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  • Some Recent News
    • Brother Alois received by Pope Francis
    • February 2018: News of the Migrants Welcomed in Taizé
    • New Decorations in the Church: A Work in Progress
    • Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
    • Council 2017: Prayer by brother Alois
    • “Coexister”: Bonds of friendship growing deeper
    • Patriarch Bartholomew in Taizé Tuesday, 25 April
    • Brother Alois received by Pope Francis
    • An Easter Broadcast from Taizé
    • [LIVE] Prayer broadcast from Taizé
    • Refugees: helping fraternity to grow
    • Basel 2017: On social media
    • [LIVE] Broadcast from Taizé
    • [LIVE] Broadcast from Taizé
    • The Prior of Taizé in South Sudan and Sudan
    • Taizé accompanies the preparation of “COP21”
    • Prayers for the Protection of the Creation
    • Prayer by brother Alois after the tragic events in Paris
    • From Darfur to Taizé by way of Calais
    • March 2016: Visit to Taizé by the French National Office for Refugees
    • A Syrian family has arrived at Taizé
    • Meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill: Prayer by Brother Alois
    • March 2016: Brother Alois received by Pope Francis
    • Garden of Solidarity in Taizé
    • Brother Denis (1934-2015)
    • The year 2015 at Taizé in the media
    • Easter in Taizé: Celebrating the Resurrection in the hope of a better world
    • The Sisters of Saint Andrew have been at Taizé for 50 years
    • Message by Brother Alois for the end of Ramadan
    • Unaccompanied Minors Welcomed
    • Prayer by Brother Alois: After the Attack at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray
    • Prayer for Peace: On Sundays at Taizé, the bell of peace will ring for the city of Aleppo, Syria
    • The Saint Irenaeus Group at Taizé
    • Council of the Community: Prayer by Brother Alois
    • Brother Jean-Philippe (1946-2014)
    • Brother Alois received in private audience by Pope Francis
    • Pope Francis speaks about Taizé and the search for Christian unity
    • Brother Alois in Canterbury
    • Brother Frank (1935-2014)
    • An afternoon of solidarity in the region of Taizé
    • Brother Alois received by Pope Francis for a private audience
    • Brother Alois spent Christmas in Syria
    • Easter, the Joy of the Resurrection, in communion with the suffering of the world
    • Echoes from the Meetings
    • Holy Week in Taizé
    • Lenten Conférence in Paris
    • Weekend of friendship between young Christians and Muslims: Testimonies by Brother Alois and some young adults
    • The big weeks begin again
    • The Photo of the Moment
  • Visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Taizé
    • Two video clips of common prayer
    • Visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Taizé: Words of Welcome by Brother Alois
    • Speech during the Common Prayer
    • The Key Moments in Photos
  • Vocation and History
    • A bit of history: The Beginnings
    • A lifelong commitment
    • About Taizé: The Community Today
    • A pilgrimage of trust on earth
    • Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé
  • Brother Roger, Founder of Taizé
    • 12 May 1915 – 16 August 2005: Homage to Brother Roger
    • Why Brother Roger died
    • A way of reconciliation
      • Benedict XVI speaks of Brother Roger: “An ecumenism lived spiritually”
      • Interview with Brother Alois: Something that was without precedent
      • Mgr Daucourt, Bishop of Nanterre: Ecumenism is first of all an exchange of gifts
      • Déclaration by the French Protestant Federation: Let us respect the memory of Brother Roger
    • Photos of Brother Roger
    • Video: Brother Roger: A key word from my youth
  • Other people on Taizé
    • John Paul II: One passes through Taizé as one passes close to a spring of water
    • Paul Ricœur: “Liberating the core of goodness”
    • Olivier Clément: "Trust will have the last word"
    • Celebration of Taizé’s 70th Anniversary
      • Celebration of the 70th anniversary of Taizé - Messages received
  • Brothers living in other places
    • The brothers in Kenya
      • The brothers in Kenya
      • Back in Nairobi
      • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi
        • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi: program for 2017
        • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi: program for 2013
        • August 2012 : "Looking by ourselves and sharing"
        • April 2012: Three international retreats
        • Meetings in Nairobi : December 2011
        • Meetings in Nairobi: August 2011
        • Meetings in Nairobi: April 2011
        • Meetings at Nairobi: December 2010
        • Meetings at Nairobi: August 2010
        • Retreat at Nairobi: April 2010
    • The brothers in Senegal
      • The brothers in Senegal
      • A fraternité in Dakar
      • Sénégal: Young people from the villages around Taizé visiting Dakar
      • Lets go and see ak benn!
      • "Ak benn"
      • Voluntary drains clean-up in Grand-Yoff!
      • Griots at the Taizé house in Dakar
      • Refugees in Dakar
      • Locked and barred?
      • The children in Dakar are also accompanying COP21
    • The brothers in Bangladesh
      • The brothers in Bangladesh
      • Estema, the “assembly” at Tongi
      • The station children’s club
      • Rajshahi – following the meeting in Kolkata
      • Learning for life: The stipend program schools in Mymensingh
      • "Singing as we go"
      • Islam in Bangladesh
      • As Christmas draws near
      • Sing to the tune of a new life
      • Floods in August 2007
      • Visits in Nepal
      • On Christmas Day: a great gust of joy
      • Bangladesh: Festival for street children in Dhaka
      • Meeting in Mymensingh, June 2012
      • October 2012 : News of the brothers in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh: A clown in Dhaka’s main railway station
    • The brothers in Korea
      • The brothers in Korea
      • A Life of waiting
      • A visit to the North
      • In Seoul: some hours of prayer and silence
    • The brothers in Brazil
      • The brothers in Brazil
      • A week of prayer for Christian Unity at Alagoinhas
      • Apprenticeships: Thirsting for a future: journeys on paths unknown
      • Brazil, October 2015: Pilgrimage of Trust in Salvador
      • The "brincadeira"
      • The brincadeira: “It is never too late to learn!”
      • The seeing and talking hands club
      • The "Emmaus" children
      • “Jornada da Confiança” at Vitoria da Conquista
      • An evening in the neighbourhood
      • Three months in Haiti
  • The Brothers’ Work
    • Books, CDs, DVDs
    • Download recordings and printable music
    • Buy Online
    • The ceramic adventure
    • “Circle Colours”
    • New Publications
    • Acts of the two colloquia held at Taizé in 2015
    • A new film: Moments in the Life of Brother Roger
    • New CD: «LAUDAMUS TE»
  • Solidarity: Operation Hope
    • An action of solidarity in North Korea
    • Portraits of Some Projects
  • Anniversaries 2015: Towards a new solidarity
    • From 1940 to 2015…
    • Prayers and Acts of Solidarity across the world
    • Many Church Leaders and Representatives of Other Religions at Taizé
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Workshops in Taizé
    • 16 August 2015: Messages Received from Religious Leaders
    • Meditations on Joy, Simplicity and Mercy
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Photos
    • Taizé: 10 May: Festive and collected atmosphere for the centenary of Brother Roger’s birth
    • Summer 2015: ARTtogether : Exhibition and Hands-On Workshops at Taizé
    • The icon of mercy
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Echoes from the week
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Workshops at Taizé
 

