AWOMI
Task
Force:


Visit
to
Flood
Affected
Areas
in
the
Sam
Notaire
Municipality




September
14,
2010,
Dakar,
Senegal






Flooded
Regions
in
Sam
Notaire
Municipality



With
the
onset
of
the
rainy
season
in
Senegal
from
late
July
to
October,
many
inhabitants
in

flood
liable
areas
like
the
Sam
Notaire
Municipality
of
the
Guediawaye
Department
of
Dakar

brace
 themselves
 for
 many
 flood
 related
 problems
 like
 higher
 incidence
 of
 diseases,

disrupted
services
and
inaccessible
amenities,
loss
of
property,
and
sometimes
deaths.
This

year,
the
rains
have
been
particularly
heavy
as
a
result
of
climate
change
and
consequently,

have
been
equally
disruptive.




AWOMI
 received
 notice
 from
 Sam
 Notaire’s
 mayor
 Mrs.
 Dieynaba
 Fall
 about
 the
 flood

situation
 in
 her
 municipality
 following
 a
 series
 of
 back‐to‐back
 storms
 in
 Dakar
 in
 early

August.
 Mrs.
 Fall
 and
 the
 Sam
 Notaire
 municipality
 have
 been
 AWOMI
 partners
 under
 the

third
 phase
 of
 the
 Women’s
 Empowerment
 Fund
 (WEFU)
 program
 since
 September
 2009.

With
 similar
 reports
 of
 high
 levels
 of
 destruction
 in
 and
 around
 the
 Dakar
 metropolis
 this

year,
 AWOMI
 decided
 to
 schedule
 a
 field
 visit
 to
 the
 flood
 affected
 areas
 to
 assess
 the

damage
done
by
the
rains,
find
out
how
the
inhabitants
are
dealing
with
the
aftermath,
and

to
determine
what,
if
any,
kind
of
assistance
AWOMI
could
lend
to
the
affected
population.



www.awomi.org
Cité Sagef Zac Mbao Villa N°15 Dakar – SENEGAL
PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338366487 





The
 visit
 to
 the
 Sam
 Notaire
 municipality
 took
 place
 on
 September
 14,
 2010
 and
 was

undertaken
by
a
team
consisting
of
AWOMI’s
Regional
Program
Coordinator
Jemila
Abdulai,

Financial
Administrator
and
Manager
Sophie
Sarr,
and
WEFU
Program
Intern
Sokhna
Thiaw.




The
following
is
a
report
on
what
ensued
and
some
observations
during
the
visit
to
the
Sam

Notaire
town
hall
and
flood‐affected
areas
in
the
municipality.






Meeting
with
Sam
Notaire
Mayor
Mrs.
Dieynaba
Fall

Mr.
 Albert
 Tiakane,
 the
 municipal
 secretary,
 welcomed
 the
 AWOMI
 delegation
 and

proceeded
 to
 formally
 introduce
 the
 team
 to
 the
 Sam
 Notaire
 mayor.
 Mrs.
 Fall
 briefed

AWOMI
on
the
seriousness
of
the
flood
situation,
and
the
problems
it
has
caused
for
the
300

or
so
families
within
the
flood‐affected
zone.




She
explained
that
she
has
done
a
lot
to
help
the
affected
persons,
but
does
not
have
enough

capacity.
In
addition
to
ordering
three
trucks‐full
of
sand
to
block
the
passage
of
the
water,

she
provided
some
families
with
four
sacks
of
50kg
rice
and
30
kilos
of
sugar.







AWOMI
team
being
briefed
by
Mrs.
Dieynaba
Fall
on
the
flood
situation
in
Sam
Notaire



Meeting
with
Local
Women
and
Community
Leaders

Following
the
visit
to
the
town
hall,
the
mayor
accompanied
AWOMI
into
the
flood
affected

areas
 where
 a
 group
 of
 women
 and
 community
 leaders
 from
 4
 neighborhoods
 of
 the
 Cite

Diokhom
 quarter
 were
 also
 assembled.
 The
 mayor
 addressed
 the
 gathering
 by
 explaining


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AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






the
purpose
of
AWOMI’s
visit
and
encouraged
the
people
present
to
share
their
experiences

and
concerns
with
AWOMI.






A
section
of
the
local
women
mobilized
to
share
their
stories
with
AWOMI








Mrs.
Fall
being
greeted
by
women
from
the
flooded
areas



The
 community
 Imam,
 president
 of
 the
 sports
 and
 cultural
 association,
 and
 some
 other

community
leaders
attested
to
the
good
leadership
of
Mrs.
Fall,
particularly
with
regard
to

her
immediate
action
following
the
flooding.
The
women
also
expressed
their
appreciation


www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






to
the
mayor
and
AWOMI
for
coming
forth
to
listen
to
their
grievances,
noting
that
they
have

been
victims
to
floods
for
the
past
three
years.







Women
affected
by
flooding
in
the
Sam
Notaire
municipality
expressing
their
concerns





Disrupted
Life

Since
the
worst
of
the
rains
and
the
floods
in
early
September,
the
community
mosque
and

its
adjoined
Islamic
school
have
been
inaccessible,
said
the
Imam.
It
should
be
noted
that
the

flooding
 took
 place
 during
 Ramadan
 when
 Muslims
 –
 who
 make
 up
 the
 majority
 of

Senegalese
society
–
fast.
The
use
of
mosques
during
this
time
is
particularly
important.




Adjaratou
Penda
Ndiaye,
President
of
the
Parents
Association
spoke
on
behalf
of
the
women

and
 elaborated
 some
 of
 the
 problems
 they
 are
 facing.
 While
 the
 community
 has
 generally

lived
 in
 the
 midst
 of
 stagnant
 water
 for
 the
 past
 three
 years,
 the
 situation
 this
 year
 is

particularly
 aggravating
 because
 the
 community’s
 water
 pump
 station
 broke
 down
 some

months
ago.



www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






 

Mrs.
Ndiaye
elaborating
on
some
of
the
challenges
brought
on
by
the
floods



According
to
her,
many
children
have
gotten
diphtheria
as
a
result
of
insanitary
conditions

and
malaria
due
to
the
increased
breeding
of
mosquitoes
in
the
stagnant
waters.
There
are

some
families
who
had
to
abandon
their
flooded
houses,
while
the
two
primary
schools
and

the
 mosque
 are
 inaccessible.
 Due
 to
 the
 heavy
 rains
 and
 flooding,
 all
 the
 classrooms
 are

destroyed
and
the
main
school
wall
has
fallen
down.
With
no
money,
the
women
had
to
rely

on
small
bowls
and
kitchen
basins
to
scoop
out
the
water
from
their
homes.
While
the
school

year
 resumes
 in
 a
 couple
 of
 weeks,
 it
 is
 unlikely
 that
 the
 children
 will
 be
 able
 to
 attend

school
for
the
rest
of
the
year,
she
said.
She
pointed
out
that
the
community
needs
funding
in

order
 to
 undertake
 some
 general
 work,
 and
 to
 buy
 mosquito
 nets
 to
 protect
 against
 the

spread
 of
 malaria,
 particularly
 where
 the
 children
 and
 pregnant
 women
 are
 concerned.


Additionally,
there
is
not
enough
food
in
the
community.







Tour
of
the
Affected
Areas
and
Testimonies

After
the
general
meeting
with
women
and
community
leaders,
AWOMI
was
taken
on
a
tour

of
the
affected
areas
by
Mrs.
Fall.
During
the
tour
we
saw
the
broken
water
pump
station,
the

flooded
and
damaged
class
room
blocks
and
mosque,
some
destroyed
houses
of
Sam
Notaire

inhabitants,
as
well
as
large
pools
of
stagnant,
dirty
water.





