Dakar · Sine-Saloum · Kedougou
Long volunteering stays in Senegal, read from the field
An independent magazine on daily life during a long stay in Senegal, on village gardens and health actions, and on Wolof first words, regions, radio and cooking from Dakar to Kedougou.
Three ways into Senegal
Daily life, village projects, and the country itself. Every guide on the site belongs to one of these three sections.
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Open the section
Section 01
Field Life
Compounds, routines, health, water, heat and host families: daily life on a long stay, from the first week to the second year.
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Open the section
Section 02
Ground Projects
Women’s gardens, school plots, health actions, mangroves, stoves and girls’ clubs: how village projects run and what lasts.
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Open the section
Section 03
Know Senegal
Wolof, Pulaar and Seereer first words, regions from Dakar to Kedougou, village radio, markets and everyday cooking.
The guides, in full
Twelve guides, each built on a named public source and written for a reader who has a decision to make.
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First Wolof Phrases for Newcomers
Fifty everyday Wolof phrases for newcomers: greetings, market, transport, home life and polite answers with simple pronunciation help for daily use.
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Staying Healthy in Heat and Malaria Season
Practical health guide for Senegal: safe water, heat, food hygiene, malaria prevention, mosquito nets and clear signs for seeking care quickly today.
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Mangroves Nurseries and Improved Stoves
On the Sine-Saloum coast: mangrove nurseries, planting, improved stoves, wood savings and fishing families protecting their shoreline each season.
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First Pulaar Phrases for Markets
First Pulaar phrases for greetings and markets: pulaagu etiquette, numbers, bargaining, directions and polite farewells for the north and beyond.
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First Seereer Phrases for Village Life
Everyday Seereer greetings for village stays: hello, thanks, family news, farm talk and respectful replies with pronunciation guidance included.
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Dakar to Kedougou Regions for a Long Stay
From Dakar to Kedougou: how Senegal's regions differ for climate, language, housing, transport, food and pace of a long stay for volunteers today.
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Village Radio What Stations Do Daily
What a Senegalese village radio does: programs, languages, announcements, music, call-ins and how to listen well as a guest in the community daily.
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Host Families and Homesickness in Villages
Living with a Senegalese host family: greetings, meals, chores, privacy, language practice, homesickness and building trust over many months together.
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Sama Ndiayen Women's Garden to First Harvest
How Sama Ndiayen's women's garden grew: beds, compost, water rota, seeds, savings group and first harvest lessons for new field supporters today.
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Sokone English Club Week With Schoolgirls
Inside Sokone's lively English club week: songs, games, dialogues, girls' leadership, practice routines and simple tools teachers reuse weekly.
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Girls Camps and English Clubs in Villages
Girls' camps and English clubs in rural Senegal: mentoring, confidence, health talks, games and follow-up activities volunteers support yearly.
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Ceebu Jen Millet and Everyday Cooking
Ceebu jen, millet, moringa and more: everyday Senegalese cooking, market shopping, street food and sharing meals with teranga as a newcomer today.
Five views of the country
Where to begin when the stay is still a sketch.
First words of WolofFifty everyday phrases for greetings, markets, transport and home, with simple pronunciation help. 
A women’s garden, season by seasonBeds, compost, water rota, seeds and savings: how Sama Ndiayen’s garden grew to its first harvest. 
What village radio doesPrograms, languages, announcements and music: how to listen well as a guest in the community. 
Ceebu jen and everyday cookingBroken rice, millet, moringa, market shopping and sharing meals with teranga. 
From Dakar to KedougouClimate, language, housing, transport and pace: how the regions differ for a long stay.
First words, before anything else
Three short series open the languages of everyday Senegal: everyday Wolof phrases for newcomers, Pulaar phrases for northern markets, and Seereer phrases for village life. Each one lists the greetings that carry a whole day.
What this magazine is
Teranga Fieldnotes is an independent magazine about long-term volunteering, community cooperation and daily life in Senegal. Each article names the public source it rests on, describes every organisation and public body in the third person, and says so when a figure or a date is not published.
The site sells nothing and keeps no directory. Corrections and sources are welcome by email. Read how the site is made or write to the editorial team.