Abdou's Story

Our Overseas Programmes Director, Savina Geerinckx, reports on her meeting with Abdou.

Two days before my trip to Senegal, our partner Avenir De l'Enfant (ADE) was contacted by Mbour police inspector Sounkalo Cissokho, formerly trained by ADE. An 8 year old boy called Abdou had been brought to the police station. He had been severely beaten: he had wounds on his head, the back... The child said he had been hit by his marabout (Koranic teacher) for not giving him the 50 CFA (local currency) expected from him that day. He had run away from the daara (Koranic school) and was found by a neighbour. After the call, Marcel from ADE collected the boy from the police station and offered him shelter at ADE's "Observatory for the protection of children against all forms of abuse" in Mbour, before taking him to their family type centre in Rufisque. Four days later, the child was called to appear in Court.

This is the moment were Abdou and I met - I was on my way to Mbour, so we travelled on the bus together with Marcel. I will never forget my first glimpse of that silent and fearful boy. We stayed at the Observatory before appearing in Court the next morning. At the Court house, I could not believe the child was asked to stand right next to the marabout - the one who had so recently mistreated him. Only Marcel was standing between them, preventing the teacher from towering over his little pupil. Abdou was expected to answer questions as an adult, regardless of the intimidating environment filled with uniforms, robes and most importantly,  his abusive teacher. Needless to say he remained silent, standing close to Marcel who told the judge what he knew. The marabout was given limitless time to recount his version of the events, admitting hitting the child, but only to scare him, he asked for clemency and was given a one month suspended sentence - ADE was asked to find the family and return the child if possible.   

For Abdou, the worst was over and the real journey could start. With the support of a solid network of committed people, ADE soon traced the family and we had a precise destination. Two days later, Moussa (Director of ADE), Abdou and I were on the road to one of the most arid regions of the country. The journey was rough, the temperature hot, the car broke down... but the experience was one in a million. As the hours went by and we slowly progressed on our journey, I could see the change in Abdou's behaviour as he pointed at things we were driving past, made faces as he first tried mustard to spice up the grilled meat, showed off his arabic writing as soon as I offered him a pencil. When we got nearer to our destination, he moved forward, perched on the back of the front seats, whistling little melodies. I even got to see a few dance moves as Youssou N'dour (Senegalese Singer) was coming through the speakers. As we approached his home he jumped up: "My mum". A series of huts surrounded by a fence in a desert landscape, the goats he remembered once herding. It had been three years...