American Friends of Le Korsa, Inc.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
EDUCATION 43% of youth in Senegal have no formal education. Many children in Senegal’s rural areas do not complete school because their family needs them to work and help earn income. For girls in rural areas, the situation can be even worse: offered as brides at around the age of 13 or 14, they are expected by their husbands to bear children and run a household, not to attend school. HEALTHCARE In Senegal, there are just 6 doctors for every 100,000 people. Many rural villages in Senegal are located far from the nearest health clinics. Patients forego treatment because they cannot afford the voyage, or because they are too ill to travel. WOMEN & CHILDREN'S HEALTH 51% of births take place without medical assistance in Senegal. 82% of the population has no access to or understanding of contraception. Infant and maternal mortality rates are more than 10x higher in Senegal than in the United States. AGRICULTURE 50% of people in Senegal do not have enough food.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Tambacounda Hospital - New Pediatric and Maternity Unit
We have several programs focusing on education, healthcare, and agricultural needs of those in Senegal.
However, we have currently embarked on our biggest project yet with Tambacounda Hospital: a redesign of its maternity and pediatric wards. During a visit to the hospital in 2017, it became clear to Le Korsa that the maternity and pediatric units urgently needed improvement. We saw families going into the hospital with their sick child, having no choice but to wait on the corridor floor. People arriving with a feverish two-month old baby, waiting in the heat for hours, without a proper chair. Then, if the child was admitted to the hospital, he or she was squeezed into a ward where there is little space between the beds, mostly sharing their bed with another child. Women were giving birth next to women in recovery and others in early labor, all in the same room.
To improve this situation, Le Korsa is building a brand-new, 8,200 square foot efficient and sanitary space devoted to providing adequate care for new mothers and their children. There will be enough space to provide a bed or crib for every child, a facility for high-risk pregnancies and births, a private and hygienic birthing center. Simple additions like waiting rooms, bathrooms for family members, and space for medical records and supplies, will alter the reality of this hospital dramatically.
The project is now in the early stages of construction and is expected to be completed by Spring 2020.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Le Korsa works directly with dedicated doctors, teachers, and students in Senegal to improve human lives. Operating programs at carefully selected sites, responding quickly and immediately to emergencies, we provide the financial means and resources to empower sustainable solutions. Our actions are concrete, our commitment is long-term. We are in constant contact with our network of Senegalese colleagues to make sure that we are achieving our goals, and the results in the areas of education, healthcare (in particular women & children's healthcare), and agriculture are extraordinary.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
First and foremost, we listen to the people we work with. We create programs that empower people to create an improved sense of life whether that be through our education, healthcare, or agricultural programs. We are interested in sustainable projects, ones that will make a lasting impact, and that will impact generations.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Le Korsa has over 25 staff and partners who focus solely on the needs of the people of Senegal. Having full-time staff on the ground in Senegal including many that are Senegalese means we are in constant communication about our programs, their effectiveness, and what else can be done to help support the people we aim to improve life for. We have several partner organizations including CURE (to provide and ship medical supplies and equipment) and Go Doc Go (to provide cervical cancer screening and treatment in rural areas), among others. We have established long-term relationships with many government and rural community leaders and as such, have been able to create programs and make a difference in areas that other organizations do not have access to.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
EDUCATION
Over the last ten years, Le Korsa has made marked strides in improving early and primary education in Tambacounda's rural zones. We built a kindergarten in the rural villages of Sinthian in 2010 and in Fass in 2018 where enrollment has risen to over 100 students at each school. The students learn reading, writing, and math with the intention of then entering the state-run primary school system. Our plan is to duplicate the design and implementation of these rural schools over and over again (with at least 4 more schools slated to be constructed within the next five years). Le Korsa also co-manages a haven for girls who flee their village and seek refuge, wanting a better life and an education. The Foyer de Jeunes Filles currently houses 103 girls and supports them fully while they complete high school or professional training in Tambacounda. We are working to increase enrollment further - more young women want to be there than we can currently accommodate. In addition, Le Korsa provides scholarships to girls and boys who wish to get a primary and/or secondary education. We could easily expand this program further as the needs are great.
HEALTHCARE
Since 2013, Le Korsa has brought medical supplies to Fann and Tambacounda Hospital, the Women's Center of Dakar, Malika Medical Clinic, SInthian and Fass Medical Clinics, and Wassadou Medical Center. We also offer patient subsidies that cover prescriptions or basic care. We helped fund the construction of two rural medical centers and have purchased 4x4 trucks for doctors and nurses to be able to travel to these remote areas and for people who need transport to hospitals when necessary. What's next is to continue to further the capabilities and capacities of these rural medical centers by supplying additional space, solar power, medical equipment and staff.
WOMEN & CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE
Le Korsa is currently building a desperately needed new maternity and pediactric unit at Tambacounda Hospital. We have also partnered with Go Doc Go to travel to remote areas and provide cervical cancer screening and treatment. In addition, In 2016, Le Korsa opened the first free, public and government-sanctioned health clinic for women in Senegal. Keur Djiguene Yi offers complete reproductive and gynecological care for women including pre- and postnatal exams, contraception, information on family planning, HIV prevention awareness, nutrition education, infant immunizations, and addresses many other issues. In 2017, we added a pediatrician to the staff as well. Our goal is to be able to open the clinic full-time, add an additional female OBGYN and pediatrician to the staff.
AGRICULTURE
We have worked with local women to provide the means and the training to grow gardens that feed whole villages. We build solar-powered wells, provide seeds, and conduct training for creating flourishing crops. With the right funding, we could duplicate this sustainable program in other rural areas where food is lacking.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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American Friends of Le Korsa, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 11/07/2022
Nicholas Fox Weber
Le Korsa
Term: 2010 -
Nicholas Fox Weber
Louis Valentin
Organizational demographics
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