What does it take to build a school in Senegal?
When I say I am going to Senegal to build a school, I often get the following responses—How long are you going to be there? How much does the school cost? I want to build a school too!
If you know me personally, you’re probably wondering why I—a middle-aged woman living in the city who isn’t particularly fit or well built—am planning to go to West Africa to help build a school. It’s a good question. After all, if you asked me two years ago if I thought I could drop everything to do some construction in a foreign country, I would have said “Only if I hit the lottery!”
Since then, I was introduced to buildOn—a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing education to places that lack adequate classrooms—by some of my friends, and by partnering with them, we managed to go to Nepal in 2018 and raise a brand new school from the ground up. And for the record, I was able to do this not by winning the lottery, but by winning something even better—the support of the many friends and family who made it all possible.
So what does it take to build a school in Senegal?
The cost to build a school in Senegal (as of 2019):
- $32,000 for the construction of the school
- $900 per participant to cover the cost of ground transportation in Senegal, international health insurance, team supplies, food, etc. which is managed by buildOn
- And since my group wants to bring an adult literacy program to the school we are building, an additional $5,000
In addition to the above, each participant is responsible for their own passport, international air flight, getting all the required vaccines and medicines, and having the essential gears such as backpacks, large water bottles, work gloves, etc.
In my group, we either fundraise through buildOn to cover these costs, or we pay out of pocket. Last year, I did a fundraising campaign, and thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised enough to make the adult literacy program possible.
How long will we be traveling?
The buildOn programs are designed to bring us to Senegal for a total of seven days, and we will be in the village for five days. During these five days, we will break ground and begin the school’s construction, live in the village with host families, and have important cultural exchange time. Five days in the village sounds short, right? But those are very intensive days—we wake up at dawn, and after breakfast, we work on the construction site until noon. It’s exhausting work, and the sun will be blazing hot. In the afternoons, we will spend time getting to know the villagers, play with the kids, help prepare the dinner, and who knows what else…. One thing’s for sure, there won’t be a dull moment.
Air travel time to Senegal is approximately 16 hours each way from New York, so that adds 2 days. Since our flight arrives at night, we decided to fly to Senegal one day early and stay a few extra days after the buildOn program. So in total, most of us will be traveling approximately 10–14 days.
Can you do it too?
Yes, you can! It could take a while to save money or to do fundraising, but it is not impossible. You can have 15 people in a group, so if each person has the same goal, you can make it happen.
The countdown begins…
My team leaves for Senegal exactly 30 days from today. We are at the last stretch of our fundraising. As of August 23, 2019, we are currently $4,929 short of our goals. Thank you to those who have supported my cause! And if you can consider supporting my group to reach the goal, please visit my fundraising page: https://act.buildon.org/KaySenegal2019. One hundred percent of your donation will be used to cover the cost of my school building project in Senegal. If we raise enough money, all extra funds will be used to fund future schools around the world through buildOn. By making a tax-deductible donation, you will enable me to reach my goal and help to bring the gift of education to people who need it most. Thank you!
