To ease the burden on families at the start of the school year, Mohamadou Yacine Diallo, leader of the Rencontre des acteurs citoyens autour des essentiels (Race), has distributed 1,000 school kits to pupils in Grand-Dakar. A social initiative against a backdrop of local political engagement.

By Justin GOMIS – From primary school right up to Year 10 (3ᵉ), Mohamadou Yacine Diallo never had the chance to carry a backpack to school. On Saturday, the leader of the Rencontre des acteurs citoyens autour des essentiels (Race) recalled that past as he donated 1,000 school kits to primary and secondary pupils in Grand-Dakar. The aim: to support education and relieve parents hard hit by the economic situation. “Social action is at the heart of what we do. In the conquest of power, this dimension is fundamental. We have received everything from Grand-Dakar and we are determined to give back part of what it has given us,” the benefactor said at a ceremony that drew a large crowd of children and parents.

For the Race leader, education remains the pillar of all national development: “School is the ideal setting for forming an educated youth. Seeing these children, I see my own journey twenty years ago, when I lacked the means. I urge them to make sensible use of this equipment. Who knows, the future President of the Republic may come from Grand-Dakar.”

Touched by this initiative, many parents already see him as the commune’s future mayor and have promised to support his candidacy.

On the sidelines of the event, Mohamadou Yacine Diallo appealed to the government and the teachers’ unions to preserve peace in schools: “Our country has a tradition of consultation. The current stand-off is not the solution. For the concept ‘Oubi tey, jang tey’ (open today, learn today) to become a reality, the thread of dialogue must remain intact.”