Hello Christine, you're a member of the 50+ social network community and you're sharing with us your travel diary for Senegal.

How did you decide to travel to Senegal?

The person in charge of the trip suggested that I go to Senegal in January 2023, replacing my trip to Canada, which had been cancelled during the Covid period. It was an incentive for the long rehabilitation following an operation, to be at my best to make the most of the trip.

Apart from Egypt and Tunisia, this was the first time I'd met the people of Africa.

How did you organise this? 

The trip was organised by a retired teacher who was in charge of organising outings and trips at his school. 

It was a private group of 22 people, most of them Dutch-speaking and some French-speaking, but almost all of them bilingual.

However, the group leader works in collaboration with a travel agency to book the flights and the hotel.

We had a practical information meeting a month before the trip from 25 January to 4 February 23, as well as a detailed brochure for the excursions we were going to make.

Our manager was in contact with a Senegalese who was in charge of making all the contacts with the various excursion sites, guides, restaurants, bus drivers, taxis, etc. on site.

A local resource person was our private guide and translator throughout the trip, and I found this interesting.

I thought this was interesting, because even though the population speaks French, whether at school or not (many children don't go to school), there are many different languages in this country, depending on the region, as in many other countries.

What has been your career path?

Both tourism and humanitarian work.

Touristic, because we did a lot of excursions, which I'll recommend in the last question.

Humanitarian, because in our luggage we took medicines and medical supplies (our group included a pharmacy manager and a doctor on holiday like us).

There was school equipment for a school; sheets, towels, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes for a street children's centre.

Everything was divided between the suitcases of the people in the group.

We also went to the homework school, which runs from 5pm to 8pm. A cramped building has been constructed at the back of a house in agreement with the owner and close to the beach where recreational activities take place.

500 children are enrolled, 300 of whom are sponsored to continue their studies and are supervised by Belgian and Senegalese volunteers.

I was impressed by the large number of children that we see everywhere, who do not go to school because many are not officially recognised, who beg with a small bucket in their hand. It's common to see children in groups on their own, unaccompanied. Parents can't afford to pay for school or don't see the need.

There are public schools with classes of 25 pupils and public schools with classes of 50 to 60 children.

As a nursery school teacher, I was very touched by these children left to their own devices.

You told us that you were connected (one of our key values on the network) through a member of our senior.life community? How did this connection come about? 

On the Senior Life website, Chantal (who is very active on the site) showed us a video of her djembe class. In the comments, I told her that I was going to Senegal.

Daniel, who's also a member, contacted me by PM and I was able to ask him lots of questions because I was a bit worried about vaccinations, mosquito bites (malaria) and the climate.

We chatted and he told me what he was doing there and we were close by. I wanted to meet him and his wife at a centre called "La joie des enfants", which takes in boarders (around twenty without parents or abandoned) and around 250 street children who arrive from all over the place on Thursdays for a meal provided by the centre.

I had asked beforehand what their basic needs were so that I could bring back what was needed.

Daniel Meurisse and his wife have been going there for around twenty years. He was born in the Congo and authorised me to pass on this information. 

They also send boxes by container during the year.

The centre is run by a 22-year-old Senegalese man with the help of Belgian and Senegalese volunteers. We visited the premises and met many of the children. Nearly 150 or more children come to eat.

It was a wonderful, unexpected encounter. It was a moment that really touched me.

What were your positive and negative experiences during your trip? 

Negative experience: costs such as the visa (80 euros); vaccinations (diphtheria, yellow fever, tetanus: 100 euros); malaria medication and DEET (mosquito spray); immodium and antibiotics (diarrhoea) 100 euros.

Apart from the visa, all this is not compulsory but is recommended.

There is no health insurance cover.

 We are in a poor country where there is begging, especially among children. Adults are always coming up to us to buy their handicrafts.

Hygiene is non-existent outside hotels.

Positive experience: Temperatures of between 27 and 35°, which is very beneficial for people suffering from arthritis. No strong winds like on the North Sea.

The locals are very pleasant with tourists. Discovering their culture, their living conditions and travelling in the bush means getting to know Africa better.

Advice for senior citizens : 

• take out cancellation insurance; medical assistance insurance for the duration of your stay.
• Pack a first-aid kit.
• Take cash with you (euros are only welcome in certain shops).  It is impossible to obtain CFA francs from banks in Belgium.
• Tips are customary for any service rendered.
• You'll get help for senior citizens with reduced mobility or in difficulty. They are considerate.
• For our travels, we had a private bus, but it is possible to travel with a driver for a democratic price.
• Any steps or purchases can be negotiated.