We
also
spoke
to
some
of
the
inhabitants
including
a
young
20‐year
old
boy
whose
parents

died
 shortly
 after
 the
 flooding,
 a
 handicapped
 woman
 who
 has
 been
 living
 in
 the


www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






neighborhood
for
almost
20
years,
and
a
mother
of
five
whose
belongings
were
destroyed
by

the
floods,
and
the
wife
of
a
security
guard
of
one
of
the
primary
schools.



Below
 are
 the
 testimonies
 of
 these
 individuals
 (translated
 from
 French
 to
 English)
 and

photos
taken
during
the
tour
of
the
area.



Maguette
Sakho


Handicapped
Woman
and
Resident
Living
in
Sam
Notaire
for
Almost
20
Years
(Middle)



I
live
with
my
in­laws
here,
and
now,
when
cooking,
we
have
to

place
 the
 coal
 pot
 on
 a
 basin.
 I
 know
 it’s
 a
 huge
 risk,
 but
 we

don’t
have
a
choice
because
the
entire
house
is
flooded.
I
had
a

small
 shop,
 but
 everything
 is
 disrupted
 because
 of
 the
 water.

The
 roads
 are
 inaccessible.
 We
 really
 need
 help.
 My
 children

(three
 girls
 and
 two
 boys)
 are
 sick
 because
 of
 the
 mosquitoes.

Some
of
the
children
are
even
playing
in
the
dirty
water.
This
is

a
risk
for
getting
malaria.















Sokhna
Aminata
Bocoum

Entire
House
Destroyed
and
Lost
All
Her
Belongings
To
the
Floods



My
entire
house
was
flooded.
My
mattress,

clothes
 and
 everything
 were
 destroyed.
 I

didn’t
 have
 anybody
 to
 help
 me
 take
 my

belongings
 out.
 My
 bedroom
 was
 full
 I

don’t
 have
 anywhere
 else
 to
 live.
 I
 sleep

with
 my
 family
 and
 I
 cook
 on
 the
 septic

tank.
I
have
six
children
–
2
boys
and
four

girls.
The
eldest
was
born
in
1978
and
the

youngest
is
six
years.




















www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






Racky
Dia

Wife
of
the
Security
Guard
of
One
of
the
Primary
Schools



We
live
in
this
school.
I
am
the
wife
of
the
security
guard.
You
can

see
for
yourself,
we
don’t
even
have
anywhere
to
stand.
During
the

Eid
festival
at
the
end
of
Ramadan,
we
had
to
put
our
coal
pot
on

bricks
in
order
to
cook.
It’s
very
hard
for
poor
people
like
us.






















Pape
Mor
Toure

20‐Year
Old
Boy
Who
Lost
His
Parents
to
Malaria


 
 
 
 
 





My
name
is
Paper
Mor
Toure.
I
am
the
oldest
in
my
family
at
20

years
 old.
 My
 father
 and
 my
 mother
 died
 from
 malaria
 two

weeks
 ago.
 Now,
 I’m
 responsible
 for
 my
 three
 sisters
 and
 my

three
brothers.
My
baby
sister
is
three
months
old
and
she
is
with

my
aunt.
I
am
just
an
apprentice
at
the
blacksmiths.

































www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






 General
Photos
of
Affected
Areas






The
community’s
broken
water
pump
and
station
made
this
year’s
flooding
the
worst
in
recent

years.








Children
playing
in
dirty
stagnant
water
from
the
floods.
The
stagnant
waters
have
led
to

an
increase
in
cases
and
deaths
from
malaria.




www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






 






Dug
out
holes
and
drenches
to
drain
the
area






Destroyed
school
wall
(far
right)
and
damaged
school
building.

The
water
level
is
evident
by
the
line
near
the
windows.




www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






 

Community
Mosque
which
was
flooded






Destroyed
and
abandoned
home




www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119






 

Family
recovering
from
the
floods


www.awomi.org
AWOMI : PO BOX 5409 Dakar-Fann SENEGAL - Email : awomi@awomi.org
Phone : + 221 338203660 -Mob: +221 774502119