Spotlight on Senegal ahead of Obama's visit

(Vatican Radio) President Obama visits Senegal this week at the start of a three-nation tour of Africa. Despite being seen as a hub of democracy and political stability in West Africa, Senegal is one of the world’s poorest nations with more than 1 in 3 of the population living below the poverty line. So what are the expectations of the Senegalese people concerning the visit of the U.S. leader? And what are the most pressing humanitarian needs facing Senegal right now? To find out more, Vatican Radio’s Susy Hodges spoke to Nicole Poirier, country representative in Senegal for Catholic Relief Services.

Listen to the extended interview with Poirier:

Poirier says the people of Senegal are “excited” about the U.S. President’s visit to their country and want him to see “the wonderful progress that has been made in the past few years in terms of health and education.” At the same time she says the Senegalese also want to let Obama know “there are still vulnerable pockets of people” and the nation “still needs investment in development assistance.”

Although Poirier concedes that Senegal is “a role model in the region” in terms of its democratic credentials and political stability, she says the population is heavily dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. As a result, she adds, it remains “very vulnerable to any shocks like locusts, floods and lack of rain.” Poirier also points out that only 40 percent of the population in Senegal “have access to health services.”

Asked about the hunger situation in Senegal, Poirier says there are “pocket of hunger” especially in the far eastern areas . She speaks about how Catholic Relief Services together with the local Caritas network are working “hand-in-hand” to increase “peoples’ resilience” and help them to withstand the effects of natural disasters.

In Poirier’s view, the future of Senegal is “very bright ...if they keep on the same track as they have been in terms of building resilience and as long as there is continued investment.” She says people are also seeking to “promote dialogue” between different groups to ensure “the negative influence of the conflict in (neighbouring) Mali doesn’t start to seep into Senegal.”