Hi, my name is Sarah. I’m raising funds for a wonderful young man named Sulayman. I met Sulayman during my recent trip to Senegal, and after hearing his powerful story and visiting the association he works with, I was deeply moved. I saw firsthand the challenges he has faced and the strength he continues to show. That’s why I decided to open this GoFundMe to help support his mission and make a real difference in his life. Every donation counts. Thank you so much for your kindness.

I'll let you discover his story and his project :

My name is Sulayman, and I was born in Gambia, West Africa. I am the third of seven children. I spent most of my childhood as a modern-day slave — first as a child laborer, then as a talibé, forced to beg on the streets for survival. I lost my childhood to suffering, but I never gave up on my dream: education.

At a very young age, I was sent to live with a marabout to learn the Qur’an. But instead of spiritual growth, I faced beatings, hunger, hard labor, and complete isolation from my family. Later, I was sent to a remote village in Gambia where I worked in fields and lived in overcrowded, prison-like conditions. I had no shoes, no food, and no rights.

When I was brought to Saint-Louis, Senegal, I thought things might get better. But I was wrong. There, I was told I had to beg for food and money every day — not for myself, but to bring back to my marabout. I worked long hours in markets, cleaned houses, and did everything I could to survive. I was still just a child.

Then something changed. I discovered Maison de la Gare, a center for talibé children. It became my refuge. There, I could shower, eat, rest, and feel human again. I joined karate classes and started to learn English and French. Slowly, I began to believe that a different life was possible.

Thanks to the guidance of mentors at the center, I returned to Gambia with one mission: to go to school, even though I was already older than most students. It was hard — my first school test was 0 out of 100 — but I didn’t give up. I studied day and night, caught up on years of missed education, and eventually graduated from university.

Today, I work with an association that supports vulnerable children, but I want to do even more. That’s why I’m now building my own organization, with one clear mission:

To rescue talibé children from the streets and give them safety, love, and a chance to go to school.

Who Are the Talibés?

In West Africa, especially in Senegal and Gambia, talibé refers to a young boy sent by his family to study the Qur’an under the care of a religious teacher, known as a marabout. While this tradition once had noble roots, in many places today, it has become a system of modern-day slavery.

These boys — some as young as 4 years old — are often forced to beg on the streets for food and money. They live in unsafe, overcrowded conditions, endure physical and emotional abuse, lack access to healthcare or education, and are separated from their families.

Thousands of talibé children live in misery, hunger, and fear every single day.

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Why I'm Doing This

Because I lived it.

Because I know what it feels like to sleep hungry.

To beg for food with bare feet.

To be beaten when all you want is your mother.

To be treated like you don’t matter.

No child should live like that.

I am here today because someone believed in me.

Now, I want to be that person for someone else.

Here are our key aims:

1. To Provide Daily Nutritious Meals

Most talibés spend the entire day begging for food or coins and go to bed hungry. Our goal is to provide regular, balanced meals so they can grow strong and healthy without suffering from hunger or malnutrition.

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2. To Renovate Broken and Unsafe Daaras

Many of the places where talibés live are unsafe—roofs leaking, floors broken, and walls crumbling. We aim to renovate existing daaras to make them clean, safe, and livable: repairing roofs, painting walls, fixing toilets, and ensuring they are hygienic.

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3. To Buy Beds, Mattresses, and Mosquito Nets

These boys sleep on bare floors or torn mats, exposed to cold, insects, and illness. Your donation will help provide proper beds, mattresses, sheets, and mosquito nets to offer them warmth, protection, and dignity.

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4. To Distribute Hygiene Kits and Clean Clothing

Hygiene is a serious issue—many boys lack soap, toothbrushes, shoes, and clean clothes. We will regularly provide hygiene kits (soap, toothbrushes, towels, slippers), underwear, and decent clothing to protect their health and self-esteem.

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5. To Give Access to Basic Medical Care

When talibés get sick or injured, they often go untreated. We aim to provide first-aid kits, pay for clinic visits, medicine, and arrange emergency care when needed—because every child deserves the right to be healthy.

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6. To Support Their Education Beyond Memorization

While they learn to recite the Qur’an, most are denied access to basic literacy. We will support daaras that are open to additional education—providing reading books, writing materials, and simple teaching support for math and literacy.

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7. To Support Their Mental and Emotional Well-being

Many of these children suffer in silence—lonely, abandoned, or abused. We want to offer emotional support through visits, games, storytelling, and counseling. Simply being shown kindness and attention can change their entire mindset.

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8. To Create Emergency Funds for Urgent Cases

Some children fall seriously ill, lose a parent, or face life-threatening conditions. We need a flexible emergency fund to act quickly in these moments and save lives when time is critical.

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9. To Organize Safe Recreational Activities

Talibés rarely get a chance to be children. We want to organize occasional events—football matches, group meals, storytelling, and celebration days—so they can laugh, learn, and feel seen as human beings, not just beggars.

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10. To Advocate and Raise Awareness

We will use part of this initiative to educate the public about the realities talibés face. Through videos, social media, and community outreach, we will help change hearts, minds, and policies. People must see them not as a burden, but as boys who deserve love and a future.

You won’t just be donating —

You’ll be saving lives, bringing smiles, and giving childhoods back.

I believe that every child deserves love, not fear.

Books, not chains.

A future, not the streets.

Please help me make this dream a reality —

For the children still out there. For the Sulaymans still waiting.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.