I ask Coumba what she would do if she was forced to choose between eating and educating her children. Without hesitating, she answers firmly: education. "That is the future. I want my life to bear fruit and I want my children to have a good life".

I've known Coumba for almost two years now and I know that she means it. She takes care of my son for three days a week. In September, she came into the house glowing with pride; her youngest child Mody had achieved excellent grades and matriculated from junior school. That was the moment that the first decade of the 21st century ended. But it also heralded the start of the real work; both Mody and his older brother Alseny had to get a high school education and perhaps even go to university.

Listen to Joost van Egmand's report:

Stubborn
Attending high school is far from ordinary in Senegal. The vast majority of Senegalese cannot read or write and most of them have not seen the inside of a secondary school classroom. It is even more unusual for a woman like Coumba. The money for schooling ran out when she was 13 and her mother, reluctantly, took her out of school and sent her to Mauritania to work as a nanny. Although it was harsh, it did give Coumba a wide streak of stubbornness; her children would, must, be educated. In order to achieve that, Coumba stopped after having two children. Most Senegalese women have five children. Coumba also sent her kids to good schools, even though the price was steep.

Dreams for the new century

Ten years ago, a new Millennium began. Many of us were full of expectations, hopes and dreams.

Now, at the end of the Millennium's first decade, Radio Netherlands Worldwide finds out what has become of all those dreams...

Go to our dossier: http://www.rnw.nl/category/tags-english/dreams

Outsider
You don't have to go very far to see that Coumba is a bit of an outsider. Her sister-in-law shakes her head and wonders about her obsession:
 

"Coumba does too much for schooling, but what can you do about it?" Her own ambitions for her children are much more limited: "the boys have to find a job and the girls have to find a man. It's very difficult to keep them all in school, it costs a lot of money".

Poverty stricken country
Lack of money is a very clear argument among the poorest sections of this poverty stricken nation. Tuition is around 15 euros a year but it's the extra costs that cause the problems for poor families; computer lessons in a cyber café, the books and the uniforms. It all has to be paid for at once and saving money is difficult in a culture that expects everything to be shared among relatives. Most unusually, Coumba has opened a bank account in order to arrange and manage her money. The bank clerk raised an eyebrow when Coumba listed her profession as 'cleaner' on the form, but Coumba just laughed at him.

God's will
Her decision to make sure that her kids are educated has nothing to do with dreams of wealth.

"It is God's will that there are big differences in the world. We're not rich and we'll never be rich but I want my children to be happy, I don't want them to suffer. That is everything. Education is the key. My children know what I've given up and they work hard at school so that my sacrifice hasn't been for nothing".

It's true, Alseny is quite annoyed when teachers at his school go on strike although when pressed he does admit, "okay, one free day because of a strike is fun but that's enough. I don't want anything to ruin my education". At the moment he wants to be a fighter pilot and is working hard at his physics.

Pride
It makes Coumba very proud:
 

"It wasn't my idea for him to become a pilot but I really don't mind what he does as long as he makes something of himself, as long as he has dreams".

(RNW translation: jc)