Ablaye’s Inspiring Journey at the Diapalante Community Education Centre.
As Coordinator of the Diapalante Community Education Centre in Ndorong, Kaolack, I would like to share Ablaye’s story as an example of the tangible impact of the Learning for 100 Adults programme on participants and, more broadly, on the community.
At 24 years old, Ablaye, affectionately known as “Abau” by his friends, is a married man and father of a young daughter. He comes from Ndiebel, a village located about 30 kilometres from Kaolack. The second son in his family, he grew up with three sisters, two brothers and three half-brothers.
Like many young people from his background, Ablaye never had the opportunity to attend school. During his childhood, his father wanted him to focus on learning the Quran. During the rainy season, he also helped his father with farming work.
After memorising the Quran in 2018, Ablaye began looking for ways to earn a living. He started selling mobile phone accessories in markets across the region.
In 2022, as the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect livelihoods, Ablaye found it increasingly difficult to maintain his business. He decided to join his uncle in Kaolack, where his uncle worked as a team leader in a bakery.
This marked the beginning of a particularly demanding period in his working life. Today, Ablaye carries out several different jobs during the same day in an effort to support his family. In the mornings he works as a baker; in the afternoons he drives a motorbike taxi; and in the evenings he returns to the bakery. At weekends, however, he becomes a student at the Diapalante Community Education Centre.
A Decision to Change His Future
Despite his demanding schedule, Ablaye realised that his inability to read and write in French, Senegal’s official language, was limiting his job opportunities. He wanted to take on greater responsibilities at the bakery and, in the longer term, access new employment opportunities.
He first heard about the Diapalante Community Education Centre’s free learning opportunites through a friend and decided to dedicate his weekends to learning to read, write and use basic numeracy skills.
“I work almost all week, but I told myself that I had to find time to learn. I want to be able to read, write and calculate so that I am no longer limited in my work and can take on more responsibilities.”
Progress That Builds Confidence
Since joining the Centre, Ablaye has made encouraging progress. He can now recognise all the letters of the alphabet and is beginning to read and write simple syllables and words, practising with his mobile phone. He is also learning to use a calculator, a skill that is proving particularly useful in his work.
For Ablaye, these first achievements represent a real victory:
“Before, I thought I would never be able to learn because I had never been to school. Today, I recognise letters, I can read simple syllables and write using my phone. It gives me a lot of confidence and encouragement to keep going.”
His progress shows that learning can begin at any age and that it is possible to return to education despite work commitments, family responsibilities and the challenges of the past.
Today, Ablaye sees the Diapalante Community Education Centre as a genuine opportunity, not only for himself but also for other adults in the community.
“It is a real opportunity for us to have this Centre in our community. It gives us the chance to learn what we were unable to learn when we were children.”
Ablaye’s journey demonstrates the practical impact of the Learning for 100 Adults programme: providing a second chance for adults who did not have access to education, strengthening their independence and self-confidence, and helping them develop skills that are directly useful in everyday life and work. Through stories like Ablaye’s, the Diapalante Community Education Centre continues to demonstrate its role as a place of learning, inclusion and social transformation, where every learner can rediscover the joy of learning and look to the future with greater confidence and more opportunities.
