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Senegal, with Dakar as its capital, is located on the west coast of Africa. It borders Mauritania to the north, with the Senegal River as its border; Mali to the east; Guinea-Bissau to the south; Guinea-Conakry to the southeast; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Senegal has a population of about 16.7 million. Its official language is French, coexisting with the other national languages: Wolof, Serer, Peul, Mandinga, Soninké, and Diola. Senegal is a secular state with a majority Muslim population.
Senegal is characterized by warm temperatures, with both a dry season and a rainy season due to the African monsoon that moves up from the south in summer. Inland areas, both in the south and north, are generally warmer than coastal areas. The capital, Dakar, is located in a temperate zone with an average temperature of 25°C.
Time in Senegal is given by a single time zone, denoted as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT; UTC±00:00).
The official currency of Senegal is the CFA Franc. 1 Euro is equivalent to approximately 655.957 CFA Francs.
The programs are located in M’Bour
Your volunteer stay officially commences upon your arrival at the destination when our team picks you up.
Meals included in the placement/project will be provided in the accommodation. However, please note that expenses related to travel to the destination, excursions undertaken by the volunteers, and other personal expenses are not included in the meal plan.
It’s crucial to adhere to the specified pick-up times for each destination/project. Volunteers arriving outside the designated pick-up time/day will incur an additional charge of €30.
The programs are located in M’Bour
All our programs are located in M’Bour, one of the main towns in the coastal region of Thiès in Senegal. M’Bour is located 80 km from Dakar, the capital, and is a mainly fishing town with white sandy beaches and great tourist attractions. The accommodation, in a volunteer house, is a 10-minute taxi ride from the beach and a 35-minute walk.
Volunteers should arrive at Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar on Saturdays, where they will be picked up by local staff and transported to their accommodation.
The main ingredient in Senegalese cuisine is rice, prepared in various ways. Other side dishes include cereals (usually millet) or couscous. Because of its coastal location, fish is a frequent dish. One of the national dishes is Thieboudienne, which consists of marinated fish with rice and vegetables. Another typical dish is Yassa, which is chicken or fish served with onions and garlic, mustard and lemon sauce.
The most commonly used means of transport in Senegal is by taxi, although the internal infrastructure in Senegal has improved significantly over the last twenty years, which is why volunteers will have a variety of means of transport at their disposal.
Among the main means of transport is the train, Senegal has a railway network of 1,225km. However, for short journeys, buses and taxis are the main means of transport. In the case of M’Bour, volunteers will travel from their accommodation to the project in taxis, which will cost an extra 12€ per day (return trip) between all the passengers traveling in the same taxi. Journeys to the project can take from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the exact location of the projects.
Volunteer programs in Senegal commence every Saturday. Volunteers should plan their arrival in Dakar on the designated Saturday to be picked up at the airport by the Cooperating Volunteers team. You can arrive at any time on the pick-up day, and our team will be there to greet you. Please note that there is an additional fee of €30 for pick-ups outside of regular hours.
Volunteers who come to Senegal will be able to enjoy the wonders of this country in their free time. Visiting Dakar, the capital of the country, is the first step to get in touch with the country. A 30-minute ferry ride away is Gorée, a small island for the history buffs. Another major tourist attraction is Lac Rose, from where you can also take a 4WD tour of the surrounding dunes and enjoy the sunset from the water’s edge.
Senegal is full of reserves and national parks where you can enjoy nature and the animals that live there. Examples include the Fathala Reserve, the Saloum Delta National Park, the Bandia Reserve and others.
In M’Bour you can also enjoy tourist attractions such as the local handicraft market, the port or the impressive Gandigal-Est mosque.
The objective of the project is to train young people to be social leaders. The volunteers live in a multicultural environment, work as a team to develop tasks or institutional projects, accompany the beneficiaries in their daily lives or through workshops, and collaborate with the needs of the centers and homes.
Social Inclusion of children, young people and grandparents in situations of social risk.
Attention to Centers and Homes for the protection and restitution of rights of socially vulnerable children, adolescents and older adults.
The volunteers committed to the project will work alongside the community, involving different actors in society and allowing the full fulfillment of the rights of all people.
Volunteers who choose this program will work in schools for young children, kindergartens or day care centers, where they will take care of the children, organize play activities or teach basic concepts. In the day centers, the priority is to be with the children and show them a good time, whether it is through games, dances, songs or simply accompanying them in their daily lives. Some children who come from more disadvantaged families or more complex environments, all they need is a little care, attention and love.
