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Dakar Kaolack Louga Ziguinchor Capital: Dakar Area: 196,190 km² Population: 9.2 million (December 2000 est.) Ethnic groups: Wolof, Fulani, Tukulor, Serer, Diola, and Mandinka Official language(s): French Religion(s): 90% Muslims Currency: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes Our Facilities During a visit of Senegal's head of state to Austria in 1975 the construction of an SOS Children's Village in Senegal was proposed to him. Shortly after, travelled to Senegal and undertook the first steps towards the foundation of a National SOS Children's Village Association. It was founded in 1976. In the very same year Mrs. Diou, who was to become Senegal's first lady thereafter, laid the corner stone of Senegal's first SOS Children's Village in Dakar. After termination of construction works in July 1977 the first children were admitted to the SOS Children's Village Dakar. In 1981, construction of the second SOS Children's Village was started in Kaolack, the second largest city in Senegal. A SOS Kindergarten, a SOS School and a SOS Medical Centre were added to this SOS project in the following years. In 1988, a third SOS Children's Village was erected in Louga, approximately 200 km northeast of Dakar. In the previous year already, the SOS Primary School Louga started to operate. The official opening ceremony of the SOS Children's Village Louga took place in May 1990. The youngest SOS Children's Village in Senegal - as yet - was built in a small town called Ziguinchor, in the south of the country in a region called Casamance. It was constructed on a site which was donated to SOS Children's Village International by the government of Senegal in 1992. Both the SOS Children's village Ziguinchor and the SOS Kindergarten started to operate in 1998. Contact: Association Villages d'Enfants SOS Sénégal B.P. 728 Dakar Senegal tel. +221-82 52 190 fax +221-82 43 540