Sokhna (Aminata) Diop's '11 trip to Senegal last summer was an eye-opener. In sharp contrast to the luxury high rise hotels, four star restaurants and sandy beaches of Dakar, she was disturbed by what she saw in the shantytown of Baraqa that lies less than one mile away. "Children walk barefoot, dressed in rags, with literally nothing to eat," Diop observed. "They really starve themselves and are often obliged to beg in our neighborhood where they are greeted by suspicious maids or guards who chase them away."
These images stayed in Diop's mind and inspired her to raise awareness of the situation there by creating a Facebook group called "Dude, stop. You're justifying the stereotype." That in turn led to the Baraqa Project, a fundraising effort at Hamilton founded by Diop and coordinated by Heather Prigg '11 and the West Indian and African Association (WIAA).
At the beginning of the fall semester Diop and WIAA sent an all-campus e-mail asking for the Hamilton community to help the village of Baraqa. "We are the ones blessed with the opportunity to be loved, cherished, and educated. It would be a shame to waste our education on trivial matters. Let us cooperate to help Baraqa," Diop wrote. They sought donations of clothes, school supplies and toys to send to the village's school that is attended by approximately 113 children between the ages of 2 and 13.
"It must be a hard thing to be a parent and impotently watch your child slowly die from a disease you do not know of or to see the kid across the road go to the best school of the country while your kid does not have the necessary supplies to go to the local school. These kids could be any of us," Diop said in the e-mail.
The response was overwhelming. Clothing, food, school supplies and toys were collected on campus. Students had outgrown and unused items shipped from their homes to campus and brought them back after breaks. Diop reports that some 15 boxes of clothes and toys were collected and shipped to Baraqa, and Student Assembly provided $2000 in funding to cover shipping costs.
"The Baraqa initiative brought the Hamilton community together like never before, from fraternities to the Women Studies Department, to various clubs and organizations, to individuals including students and professors," said Diop. "It's simply revolutionary to see at Hamilton College cooperation from just about everyone to provide for the emancipation of a community in need. And this is not a small contribution; this is providing a change in the lives of more than 100 children."
For more information about the Baraqa Project, please follow the link below.
These images stayed in Diop's mind and inspired her to raise awareness of the situation there by creating a Facebook group called "Dude, stop. You're justifying the stereotype." That in turn led to the Baraqa Project, a fundraising effort at Hamilton founded by Diop and coordinated by Heather Prigg '11 and the West Indian and African Association (WIAA).
At the beginning of the fall semester Diop and WIAA sent an all-campus e-mail asking for the Hamilton community to help the village of Baraqa. "We are the ones blessed with the opportunity to be loved, cherished, and educated. It would be a shame to waste our education on trivial matters. Let us cooperate to help Baraqa," Diop wrote. They sought donations of clothes, school supplies and toys to send to the village's school that is attended by approximately 113 children between the ages of 2 and 13.
"It must be a hard thing to be a parent and impotently watch your child slowly die from a disease you do not know of or to see the kid across the road go to the best school of the country while your kid does not have the necessary supplies to go to the local school. These kids could be any of us," Diop said in the e-mail.
The response was overwhelming. Clothing, food, school supplies and toys were collected on campus. Students had outgrown and unused items shipped from their homes to campus and brought them back after breaks. Diop reports that some 15 boxes of clothes and toys were collected and shipped to Baraqa, and Student Assembly provided $2000 in funding to cover shipping costs.
"The Baraqa initiative brought the Hamilton community together like never before, from fraternities to the Women Studies Department, to various clubs and organizations, to individuals including students and professors," said Diop. "It's simply revolutionary to see at Hamilton College cooperation from just about everyone to provide for the emancipation of a community in need. And this is not a small contribution; this is providing a change in the lives of more than 100 children."
For more information about the Baraqa Project, please follow the link below.
