Since the last project update posted May 5, 2010 which was primarily dedicated to Ussoforal’s 10th anniversary celebration in Bissau, Ussoforal’s founder, Sadio Diatta Rosché has left West Africa to begin her summer fund-rising campaign on the west coast of the United States. Before leaving, a “dispedida” (farewell party) was staged, bringing together Ussoforal’s members and families to celebrate the group’s continued success and to wish Sadio luck in her Stateside endeavors.

Departing from Bissau, Sadio, accompanied by a group of Ussoforal’s Guinean-Bissaun children, spent time in Ziguinchor, Senegal to visit Sadio’s family and to spend time with the Ziguinchor-based Ussoforal group in a cultural exchange of dancing and drumming.

Upon arrival in the United States, Sadio began participating in African dance classes and seminars in Washington, DC and Boston, raising funds for Ussoforal through sponsorship donations for individual children as well as through the sale of African cooking that Sadio prepared with her daughter Marie and other relatives, and through the sale of clothing made from African “lappas” – a particular favorite being cloth featuring President Obama’s likeness printed in Tanzania, emblazoned with the words “Hongera Obama” (“Congratulations Obama” in Kiswahili). Seminar participants are also contributing donations of used clothing and school supplies that will be shipped to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau to be distributed among Ussoforal’s children.

Sadio is currently teaching African dance through a Head Start summer school program in Takoma Park, Maryland – bringing African culture and the respect for cultural diversity to elementary school children in the suburban Washington DC area. Though Stateside, Sadio’s dedication to her group in Africa never falters, striving always to help make the children’s dreams come true through her efforts to mobilize resources to support their cause.

Your continued contributions and support are very much appreciated. Rest assured that you have the genuine gratitude of Ussoforal’s children and their families whose lives you have touched.

Stay blessed,

Ussoforal celebrated the 10th anniversay of its registration as an officially-recognized non-profit charitable organization in Guinea-Bissau on March 27 and 28. The first day featured an out-door dance performance by the children at the school in the Plack II neighborhood of Bissau, attended by several hundred parents, neighbors, government officials and other supporters. The second day featured a luncheon to show the group's appreciation for all of those who have assisted over the years, accompanied by the performances of popular local singers.

Perhaps the most touching segment of the celebration was the distribution of certificates to the first graduates of the adult literacy classes - primarily women between the ages of 35 and 45 who now can read and write for the first time in their lives. In a heart-warming and humorous speech, the "valedictorian" cited now being able to participate more fully in the management of their families and being able send and receive text messages as the most life-changing benefits of the courses. Interestingly, the ability to read and write has made some of the women aware of difficulties with their eyesight, whereas previously this was not an issue for them. Ussoforal plans to explore the possibility of assisting them in obtaining corrective glasses.

Prior to the anniversary festivities, the group's founder, Sadio Diatta Rosche, spent 3 months in Bissau and Senegal directing the group's activities. This included the receipt and distribution of 22 huge duffel bags of donations - primarily used clothing and school supplies - contributed by the group's supporters in the United States. Sponsorship funds donated by individual benefactors in the States to cover the school fees of many of the children were also distributed. Sadio will remain the group through June, when she will return to the Washington DC area for the summer season of fund-raising.

The group still relies on the Plack II school to provide classrooms for the adult literacy activities - now 5 active classes - and the children continue to use the courtyard of Sadio's house for rehearsals. Though Sadio has been able to identify a plot of land available nearby the school where she hopes to build a community center to serve as the hub for the group's activities, this has been beyond the fiancial capacity of the group so far. But hopefully, with the support of all of you, she will someday be able to make this dream come true.

I feel particularly blessed to have been able to travel from Tanzania to Bissau to participate the in Ussoforal's 10th anniversary clebrations. It was a moving experience to see the dedication of the volunteers and supporters, and the appreciation shown by the children and their families. My heartfelt thanks, and the heartfelt thanks of Sadio and all of those whose lives have been touched by the goup's work, goes out to all of you who have helped allow the group to contribute to the well-being of the children and their community. Please be assured that your continued generousity is having a positive impact and is very much appreciated.

Links:

• visit Ussoforal's website

Though Sadio suffered a mild stroke in July, she's back on her feet, fully operational once more, and sends her thanks to all of you who sent her their speedy recovery wishes.

During the summer, Sadio extended Ussoforal's reach to Takoma Park, Maryland where she taught African Dance at the Head Start program for elementary school children. She also organized a children's benefit workshop in Boston.

Throughout the summer, friends and workshop participants generously contributed clothing and school supplies for the Ussoforal children in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. 22 duffle bags of contributions have been shipped to Dakar, Senegal, and Sadio is currently in Tanzania on her way to Dakar where she will distribute the donations among to children in Dakar, Ziguinchor and Bissau. The University of Dayton, where Sadio's daughter Marie starred on the women's basketball team, also contributed 42 basketballs for the kids!

In addition, Sadio received direct sponsorship donations to cover the school fees for 20 Ussoforal children. Just $50 to $100 allows a child to attend school for an entire year, but even this small sum puts school out of reach for many children. So your sponsorship donations are all greatly appreciated.

