women with disabilities will continue the work I started so many years ago.

Just as others helped me become who I am, I will pass on what I know to the younger generation, so they continue the fight.

In Senegal, Humanity & Inclusion works with partner associations, supporting them to increase their visibility and improve their impact on the reduction of gender-based violence, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality. The Making it Work - Gender and Disability project, implemented in Senegal since March 2021, is working alongside women and girls with disabilities to support lasting change to fight gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to support the efforts of women with disabilities who are leaders in the fight against gender-based violence and enable partner organizations to increase their impact.

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My name’s Dieynaba Diallo. I’m 53, and I live in Senegal. I have a motor disability and I coordinate the Thiès branch of the pan-African Women in Law and Development in Africa organization, a partner of Humanity & Inclusion.

I have a disability because I caught polio when I was 7 years old. Back then, people with disabilities, especially little girls, were treated as objects of pity. My mother fought hard for me. She insisted I go to school. It had an enormous impact on my life.

I gained confidence at school. I always felt that I needed to do better than the others. When I challenged myself, it wasn’t as someone with disabilities. I measured myself against what children without disabilities were or weren’t capable of. Back then, people believed only boys could excel and succeed. To stand my ground, I competed with them for the best marks and to be top of the class.

I always felt I should use my position as a woman with disabilities differently. I wanted people to know I was more than my disability. I wanted to show them I had abilities despite my disability.

During my career, I worked in a human rights NGO, raising awareness on women's rights. I also worked at the African Network for Integrated Development, which provides legal and judicial support, and at a shelter for victims of violence. Training is my vocation. Some things resonate with me, and I always want to give my input. This means you have to be able and knowledgeable enough in different fields. It’s a challenge and I’m determined to rise to it. This is why I have seized every opportunity to educate myself throughout my life.

Systemic violence against women with disabilities

I’ve seen cases of physical violence, and some of it was dreadful. I recently helped a woman file a complaint against her father-in-law. Before beating her, he removed her artificial legs so she couldn’t move or escape. This is a good example of violence against women with disabilities: had she been able to use her legs, she could perhaps have run away.

Some women also suffer sexual or psychological abuse. Medical professionals also commit acts of violence against women with disabilities. These women have rights: the right to motherhood, for example, and the right to a consultation. They must be welcomed with respect and dignity by hospital staff. We had to raise their awareness and show them why they were part of this systemic abuse.

Women with disabilities must be able to exercise all their rights, especially their right to health and economic empowerment.

If someone abuses you but you are financially independent, you are protected to a certain extent. One woman with disabilities told her me her child was beaten at home, but she couldn’t do anything about it because she was frightened that she would be thrown out and she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Imagine what she had to go through because she couldn’t cope financially. This has to stop.

When I started working for a human rights NGO, I raised women’s awareness of their rights. Because I didn’t earn enough to make ends meet, I used to resell products I’d bought in Gambia. It wasn’t easy, the road was pretty bad, it could be dangerous, but it never crossed my mind to give up.

I felt I couldn’t allow myself to do it: as a woman with disabilities, if I gave up, they would have stopped me making something of my life. Financial empowerment really makes a difference to a person.

A rights-based approach

All we want from partner organizations like Humanity & Inclusion is to share the fight with us. To fight by our side against injustice and build an inclusive society that advocates a rights-based approach and makes it possible for everyone to live in dignity.

We need to adjust to reality and diversify our activities. What we really need now are sustainable businesses that create jobs and generate income. Businesses owned by women with disabilities. Women with disabilities have the ideas, the courage, and they think big—they just lack the means.

I joined all sorts of organizations early on, and this commitment really shaped who I am. My main priority is the rights of people with disabilities and women with disabilities—in Senegal, internationally and on decision-making bodies. Other women have other outlets to talk about their problems; these conversations are closed to women with disabilities. I want to help my sisters, talk with them and tell them that no one can fight this battle for us. We and only we can see it through. Together, we will win this fight.

I am driven by the challenges still ahead of us. We must meet them together.

One day, in a meeting, one of my sisters said to me: “I want to be Dieynaba Diallo.” I replied: I’m relieved to hear that! Because when people see me today, they don’t dare commit injustices. But others still suffer these injustices. This is why my mission is to make every woman with disabilities a Dieynaba Diallo—a woman who knows how to say no when she has to.

