Senegal Journey
_ Nearly 4 years have passed since Sonny (God bless Sonny!) and I
went to Senegal. (Read below about what led up to the trip). When I
returned home, my wedding and then work as a Oneness Trainer and as a doula and
helping with family took priority. Finally, I am ready to continue with
the work in Senegal and I want to share with you a bit of what transpired when
I went to Senegal in 2008 with many of you kind souls' support.
Without getting into a long detailed story right now (believe me, this is the short version!), I just want you to know that we found the children, called Talibe, throughout Dakar and surrounding cities. The children were just as in my visions, including girls being there (which no website had ever reported to my knowledge.) We couldn't really find out what was going on with the children because the marabout in charge of each group of children would only tell us that he was struggling and very much wanted to give better clothes and food to the children and then would ask Sonny and I for a donation. We would give a small donation, of course, though we had no idea whether or not the children were beaten or if he and his wife or wives lived well-off while the children were living on the rice and sugar cubes that people donated to them when they went out begging each day. (I had read online that this was oftentimes the case). To find out more about who the Talibe are, here's an article explaining their situation: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=76080.
So, for most of the trip I was quite frustrated, as I couldn't find anyone, not even a non-profit organization, to tell me what was really going on with these children... until the last hour... when we met an Imam, a spiritual leader, who had actually been in the March of 100 which was a march in the streets of Dakar, the capital, by humanitarians to raise awareness about the plight of the Talibe children. This Imam (also a marabout who was teaching the children the K'oran) had actually brought many of the Talibe children back to their village near Saly (45 miles south of Dakar). Here, he set up a school and is taking responsibility for the children, while giving them access to their parents (who were separated from them when they were in the capital). He doesn't make the children beg from what I understand, and he is interested in teaching other subjects in addition to the K'oran, such as Mathematics. He never asked us for anything and by the end of our conversation, I asked him what I could do for him. He said he did not need money as much as he needed people to volunteer their time and resources to come out and create buildings for him in which he could have a proper school. And he needed doctors to take care of the children's health needs. I left Senegal the next day knowing that I had found a respectable person in Senegal that I could work with to truly help the children.
My next step is to go back to Senegal and really spend time with this Imam and map out a plan to really help him and any other humanitarians like him who are helping to get the children back to their villages with their parents. This is the part I really need support for. Also, while in Senegal, I plan to teach a Oneness Awakening Course to a young Sufi man, M'baye, and his new bride and possibly a few friends. M'baye is a very pure soul and he very much wants to learn more about the Oneness Blessing that I share and is interested in going to India to Oneness University to possibly become a trainer so he can share with his village this blessing and deepen his own spiritual awarness. Any extra money I raise at this time will also go toward airfare and travel expenses to help M'baye go to India, as he cannot afford this. I am hoping it will open up a lot for him, as he is a very spiritual young man and has aspirations also of getting a higher University education and also of serving his community through political leadership.
Soooo.... I am asking for donations to help me with this trip. As you can imagine, communication is difficult with a third world country, and though I am in touch with M'baye through an occasional skype call, I have had no communication with the Imam since I have returned to the states. The only way I know to reach him is to actually go back to where he is and talk with him in person. I have tried to relay messages to him though my friend M'baye, but it is pretty much impossible. After meeting with the Imam in this next trip, I hope to create a game plan with him to bring volunteers with me in subsequent trips to get some medical attention for the children and to start building a school for the children near Saly, and whatever else is needed. Saly, by the way is a resort area on the beach and is very comfortable and suitable for westerners.
That’s the story so far. Read below what I wrote in 2008 about it all. I look forward to updating you more on this. I'm currently looking for the pictures that I took on my last trip and when I can locate them, I will post them for you to see.
All my love and appreciation for you, my family and friends whom I love so dearly,
Malaena (Tracy) Mullen - (click for my senegal webpage)
Please go to Home page if you would like to support my trip to Senegal
Without getting into a long detailed story right now (believe me, this is the short version!), I just want you to know that we found the children, called Talibe, throughout Dakar and surrounding cities. The children were just as in my visions, including girls being there (which no website had ever reported to my knowledge.) We couldn't really find out what was going on with the children because the marabout in charge of each group of children would only tell us that he was struggling and very much wanted to give better clothes and food to the children and then would ask Sonny and I for a donation. We would give a small donation, of course, though we had no idea whether or not the children were beaten or if he and his wife or wives lived well-off while the children were living on the rice and sugar cubes that people donated to them when they went out begging each day. (I had read online that this was oftentimes the case). To find out more about who the Talibe are, here's an article explaining their situation: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=76080.
So, for most of the trip I was quite frustrated, as I couldn't find anyone, not even a non-profit organization, to tell me what was really going on with these children... until the last hour... when we met an Imam, a spiritual leader, who had actually been in the March of 100 which was a march in the streets of Dakar, the capital, by humanitarians to raise awareness about the plight of the Talibe children. This Imam (also a marabout who was teaching the children the K'oran) had actually brought many of the Talibe children back to their village near Saly (45 miles south of Dakar). Here, he set up a school and is taking responsibility for the children, while giving them access to their parents (who were separated from them when they were in the capital). He doesn't make the children beg from what I understand, and he is interested in teaching other subjects in addition to the K'oran, such as Mathematics. He never asked us for anything and by the end of our conversation, I asked him what I could do for him. He said he did not need money as much as he needed people to volunteer their time and resources to come out and create buildings for him in which he could have a proper school. And he needed doctors to take care of the children's health needs. I left Senegal the next day knowing that I had found a respectable person in Senegal that I could work with to truly help the children.
My next step is to go back to Senegal and really spend time with this Imam and map out a plan to really help him and any other humanitarians like him who are helping to get the children back to their villages with their parents. This is the part I really need support for. Also, while in Senegal, I plan to teach a Oneness Awakening Course to a young Sufi man, M'baye, and his new bride and possibly a few friends. M'baye is a very pure soul and he very much wants to learn more about the Oneness Blessing that I share and is interested in going to India to Oneness University to possibly become a trainer so he can share with his village this blessing and deepen his own spiritual awarness. Any extra money I raise at this time will also go toward airfare and travel expenses to help M'baye go to India, as he cannot afford this. I am hoping it will open up a lot for him, as he is a very spiritual young man and has aspirations also of getting a higher University education and also of serving his community through political leadership.
Soooo.... I am asking for donations to help me with this trip. As you can imagine, communication is difficult with a third world country, and though I am in touch with M'baye through an occasional skype call, I have had no communication with the Imam since I have returned to the states. The only way I know to reach him is to actually go back to where he is and talk with him in person. I have tried to relay messages to him though my friend M'baye, but it is pretty much impossible. After meeting with the Imam in this next trip, I hope to create a game plan with him to bring volunteers with me in subsequent trips to get some medical attention for the children and to start building a school for the children near Saly, and whatever else is needed. Saly, by the way is a resort area on the beach and is very comfortable and suitable for westerners.
That’s the story so far. Read below what I wrote in 2008 about it all. I look forward to updating you more on this. I'm currently looking for the pictures that I took on my last trip and when I can locate them, I will post them for you to see.
All my love and appreciation for you, my family and friends whom I love so dearly,
Malaena (Tracy) Mullen - (click for my senegal webpage)
Please go to Home page if you would like to support my trip to Senegal