Strengthening the City's Civil Society

Saint-Louis has an old and dense associative fabric. Seventeen neighborhood councils have been established there with the PRADEQ program (Diamaguène, Léona, Guet-Ndar, Pikine, Balacoss-Tendjiguène, Goxu Mbaaj, Ndar-Toute, Bango, etc.), and fifteen participatory planning documents have been developed at the neighborhood level. The associative census of these neighborhoods covers thematic associations, GIEs (Economic Interest Groups), mbotayes (local community groups), health and disability committees, sports and cultural associations (ASC), and neighborhood development associations. Local organizations address specific issues: And Deekil Ndar (donation of a mortuary cabinet to the hospital), Aar Sunu Aalam (coastal reforestation), APER (protection of street children), Keur Talibé Ndar (awareness in daaras), and the Local Artisanal Fisheries Council. In Guet-Ndar, women fish processors sustain an essential neighborhood economy. These actors need support: strengthening their management capacities, access to funding, digital tools, and networking with institutions and international partners. The city also maintains active partnerships (Lille, Rastatt, New Orleans) from which these associations can benefit. This mission mobilizes the Saint-Louis diaspora to support these organizations: training, technical assistance, advocacy, funding for small projects, and network expansion, in coordination with the city hall and neighborhood councils.