In Senegal, Humanity & Inclusion works with partner associations, supporting them to increase their visibility and improve their impact on the reduction of gender-based violence, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality. The Making it Work - Gender and Disability project, implemented in Senegal since March 2021, is working alongside women and girls with disabilities to support lasting change to fight gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to support the efforts of women with disabilities who are leaders in the fight against gender-based violence and enable partner organizations to increase their impact.

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I’m Oumou Khayri Diop. I’m 27 years old and I live in Senegal. I’m general secretary of the Association Handicap Form Educ, a partner of Humanity & Inclusion. I’m a carrier of voices: I denounce the problems and advocate for the rights of women with disabilities.  

I had a difficult childhood because I lost the use of my legs when I was just 10 years old after an illness that completely changed my life. It wasn’t easy adapting to my new life and coming to terms with the changes. Fortunately, my parents didn’t give up on me: they did everything they could to see me walk again one day.

I almost quit my studies, but with the help of my parents, my friends and my teachers, I found the motivation to carry on. I was a brilliant student, always the top of my class. But then I was sent to a high school where the classes were held on the upper floors, and accessibility was a real problem.

My parents enrolled me in a private high school so that could continue my studies. I had to go miles in my wheelchair every day to get there.

A year later, I lost my mother. That was a terrible shock for me. Her words of comfort, advice and love were what had motivated me and driven me to keep studying. But I passed my school-leaving certificate and went on several training programs. Today, I am an accountant and retailer, and I have qualifications in project management, electronics and mobile phone repair, and office automation.

I’m young and disabled. We women with disabilities suffer more violence than other women, but people overlook us. So, I decided to commit to this cause.

I’m involved in several associations. I’m general secretary of Association Handicap Form Educ, for example, which is a partner of Humanity & Inclusion, and president of the women's association in my neighborhood.

I’m also the treasurer of a young leaders’ group that I created after attending a training course in Dakar, where I learned lessons that I wanted to share. With a friend of my mine who has visual disabilities, we set out to identify all the young disabled people in Senegal, whatever their disability. There are now 100 of us in the group.

Motivation drives change

If things are to move forward, there has to be a change in mentalities, an end to certain customs and to discrimination. Here, men have more power than women. Men think that women’s place is in the home. They should be looking after the children, and cooking and cleaning. The important decisions are always taken by men, whether at home or at work.

Fortunately, things are changing. In the past, we didn’t dare fight for certain causes, such as an end to gender-based violence. We didn’t dare speak out on certain issues in the media, apply for certain jobs, study beyond a certain level or even travel. Now we see women graduates holding very important positions. There are programs in the media with women journalists publicly denouncing these same issues. Women travel all over the world, create jobs, are advisers, members of parliament, and so on.

I see some very committed, motivated women. They promote causes, create groups to develop their activity and organize themselves to get the training they need.

We must keep raising awareness, take part in radio and television programs, hold talks in schools and neighborhoods, at women's meetings and maybe even men's meetings.

We look to our partners for long-term support. We want Humanity & Inclusion to accompany us in our projects, through training, job creation—anything that will improve our lives. We have some very important projects, but we lack the means to implement them. We also need Humanity & Inclusion to carry our voices to places where people can’t hear us.

Humanity & Inclusion should also go to the most remote villages in Senegal to help women with disabilities who lack the means and tools to communicate. These are very committed women, fighters. Women who want to show what they're made of.

To all women, I send the following message: believe in yourselves! We are mothers, sisters, and the world can’t develop without us. Let’s join hands and denounce all the injustices that are holding us back in life. We must all believe that change is in our own hands. We can’t let ourselves be dragged down. We must denounce injustice with all the means at our disposal. If we establish this momentum, then we will be buoyed up by a new mentality and I think the fight will be easier for all of us.

We, women with disabilities, are the voice of mothers, women, disabled people, citizens – we are the voice of leaders.

In Senegal, Humanity & Inclusion works with partner associations, supporting them to increase their visibility and improve their impact on the reduction of gender-based violence, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality. The Making it Work - Gender and Disability project, implemented in Senegal since March 2021, is working alongside women and girls with disabilities to support lasting change to fight gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to support the efforts of women with disabilities who are leaders in the fight against gender-based violence and enable partner organizations to increase their impact.