Refugees in Dakar

“Very small projects”

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Upon the initiative of the Taizé brothers living in Dakar, Senegal, a reception service for refugees and immigrants (P.A.R.I.) was set up in 1995, under the auspices of Caritas-Dakar. The parishes and the religious communities of the city gave it responsibility for an activity that is becoming more and more necessary as the number of displaced persons increases in this Western horn of Africa.

From the start, the P.A.R.I. has put the accent on helping these urban refugees to assume their responsibilities: it is essential that they themselves take charge of their needs and their insertion in the varied and highly developed informal sector of life in Dakar. The principal means of doing this has been through the promotion of “very small projects”.

First of all the P.A.R.I. asks the refugee by what job he feels able to assure his survival, in a context where he can expect no permanent assistance from anyone. It is the refugee himself who has to find the response to this question so that he genuinely commits himself in his project. Next, he is asked to draw up a list and an estimate for the equipment, materials, and eventually the produce that he believes he needs. The P.A.R.I. examines the project, has it amended and systematically favours those that imply a profit through the work of the person concerned. Purely commercial propositions are however usually avoided.

Among the most frequent projects, there is haircutting, making and repairing shoes, making doughnuts, setting up a street restaurant, working in the port or in the markets thanks to the provision of a rickshaw, etc… The projects do not exceed 30 000 Fcfa (around 45 Euros). This is a non-returnable gift. However it is never money that is handed over: it is the P.A.R.I. that purchases the material and gives it to the person concerned.

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Next, the P.A.R.I. supervises the setting up of the project through regular visits. Given the mobility of many of these activities, this is no easy matter. Some who have persevered and appear particularly painstaking are given an extra “hand” after one year, especially if they are responsible for a family.

The success rate, around 60%, appears fairly satisfactory. It can happen that a refugee moves from one activity to another, selling the material provided by the P.A.R.I. No matter. What counts in the long run is that he takes charge of his life.