The aim of the volunteers is to spend quality time with the children, creating strong bonds and providing a satisfying and comfortable environment for them.
Locations: This program takes place in centers that we collaborate with in M’Bour.
Unlike the teaching program, volunteers are not required to be able to communicate in French, as the children we work with in the centers are still very young.
The Cooperating Volunteers medical volunteer program in Senegal covers a number of professional fields of medicine and students can have a great experience in any of the areas that are carried out in the medical center.
This volunteer project aims to get volunteers involved in the day-to-day tasks of the medical center and to understand and learn how African medicine works. The tasks of the volunteer vary depending to a large extent on their experience and ability, but it is necessary for the volunteer to adapt to the rhythm of work and Senegalese organization in order to live a successful experience.
The medical center is supported by local volunteers (nurses, doctors, assistants…) who work every day to support the local community.
The center’s daily activities focus on vaccination campaigns, maternity (pre-delivery follow-up, delivery care and 24-hour post-partum follow-up) and family planning.
The volunteer’s work in this program includes assistance in the operation of a local health center, the volunteer does not have any responsibility in the center but is a support throughout their stay in the project. For example, if you are a nursing or medical student or have a trained medical skill, you may be involved in caring for patients, as well as diagnosis, injections, and wound care. If you are a midwife or gynecologist, you can work in the maternity ward helping with prenatal care. If you are a person with an academic background in public health you can also participate in this volunteer project, helping staff to record injections or vaccinations, helping to dispense medicines and supplies, giving educational seminars on knowledge of nursing, nutrition or any other topic you can think of in relation to community health care.
NOTE: The medical program has an extra cost of €150 as a donation to the medical center where we work. The volunteer, together with the local team and the medical staff, will decide how that donation is invested depending on the needs.
Locations: This program takes place in one of the health centers located in M’Bour.
Requirements: This program requires a medium level of French, and an academic certificate in nursing or medicine. They can be students or graduates.
Several primary and secondary schools in M’Bour want us to organize learning programs in which volunteers have the opportunity to teach different subjects alongside local teachers. You will have the opportunity to teach various subjects such as maths and science to students of different levels.
You will be supporting the local teachers at all times, and you will also develop activities with the students such as arts and crafts, sports, drawing, colouring, writing and more! Many of the children here are quite young and require attention and activities to keep them stimulated to help them grow.
It is very important to note that this program requires the volunteer to have an average knowledge of French, as it is the official language of the State and the classes will be taught entirely in French.
The timetable is in the mornings and may vary depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.
An intermediate level of French is required for this program.
Accommodation: You will stay in the volunteer house in M’Bour.
Volunteer House Accommodation
Accommodation in Senegal is provided in a house where participants stay in shared rooms, separated by gender. The accommodation will have hot water (a water heater is currently being installed). On the first day, the local team will accompany you to a location where you can purchase a SIM card for internet access.
From the accommodation to the projects, you can take a taxi, always coordinated by the local team. The journey typically takes between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on the program chosen, and costs between 5 and 12 euros per day. There is also a nearby program located within a 10-minute walk from the house.
Additionally, the volunteer house is about a 35-minute walk from the beach, or less if you opt for transportation.
Accommodation with Our Family
If there are no other bookings during the low season when the participant arrives in Senegal, they will be accommodated at our coordinator’s family home to ensure they feel supported by our team.
On the first day, the local team will accompany you to a location where you can purchase a SIM card for internet access when you are outside the house.
The family consists of Assy, the coordinator of Cooperating Volunteers Senegal, her husband El Hadji, who is our legal advisor in Senegal, their children Bamba (5 years old) and Malick (who will soon turn 3), as well as the household staff (a cleaner, a cook, and the children’s nanny).
The children attend school from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM and go to bed at 8:00 PM, ensuring a peaceful environment during the night and siesta time.
From the accommodation to the projects, you can take a taxi. The journey typically takes between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on the program chosen, and costs around 5 euros per day.
Additionally, the volunteer house is about a 35-minute walk from the beach, or less if you opt for transportation.
The total cost of the volunteer program is broken down into 2 parts. The registration fee that is paid to book your placement in the program €210 (approx. 225USD), and the program cost, which is paid afterward . The following list gives a breakdown of the program fee costs for each project.
300€ first week
280€ every additional week
NOTE: The medical program has an extra cost of 150€ as a donation to the medical center where we work, the volunteer together with the local team and the medical staff, will decide how this donation is spent depending on the needs.