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My name is Khadidiatou Ba, and I am president of the Women’s Committee of the Federation of Associations of Persons with Disabilities in Senegal. We have a long history of working with Humanity & Inclusion in the field.

I am a specialist in disability rights since completing an international training program on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I’m engaged in all activities concerning people with disabilities.

Due to economic violence, women with disabilities are often poor. Economic violence is when you can’t go to school because of barriers to access, and then you can’t find work because you have no qualifications. It is when a whole system fails to prepare you. I encountered accessibility problems myself during my studies. To start with, my mother didn’t really want me to go to school; she was worried that I’d fall over in the street. Because of my disability, I walked with crutches. Later, accessibility issues prevented me from attending Cheikh-Anta-Diop University in Dakar.

An ideal society is an inclusive and violence-free society that leaves no one behind.

A country’s development is measured by what is happening at the bottom of the ladder. If Senegal or any other country leaves people with disabilities to beg in the street, then it is not developed.

Uplifting women with disabilities

Women with disabilities are very active in our associations. Yet they are often absent from the decision-making table. This is why we are pursuing our awareness-raising activities: to become part of the decision-making process and run the associations ourselves. But it’s a slow process.

I think that women – with and without disabilities – should join political movements. If we were involved in politics and were members of the decision-making bodies, no one could speak in our stead. Today, we must ensure that inclusion is a priority in all policies. In the past, the approach was charity-based; today, it is rights-based calling for policy measures.

We need this because we are at a point where people with disabilities must advocate for themselves and speak out about their problems so as not to be overlooked.

For my part, I am an active member of an opposition political party. Thanks to my background and achievements, I now represent the women of this party nationally. This is a source of pride for me and I also see it is an example for my peers to follow.

A synergy of causes

Where women without disabilities suffer violence, we suffer twice as much: verbal, economic and sexual violence. Women without disabilities must adopt inclusion and support us. I often say that to win a fight, we need synergy of action with all the other organizations. This is how we obtained parity and the criminalization of sexual assault.

We have to be willing to denounce violence because there are many taboos in Africa and some things are never mentioned. When a close relative sexually assaults a disabled person, nobody talks about it. Society needs to change its mentality with regard to violence against women. We need more promotion of legislation, more advocacy, to bring about change in these practices.

The role of partner associations like Humanity & Inclusion is to support us in this fight. We have a long history with Humanity & Inclusion. Ever since I joined the disability movement, Humanity & Inclusion has been on the ground working alongside us. Its role is to accompany organizations of persons with disabilities and accompany disabled women who are victims of violence. Support them, train them and equip them.

I draw strength from knowing that the next generation is waiting in the wings. We know that as long as the world exists, there will be violence.  So, we must never give up the fight. We must train young women with disabilities so that we leave activists behind us who are truly capable of advocating for change.

I want to encourage girls, especially girls with disabilities, to find mentors among disabled women. There are many women with disabilities who are examples to follow.

In Senegal, Humanity & Inclusion works with partner associations, supporting them to increase their visibility and improve their impact on the reduction of gender-based violence, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality. The Making it Work - Gender and Disability project, implemented in Senegal since March 2021, is working alongside women and girls with disabilities to support lasting change to fight gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to support the efforts of women with disabilities who are leaders in the fight against gender-based violence and enable partner organizations to increase their impact.

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My name’s Awa Siré Touré. I’m 59 and I live in Ziguinchor, Senegal. I’ve been disabled for 20 years. With help from Humanity & Inclusion, I fight for the empowerment of women with disabilities.

I’ve been aware of disability issues since I was young because one of my friends had a disability. When I began to have leg problems, I became one of those women with disabilities. Living with other women with disabilities, seeing their pain, listening to what they had to say — that’s when I really decided to do something about it. I work as a deputy general secretary at La Brigade de Conscientisation, an organization that takes action on violence against women in Ziguinchor, in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion. Women come to see us, and we help to solve their problems.

I’m trying to change things. I want these women to be self-reliant. If a woman needs me, I can train and help her.