The P.A.R.I. does not claim that these “very small projects” provide lasting solutions for the problems of refugees, even if some people do persevere and survive for years thanks to their project. Above all this is a means of teaching people to become responsible and a practical way of giving them a leg up.

It sometimes happens that the beginning of a project coincides with a period of great difficulty for the refugee – meeting urgent needs, like food, for example – resulting in the failure of the project. Plans therefore ensure that the granting of equipment for a “very small project” is accompanied by the gift of “food support”. For people who have a family, “food support” consists of a package containing 10 KGs of rice, 1 litre of oil, 500 grams of pasta, sugar, powdered milk, and soap; to a total value of 6550 Fcfa (10 Euros).

Who are the refugees who benefit?

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Who are these refugees scattered through the large built up area of Dakar? In the early years there were Rwandan families who had left Central Africa during troubles, after living there for several years. There were young Congolese from Brazzaville and from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were under threat for ethnic reasons or else whose families were on the “wrong” side in the political struggle. There were numerous Liberians fleeing their country again, after trying to return under the illusion that peace was coming at last. There were also people from Sierra Leone, who were very numerous in times of trouble. Since those early years, the nationalities have become more diverse and the project helps not groups, but a scattering of individuals. Amongst these, it is more and more difficult to distinguish political refugees from “economic refugees” or even people who are simply migrants. They all claim to be refugees. In fact, very few of those who request asylum finally obtain the much coveted refugee status: on average only 6%! All the others, once the resources that bring a minimum of legal protection have been exhausted, are left without a residence permit (you need a regular job) or a passport (you need to be in touch with the embassy from which they keep their distance). Dakar is therefore the paradise of people “without identity papers”. If they keep quiet, do not wander about at night, and keep clear of traffickers, they can live for years in Dakar without much trouble from the police. One day perhaps, if caught up in a police raid, they might spend several months in preventive detention. After six months, the tribunal will condemn them to the length of time they have just spent behind bars and will ask them to leave the country… which they will certainly not do.

A new deal

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Since 2006 things have been greatly complicated by a wave of clandestine emigration, in the many “pirogue” boats which sail towards the Canaries. This phenomenon involves mainly young Senegalese, but also some foreigners who we thought were seeking refuge in Dakar, whilst they were in fact merely “in transit”.

The P.A.R.I. does not want to encourage these mad ventures which sometimes end in tragedy, and mostly result in forced repatriation. What a waste of energy and money – which, however, illustrates the disillusionment of a section of African youth who have lost all hope and cannot envisage a future in their own country. They cope very badly with the failure of their attempt, which brings shame and, often, debt. There are even young Senegalese who do not dare to go home and find themselves a kind of refugee in their own country. They join up with other “stuck” migrants; they stay in Dakar and get by as best they can – like so many other Dakar Senegalese who are not much better off.

This is a new challenge for P.A.R.I. Many questions are raised by the consequences of clandestine emigration: the lot of those expelled and repatriated (who often dream only of setting off on another attempt). Would it be not be better to join forces with others, in making efforts towards education and development which could give back to young people the hope that there is, nevertheless, a future for them in Africa? At the same time, it will be essential to continue to accompany all these young defeated adventurers, who are so bitter and disillusioned.

What luck to be able to live this in Dakar and not elsewhere! This city offers an exceptional welcome to strangers, especially in its poorest areas. People may have little to share, but there is a great tolerance, which has even become established as a national virtue. This is the famous “téranga” (welcome) – which is no empty word.

Last updated: 18 September 2007

Daily Bible Reading

Mon, 23 April
John writes: The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:1-18
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For the Diary

27 April - 1 May, Ukraine:
Lviv 2018
5 - 8 July, Taizé:
Weekend of friendship between young Christians and Muslims
8 - 12 August, Hong Kong SAR China:
2018 Meeting in Hong Kong
19 - 26 August, Taizé:
Reflection week for 18-35 year-olds
28 December 2018 - 1 January 2019, Spain:
At the end of 2018 in Madrid
 Search events

Podcasts

2018-04-11 : Confitemini Domino /Alleluia 7 + Psalm 104/ Matthew 11:28-30 / Kristus, din Ande / Prayer by Brother Alois / Gib mich ganz zu eigen Dir
IMG/mp3/taize_podcast_2018-04-11.mp3
11 April 2018
2018-04-05 Easter Day: Introduction / Prayer by Brother Alois / Lumen Christi / Maranatha / Exultet / John 20:1-9 / Christus resurrexit
IMG/mp3/taize_podcast_2018-04-05_easter_day.mp3
11 April 2018
more...

New CD: «LAUDAMUS TE»


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