Goshen College has sent students to West African countries since 1993. The first Senegal SST unit was in 2004. Senegal, located on the Atlantic Ocean, borders Mauritania to the north, Guinea to the south, Mali to the east and surrounds Gambia. Its capital, Dakar, is the westernmost point in Africa. The city of Thiès will be your home for the study portion of the semester.

STUDY

French classes will be held four mornings a week. (An introduction to the Wolof language will be held.) During afternoons and weekends there will be lectures and field trips to begin learning about Senegal’s history, religion, environment, social issues, the arts, and other elements of Senegalese culture which will be experienced in various ways. French and Wolof will be used with your host family and as you travel around Thiès and the country.

SERVICE

During the second half of SST, you will head out to different locations in Senegal, where you will serve in a local community and meet a new host family. Common service assignments include working at a health clinic or hospital, or assisting in a community development project. You may find yourself working in a deaf school in Dakar  or supporting AESCAW, a women’s organization in Richard Toll.