I overcame my disability. I told myself it wasn’t an obstacle; it was just a disability.

I earn my living making soaps and oils, and I’ve trained a lot of women to do the same. I showed them how to extract coconut oil, make soaps and sell them to earn their own money. When they needed something before, many women with disabilities said they had to turn to men for help. They were asked to give sexual favors in exchange for a few crumbs. When I heard about that, it was too much for me; I knew I had to do something to stop it. This is why we help women to be self-reliant and to earn their own living so they take back control of their lives.

A lot of women with and without disabilities still ask me for help. I’m always ready to assist them.

Giving women courage

Women with disabilities were really ignored in the past. Being self-reliant gives them the means to be bold and say “no, you cannot force me to do this.” There are women with disabilities today who, when someone mistreats them, dare to speak out so the public hears about it.

This is all down to our advocacy with the authorities and our awareness-raising activities. We explain that women with disabilities need a voice in policy-making forums and have the right to be heard.

We need to give women with disabilities courage. We need to train them so they can defend themselves in society. We can do this through training and intensive awareness-raising. When we raise the awareness of young women, they realize they are people in their own right, and we give them the courage to defend themselves.

Helping each other

These obstacles are exhausting, they slow us down, but we’re still here and we’re still fighting!

We’re making a difference. Women with disabilities never used to want to marry; they were frightened their in-laws would treat them badly. Now I see women with disabilities getting married and having children — and they don’t care what their in-laws say! They come to us, get involved, and do like everyone else.

Humanity & Inclusion has always provided support to women with disabilities, especially here in Ziguinchor. They fit them with artificial limbs so they can walk and go about their business. Humanity & Inclusion put us in touch with the regional hospital, and many women with disabilities have been fitted with orthopedic devices. We hope the organization continues to provide support and assistance to women with disabilities.

Here, in Casamance, we live in a combat zone. The fighting went on for years and there were lots of casualties. Women were sexually assaulted in their fields and maimed by mines. I’m asking the people who do bad things to stop. Let women finally live in peace.

Let’s work together against mistreatment and find positive men to support our fight. I say “No!” to violence against women, especially women with disabilities.

In Senegal, Humanity & Inclusion works with partner associations, supporting them to increase their visibility and improve their impact on the reduction of gender-based violence, the empowerment of women and girls and gender equality. The Making it Work - Gender and Disability project, implemented in Senegal since March 2021, is working alongside women and girls with disabilities to support lasting change to fight gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim is to support the efforts of women with disabilities who are leaders in the fight against gender-based violence and enable partner organizations to increase their impact.

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Many explosive remnants of war still endanger the lives of people living in Casamance–in the south of Senegal–and prevent internally displaced people from returning home.   

Thanks to new funding from the American people, Humanity & Inclusion relaunched its mine clearance activities in Casamance in October 2018. By July 2019, our mine action teams expect to demine nearly 754,000 sq. ft. of land (the equivalent of 13 football fields) in the towns of Djibanar and Niagha, where some 22,500 people live; adding to the 4.3 million sq. ft. of land already cleared in the region since 2008.

Restoring land to communities

Twenty years after the ratification of the Ottawa Treaty by Senegal, more than 295 acres of land are still contaminated by anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war in Casamance. This contamination dates back to the 1980s-1990s, when violent clashes occurred between the Senegalese army and Casamance independence fighters.

Contamination affects main roads, country lanes and, most importantly, a lot of farmland–a vital source of income for the region's inhabitants. Through its mine clearance activities, Humanity & Inclusion works to restore this land to the families who own it, allowing them to return in safety, to travel freely, and to farm without fear.

In the long term, these mine clearance activities aim to have a direct positive impact on the economic development of these districts and, indirectly, on the whole region. These positive changes should also encourage the return of some of the thousands of internally displaced people who fled Casamance, and who have been afraid to return home. 

A historical presence

Humanity & Inclusion has been present in Senegal since 1996. We started working in Casamance in 1999 in order to provide mine casualties with physical and psychological rehabilitation care and to inform local communities on the risks associated with explosive remnants of war.

In the following years, our teams implemented a large-scale survey to determine and define with people living in 82 municipalities in Casamance the areas presenting a particular risk, and those to be cleared as a priority.

