Founder of the Marième Bousso Association for the Education of Blind Children, Mrs. Mbacké has started a school for the blind in Dakar. Thanks to her, 14 children who live in the suburbs of Dakar can go to school. 

Mame Diarra , tell us a little about your life

I was born and raised in Touba (150 kilometers east of Dakar). I wasn’t raised by my parents.  I lived with my father’s sister until I got married. Like all girls in the Senegalese countryside, I never went to school. I had always been a housewife and before giving birth to my blind daughter, I really didn’t think I’d be able to manage a school.

Where did the idea to start a school for the blind come from?  

When my daughter, Marième, was born, my husband and I understood that it would be very difficult to send her to school. When she was six, we took her to normal school but I knew that she wouldn’t be able to learn there. We went two or three times to Thiès, where the only specialized school is, to see if we could send her there, but it seemed too difficult. We then had the idea to open our own school, to help Marième and others in the same situation. 

Were your friends and family supportive? 

At the beginning, it was very difficult because it was just my husband and I, with our own money.  I talked a lot about it with my friends, but people here don’t have much money, and are only interested in a project if it affects them personally. However, my aunt who raised me gives us a lot of support and loves her niece. She always tells me what a noble thing I’m doing, and I that I have to continue regardless of what comes our way. My father and mother also support us.

	© Mame Diarra / Portrait of Mame Diarra

What has Marième’s experience been through all of this? 

My daughter, now 11, accepts her disability, and others’ hurtful comments no longer upset her. Also, she says that even though she can’t see, she doesn’t consider herself handicapped. She is very happy in school and feels at home there. She has more fun there than at home, with her brothers and sisters. 

What changed when your daughter was born? 

A lot of things! At the beginning, my daughter’s handicap really affected me, but today I feel that Marième has invested me with a mission: to make it such that blind children never feel different from others.  Also, I’m the school’s director even though I’ve never been to school. It takes a lot of energy.

How does the Marième Bousso Organization work? 

When my daughter was born, we began to think about starting an organization and working in that direction, but we didn’t get the green light until 2002. Currently, only my husband and I are active in the association. However, in 2003, we created member cards which cost only 2000 francs CFA (about €3) in order to expand the organization and collect contributions. 

What are the new projects for the organization? 

We have to figure out our financial situation because so far, it has been my husband and I who pay the expenses. Most of the children come from poor families who can’t cover their own costs. Fortunately, Western Union offered us a bus to transport the children. In addition, we have requested government aid and are still waiting for a response. Today, our goal is to get a larger piece of property and to convert the school into a boarding school. Then, after the school entry exam in grade six, we would like the students to be integrated into standard middle schools and high schools, with specialized aids to help them.