The “Réussir au Senegal” Program

Three Mountains now improves digital skills in West Africa. Fatou and Ibrahima have become digitally literate through this initiative. Who are they? They are two young Senegalese individuals I am writing about from Rwanda.

Our company has signed a contract with GFA Consulting, which implements the “Réussir au Senegal” project. This program has trained over 10,000 young Senegalese in renewable energy, ICT, and agriculture. They target young people aged 15 to 35 and help them to find jobs and start businesses. The program includes an e-learning platform, www.defaru.sn, where Senegalese youth can access e-courses. The courses teach soft skills like balancing work and private life, writing professional emails, and making presentations. They now want to add digital skills to the platform. This is where we come in.

We are currently busy producing storyboards for 17 short e-modules on a variety of subjects. As a member of Three Mountains Learning Advisors, I am excited to be part of the team working on these new courses. It is my first time working in French, and while I am moderately good at it, I am developing two modules: “Balancing Work and Private Life” and “Assessing the Origin of Information”. I create the materials in English, which Jan Willem then checks and translates into French. The translated modules are sent to Senegal, and I may receive feedback in French! Ahhhh!

The courses tell the stories of Ibrahima and Fatou, the young Senegalese who face different life challenges.

Ibrahima is tasked with installing electrical equipment in a school. He needs to purchase a large number of sockets and cables. When he searched online, he was overwhelmed by advertisements from various companies, leaving him unsure of which sources to trust. I am helping him how to assess the origin and credibility of online information.

Meanwhile, Fatou owns an online fashion boutique but is struggling with the stress of balancing her heavy workload with her personal life. She needs support to manage her time better and restore balance between work and private life. I am stepping in to help Fatou, providing her with strategies to achieve a healthier work-life balance. I am helping her to prioritise tasks, and saying “no” when she has too many things to do.

The work is somehow challenging due to the remote collaboration, which sometimes complicates communication and coordination. Additionally, we face the challenge of understanding the cultural context of Senegal, where the modules will be used. None of us have been to Senegal, and our employers have specific expectations about what content should resonate with Senegalese learners and what might not be culturally appropriate. Addressing these challenges, we have regular online meetings with people from Senegal to clarify their specific needs and expectations for the courses.

Who would think I would ever be involved in paving the way for a brighter future for young professionals in Senegal? I am now friends with Fatou and Ibrahima and I will manage!

Jean Baptiste Ndizeye