In 2008, based on the results of these surveys, Humanity & Inclusion launched its first weapons clearance activities in Casamance. To date, we are the only humanitarian organization engaged in mine clearance operations in Senegal. Learn more about our work in Senegal.

This post was written by Monique Guenoune and originally appeared on the Global Partnership for Education's blog.

My name is Monique Guenoune and I am 23 years old. I live in Rufisque, a small town close to Dakar. I was born deaf, along with 4 of my 5 brothers and sisters. My parents are also both deaf and we use sign language to communicate in my family. Almost all of our family’s friends are also deaf.

It was difficult to get an education when I grew up. The local school did not accept children like me, because they thought we couldn’t learn; none of the teachers could use sign language and they weren’t trained in teaching deaf children. 

An impossible choice: education or family

My father found out about a school for children with hearing impairments in Dakar, and I went there for a while, but I had to live away from home in a host family who treated me very badly. When my father found out about it, he came and brought me back home. He then inquired at a private school for deaf children, but he couldn’t afford to send me there. After this, I stayed at home and started to do some odd jobs like cleaning.

When a local association started to offer sign language literacy courses, my brothers and sisters started to attend. Transport was expensive and it was dangerous to travel along the busy roads with many horses, carts, and cars. My sister was hit by a horse along the way, because she couldn’t hear it coming. My dad decided it was best for all of us to stay at home and so none of the children of the family attended school.

A new program offers hope

Then in 2016 a community-based worker – Babacar – called our house. He could sign and told us that the local school was now becoming inclusive. The teachers were being trained in sign language and in inclusive teaching methods, and he himself had been recruited as a teaching assistant to support the deaf children and the teacher in class.

Now my younger brother and sister (both still primary aged) would be welcomed there!  I was so pleased that they had been given the chance that I never had. My sister is doing so well there now, she is at the top of her class! She is showing everyone that being deaf doesn’t stop you from making it to the top.  

Monique's sister Marieme and her classmates at an inclusive school in Senegal. 

A chance to speak up in front of world leaders

People from Humanity & Inclusion, who support this inclusive school, came to my house with a sign language interpreter and they told me about an important education conference happening in Dakar.

I found out that it was a huge international conference, with world leaders, coming to talk about the importance of education and how they needed to spend much more money on education to make sure that ALL children have the chance to go to school. 

They asked if I could speak at the conference about the importance of education for children with disabilities, on behalf of my younger siblings and all the children with disabilities in Senegal.  I was very honored to do that, although a little bit nervous at first since I have never attended a conference, let alone spoken at one!

Getting the necessary resources for inclusive education

But once I understood what I needed to say, and that people just wanted to hear my story and the story of my siblings, I felt more relaxed.  It was exciting to be part of the youth forum and to give my opinion when they asked questions about what needed to go into the youth statement. I was very pleased that all the other youth advocates in the room listened to what I had to say, through my interpreter, and they included my points in the statement.

I made the point that teacher training should include a focus on sign language and on trainings for children with all types of disabilities, and that children with disabilities should be able to go to school.  

The next day I was on stage twice. I was pleased that the audience seemed to be interested in what I was saying. The moderator asked me who should be the best person to champion inclusive education in Senegal. And I said the economics minister, as he is the man with the money, and money is what we need to make sure every child gets an education!

After this session, I gave an interview and lots of people seemed interested to hear my story. It was exciting that people wanted to hear what I had to say. Some people also were interested to learn some basic signs, including some of my new friends from the youth forum.

All children deserve an education

My two days at the conference were an exciting and a new experience, and a real change to my everyday life. In fact this conference has given me a new focus to renew my own education as an adult.

I was glad to have the chance to bring my message to such a big audience and to hopefully make a difference.

I want people to realize that children with disabilities, like deaf children, have just as much right to go to school as any other child. 

They shouldn’t be left behind any more. I am glad things are changing, from the days when I went to school, and was forced to drop out.  

Launched in 2011, the six-year mine action project in Casamance, has freed more than 160,000 sq.m of land – equivalent to 26 football fields! The threat from mines and explosive remnants of war–the legacy of a pro-independence conflict in the region in the 1980s and 1990s–has now been lifted for more than 1.5 million people across 12 villages.