Casa for Life: in Senegal, a helping hand for health and maternity, people with disabilities, access to water and market gardening.

Casa for Life is a non-profit organisation located in Gembloux, Wallonia. Its goal is to share knowledge and help the development of the Casamance population in Senegal.

The projects implemented are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the UN: autonomy of women and marginalised people, health, access to water, energy saving, basic infrastructure projects, local and sustainable market gardening.

The non-profit also promotes cultural exchanges between Casamance and Wallonia, by organising participatory trips with groups of adults and facilitating internships for young people in the health field. It also buys (or receives) medical equipment in Wallonia for the various healthcare facilities in the region.

This adventure began more than 30 years ago when Martine De Boeck and Yves van den Branden opened the Néma health centre in Ziguinchor, where they worked for two years. Since 2012 they have returned to Casamance every year and in 2018 founded the ASBL Casa for Life, together with friends.

Projects:

Health and maternity:

• Ziguinchor: construction of maternity wards and renovation of the Néma and Kandé health centres; photovoltaic panels for the Néma health centre; psychiatric hospital: support for psychiatric consultations. 
• Belaye: renovation of the nurses' and midwifes' accommodation and re-roofing of the health centre and maternity ward.
• Diouloulou: construction of a morgue within the health centre.
• Provision of medical equipment, glasses and baby clothes to various health facilities in the region.

Disability:

• Support for the association for physically and mentally handicapped children, "le Manguier d'Éloi".
• Renovation of a soap factory for an association of women with physical disabilities; supervision of training and start-up of the soap-making activity.

Market gardening and access to water:

• Agnack: renovation of the fence and installation of a solar pump for the market garden.
• Pouboul: construction of two wells to allow the villagers to return to the area.
• Baghagha: cleaning of the well for the market garden.
• Belaye: mini drilling to rehabilitate the health centre well.
• Néma: solar pump for the market garden.

More details in the activity reports and the photo gallery

Contact: Martine De Boeck info@casaforlife.org +32 474 71 78 96

We are looking for sponsors for the non-profit and for the events we organise.

We can help Walloon companies wanting to set up in Casamance by putting them in contact with our network in Ziguinchor (including the Chamber of Commerce).