Ussoforal in Bissau continues to conduct 3 adult literacy classes with 20 participants per class, the large majority of whom are women from the Plack 2 neighborhood. 6 volunteer teachers provide the instruction, 1 of whom participated in a Training of Trainers course offered by the Portuguese Cultural Center as a gesture of support to Ussoforal. 3 drumming and dance instructors also volunteer their support to Ussoforal in Bissau, one of whom has traveled from Senegal to strengthen the cultural exchange between the 2 countries.

Adult literacy classes continue to be conducted in borrowed classrooms, and the drumming and dancing classes still take place in the courtyard of Sadio's house. So the construction of the Ussoforal Social Center still remains a top priority for the group's further development. Any help that you can provide will be greatly appreciated, as would any contributions to cover transport costs and additional didactic materials for the volunteer instructors. Every little bit helps a lot.

And if you are looking for a meaningful and highly satisfying African experience, Sadio would be thrilled if you could come and join her in her work with the children, for howver long your schedule would allow!

Sadio is soon to begin preparations for Ussoforal's 10th annivesary on March 30. Many local performers have already pledged their participation to support the group and to help make the children's dreams come true. You'll be hearing more about this in the next project update.

Thank you all so much for your continued support!

From January through April this year, Ussoforal's founder, Sadio Diatta Rosche, was in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Over the course of the last 2 quarters of 2008 while in the United States, Sadio collected a quantity of donations from benefactors in the Washington and Boston areas in the form of clothing and school supplies which she had shipped to the project sites. Other contributions were in the form of sponsorships for specific children in the group to cover their school fees and other essential expenses. Sadio's stay in Africa was the opportunity to distribute these contributions, and to deliver the sponsorship contributions hand-to-hand to the children's parents, or to pay their school fees directly.

GlobalGiving donations helped to cover some of the cost of shipping the school supplies, and also made it possible for the group to expand the number of adult literacy classes provided to the children's parents from 1 class to 3 classes. It is the project's hope to be able to have a locale of its own rather than depending on borrowed space in a neighborhood school, but in the meantime, GlobalGiving's generous subscribers have made it possible to cover the transportation stipends allowing the volunteer teachers to provide the instruction.

Ussoforal officially came into being on March 30, 2000 when it was formally recognized and registered by the Government of Guinea-Bissau as a non-profit, non-governmental organization. So this year marked the group's 9th anniversary! It was celebated in style with dance performances by Ussoforal's children and numerous popular local singing artists who performed free-of-charge to show their support for the group. It was an opportunity for friends, family and neighbors to join together in the name of helping to make the children's dreams come true. The 10th anniversary next year, with your continued support, can only be an even bigger success.

On behalf of Ussoforal's children, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The children of Ussoforal have been busy performing since last project update. The 8th anniversary of the group brought together artists, diplomats and other supporters on March 29 and 30 to encourage the kids and to have a great time. Other performances include the European Union Headquarters in May, World Childrens Day June 1 at a local school before over 500 spectators, the French Cultural Center in July, and United Nations Development Program headquarters in October.

11 large duffle bags of school supplies and clothing donated by US-based supporters of the group were delivered to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. An additional 24 bags are on the way, all generous donations from individuals. Monetary donations received through Global Giving are covering some of the transportation costs.

In a newly-initiated activity, 67 women have enrolled in adult literacy classes organized by Ussoforal. The classes are currently being held in borrowed space in a local school pending the construction of the community center for which funds are being solicited through this Global Giving site.

Ussoforal's founder, Sadio Diatta Rosche, will soon return to Guinea-Bissau to gear up for the group's 9th anniversary on March 30, 2009, which will be commemorated with dancing and music from the children and guest stars on March 28 and 29, 2009.

8 volunteers provide their time as literacy teachers, dance instructors for the children and keeping the activities going. Another priority therefore is to generate funds to at least cover these volunteers' transportation to and from the Ussoforal sites.

So Ussoforal calls upon all of you to help support them through contributions toward

1) covering school fees for the children,

2) construction of a modest locale for the literacy classes and for dance rehearsals during inclement weather, and

3) reimbursement of the volunteers' transportation costs to encourage them to continue.

Thank you all very much for helping make these childrens' dreams come true!

The founder of Ussoforal, Sadio Diatta Rosche, returned to West Africa after several months in the United States promoting the Ussoforal Group. After spending January in Senegal, she has now arrived in Guinea-Bissau.

Sadio brought back 9 huge duffle bags crammed with clothing and school supplies donated by generous contributors primarily from the Washington and Boston areas where she was promoting African dance and Ussoforal's community strengthening activities. These donations are now being distributed among Ussoforal's children in Ziguinchor, Senegal and the Plack 2 neighborhood in Bissau. In addition, Sadio has been hand delivering cash sponsorship donations for specific individual children chosen by US benefactors directly to the families to be applied toward school fees or other basic necessities.

March 30, 2008 will mark the 8th anniversary of the Ussoforal Group, and Sadio is now busy making preparations for the commemoratory celebration that will be held March 29 and 30 - confirming commitments from the local artists who have volunteered their time to perform, and contacting the numerous government and international organizations who will attend (and contribute).