The OWEN Project

Ariane was out fishing in high winds and currents.  She had many many fish in her nets, but, unfortunately her nets were snagged on rocks. The fish were lost, and divers had to go out to release the nets from the rocks.  Another example of employment:  Fixing nets!  

Money earned from fishing is divided between paying the fishermen, paying for fuel, bi-annual refurbishing, and repairing hardware (nets, motors, etc).  We also spend money on fishermen's gear, as shown in one of the other photos.  60,000 cfa is about $100.  Not cheap!  

Poor families will often send their children from their villages to urban centers to "daaras", schools where the Koran is taught. The harsh reality is that these kids, called talibes, are often sent to the street to beg, hungry and in rags.  Makale, my partner in Dakar, bought new clothes for the kids and fed them fish caught by OWEN!  They were very happy kids!    

 We decided that OWEN would be on all the gear, with Ariane being the subtitle.  ; ) The image on the back is the Marabout associated with this group of fishermen, who are all Muslim.  OWEN is not a religious organization, but as is typical in Senegal, images of the religious figures bring luck and are commonplace.