If your currency is not specified in the table, you can convert your costs here.
***The costs shown in dollars are approximate due to continuous currency adjustments.
Visa, flights, travel insurance (compulsory), vaccinations, transfer back to the airport, daily transport from accommodation to the project and back, and other personal expenses.
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Our volunteers will be able to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
What does volunteering focused on university practices involve?
At Cooperating Volunteers, we make agreements with different universities to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
The specialties we work with are extensive: medical volunteering, nursing, education, social work, psychology, physiotherapy, engineering, architecture…
The practices can be carried out in our designated destinations for this purpose, as well as in Spain.
If you choose an international destination, it’s a unique way to live an unforgettable and enriching experience, as you will have the opportunity to continue your education in another country, with a completely different culture.
Stepping out of our comfort zone and being part of the various projects at the destination will allow us to grow both personally and professionally, creating a more extensive curriculum.
And we are fully convinced that this experience will accompany you throughout your life.
You will be able to visit hospitals, schools, centers, orphanages, and participate directly and actively in the daily lives of all those people at the destination, always accompanied by other professionals willing to collaborate hand in hand with you and guide you in daily tasks.
If your university is not part of the agreement with Cooperating Volunteers, you can contact cristina@cooperatingvolunteers.com so that we can get in touch and make this experience a reality.
Corporate volunteering consists of tailored programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills.
It is proven that teamwork directly impacts productivity.
Collective effort surpasses individual capabilities, promotes diversity of skills, stimulates creativity, and facilitates problem-solving in the face of various challenges.
Therefore, it not only maximizes efficiency but also enriches the work environment.
We conduct corporate volunteering programs that consist of customized programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills, improve performance, and foster unity among employees.
We tailor projects to the corporate identity and size of the company, and we can adjust them to any destination and time of the year.
The advantages of corporate volunteering include:
The future is aligned with a more responsible society, and participating in social projects positions our company among the list of revolutionary businesses that want to be part of the change.
If you resonate with this message, corporate volunteering is a unique experience both individually and collectively, and at Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the process to make it a unique journey.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members.
Spending quality time with family and being able to disconnect from our hectic routines is not only enriching but also necessary.
Sometimes we forget to communicate, connect, and dedicate time to each other. Each one of us lives focused on our jobs, schools… And it’s necessary to find the opportunity to pause and take care of ourselves.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members. And of course, it creates lifelong positive memories.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we suggest moving away from those ‘more superficial’ trips (which can also be fantastic), but we invite you to live this experience to bring out our most empathetic and humanitarian side.
Family volunteering gives us the opportunity to be part of a positive impact, promoting values of solidarity and social responsibility.
There are many families who choose to experience these trips focused on cooperation and direct involvement with different communities around the world, where living conditions are very different and sometimes entirely precarious.
Projects are tailored to different ages, allowing us to work together.
An incredible way to fill our suitcase with memories, learning, and knowledge.
And although stepping out of our comfort zone often feels daunting, we assure you firsthand that it’s worth it.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the entire experience, from start to finish, to make it unforgettable.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we believe it’s never too late for anything, especially for volunteering and living a unique and unforgettable experience.
There are many people, increasingly so, who opt for responsible travel that involves social work.
Accustomed to organized and mostly touristic trips, at Cooperating Volunteers, we want to advocate for a more enriching experience, one that transforms us from within and allows us to be part of the change the world needs to see.
We can adapt both the destination and the duration of our projects to fit your needs.
It’s an opportunity full of emotions that allows us to significantly contribute to different communities and their evolution. And you can participate in different areas such as education, social support, or assistance in different centers.
Some of the benefits include:
Living this experience will undoubtedly be a before and after.
A volunteering initiative with leadership and impact through the educational action program.
When we talk about social volunteering, we refer to all those actions and activities carried out altruistically, selflessly, and with the aim of addressing multiple problems and needs of different communities, always focused on education and self-sufficiency.
Education is essential because it provides the tools and knowledge necessary for personal, social, and economic development.
Our goal is to create self-sufficient communities and provide opportunities for the future personal development of each member. The message is not to ‘give’, but to accompany in the process of training for self-managed provision.
At Cooperating Volunteers, many of our destinations and projects embrace this type of volunteering. Some of our projects include: community programs, education, women’s empowerment…
And although they are completely different from each other, they share a single objective: progress towards a society that can embrace us all in the same way.
If you are someone who is restless, who needs to see a change in the future, volunteering is an experience tailor-made for you.