This summer, I was part of a group of students from the University of Oregon who had the privilege to study abroad in Senegal and The Gambia. Our professor leading the study abroad, Dr. Jean Faye introduced us to Tukar, the rural village in Senegal where he grew up. The people of Tukar welcomed us with incredible food, multi-lingual conversations, and dancing. We learned so much from them, and it was a great honor to be able to briefly share a way of life so different from our own.

As part of our public health study, we were given a tour of Tukar’s clinic, which is sorely underfunded. The physicians there work hard to provide care to the village that is particularly vulnerable to many infectious diseases, but many outside factors compromise their work. One of the most glaring issues for the village right now is that their singular ambulance has been broken down for over a year and a half. The clinic at Tukar uses the ambulance to send patients to hospitals in bigger towns that are better equipped to handle complications. Without this resource, life-saving care is hours away, as patients will have to wait for a vehicle from out of town or use an alternative mode of transportation such as a cart/wagon.

The cost for Tukar to fix their ambulance is only around $1000 USD. Please help us give back to the people that welcomed us so warmly and taught us so much. All donations will go towards repairing the ambulance. Any amount that you can give will genuinely save lives.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity!