During the month of Ramadan and Lent, the Resilience and Community Development Project – Senegal River Valley (PRDC-VFS) distributed food kits to vulnerable populations in Saint-Louis. This initiative falls under component 1 of the project, which focuses on social cohesion, community engagement, and support for the most vulnerable groups.

In total, more than 80 food kits, with a total value of approximately 6 million CFA francs, were distributed to beneficiaries identified by state social services. The aim is to provide support to vulnerable people, particularly those living with disabilities, women, and young people, during this period of solidarity and sharing.

A social inclusion project

Representing the project coordinator, Alassane Kane, PRDC-VFS monitoring and evaluation specialist, recalled that this program is a project of the State of Senegal launched in 2024 for a period of five years, with the support of the World Bank.

“The PRDC is a social inclusion project with a total budget of 90 billion CFA francs. The bulk of this funding is intended for communities, through the construction of community infrastructure and social inclusion activities like the one we are carrying out today,” he explained.

The project operates in 44 municipalities in the Senegal River Valley and places particular emphasis on supporting women's groups, young people and people living with disabilities.

According to Mr. Kane, this initiative is part of a desire to strengthen solidarity and social cohesion within communities.

The ceremony also provided an opportunity to distribute "ndogou" baskets for Ramadan and kits for children, particularly to support their education. "The targeting of beneficiaries was carried out with the support of state technical services in order to reach the most vulnerable people," explained the project manager.

Supporting populations facing vulnerabilities

Present at the ceremony, the prefect of Saint-Louis, Abou Sow, praised the PRDC-VFS initiative, recalling that this project aims to strengthen the resilience of the valley's populations in the face of floods and other hazards.

“As part of carrying out its missions, the PRDC deemed it necessary to support the most vulnerable populations during this Ramadan period. Food kits are therefore made available to them, but also support for children living with a disability or from vulnerable families to support their schooling,” he indicated.

The prefect also specified that further support is planned in the coming days for vulnerable Catholic populations during Lent, in order to maintain fairness between the different communities.

For Yankhoba Lo, regional director of Community Development and Promotion of Equity in Saint-Louis, the selection of beneficiaries was carried out in collaboration with social action services, family services and community actors.

"Among vulnerable people, some are even more exposed. We have therefore tried to target these categories so that they can benefit as a priority from this support," he explained.

According to him, the majority of beneficiaries come from the department of Saint-Louis, although some come from other localities, notably from the department of Podor.

Through this initiative, the PRDC-VFS confirms its commitment to social inclusion and support for the most vulnerable populations, while strengthening community solidarity in the Senegal River Valley.