Healing the scars of conflict

25 January 2010

After 27 years of conflict, the people of the Casamance region of Senegal were facing a bleak future. Many returned to their villages to find nothing left of their former homes. But thanks to Y Care International’s supporters, they are rebuilding their lives and looking ahead with hope.

The war in Casamance may be over, but the scars of conflict are obvious everywhere you look. The conflict destroyed roads, clinics, community centres and schools. Most villages do not have access to clean drinking water or electricity, and access to healthcare is almost non-existent.

However, together with Senegal YMCA, Y Care International has been working to improve the quality of life for children, young people and their communities in 10 villages across the region. Houses, schools and clinics are being rebuilt, new wells have been built, giving villages access to clean water. We provide mosquito nets to prevent malaria and support 77 orphaned children through school. (Over 30% of the children in Youtou are orphans.) We have also trained young people as peace and health ambassadors so they can educate their communities about how to prevent diseases.

Sophie Willmington, International Programmes Intern, reflects on a visit to Youtou - one of the villages that we support.

When I arrive in Youtou, I am surprised to see two armed soldiers guarding the entrance to the village, as I had not seen this in any of the other villages that I have visited so far. We climb off our boat and make our way towards the community centre. The head of the women’s committee tells us that her husband left the village in 1992 to fight in the war. Six years later, she was forced to flee with her children and grandchildren. She returned in 2002; but without a husband and no means of earning an income, life has been incredibly hard.

There are few men in Youtou, as many of them left to fight and never returned. The women tell me that many families have also not returned to the village, because they are afraid and because there is little left of their homes or livelihoods. Many are living as refugees in Guinea-Bissau.

I am introduced to a group of six teenage boys and girls, who are YMCA Peace and Health Ambassadors. They tell me that their youth leader, Emile, has taught them about teenage pregnancy, premature marriage, malaria, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. They have also learnt about the conflict in Casamance and the importance of peace and reconciliation.

The young people educate their peers by organising activities in the village. They have been particularly successful at informing people about how to protect themselves against malaria –reported cases of malaria among pregnant women and children under five have fallen significantly.

We come across an elderly lady called Julienne, who looks after 10 young children. She tells me that Youtou is still littered with landmines and that there are many areas where it is unsafe for people to go. Julienne also tells me that before the YMCA came, she had to rebuild the straw roof of her house every two years. She proudly shows me her sturdy aluminum roof, which the YMCA has provided. The YMCA also covers the school fees of the children she cares for.

As we prepare to leave the village, Emile tells me that he has seen a huge difference in the people of Youtou: “Their happiness to be alive has returned.” But as we walk back to the river, I notice that there are army personnel positioned at each of the entry points to the village – a stark reminder that life in Youtou is far from returning to normal.