The official Spanish liaison team delivers school supplies to the ‘Mere Paule Lapique’ school in Sangüesa

• It is an educational institution founded in this Senegalese town by Sister Hortensia eight years ago

The Official Liaison Team for Cooperative Security Activities (OFEN ASC) in Senegal, under the operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS), has visited the ‘Mere Paula Lapique’ school in the village of Sangue (Thiès, Senegal) to deliver school materials and sports equipment (balls and T-shirts), which have been provided by both the Spanish Ministry of Defence and private donors.

Founded by Sister Hortensia in 2016, the school started with 33 students. It currently educates around 300 students between the ages of six and twelve from the surrounding communities, divided into six classes with around 50 students per class. The school has become one of the leading schools in the area, with a 100% pass rate in the official primary school completion exams last year.

The school is funded by small contributions from the families of the students and by donations, mainly from Spain. "Sister Hortensia is a tireless person; the day I met her, I was very moved when I visited the facilities of the school in Sanghe” says Raquel Méndez Castro, a member of the OFEN ASC Senegal team. “For me, she is a heroine who has dedicated her whole life to fighting poverty and obtaining the necessary resources to run the school”.

As part of this collaboration, the ASC Senegal official liaison team also visited the grounds adjacent to the school building where with the help of donations from the Ministry of Defence, Manos Unidas and other private donors, Sister Hortensia is planning to develop a school garden and a sports pavilion.

ASC Senegal

In June 2014, the Spanish and Senegalese defence ministers met in Dakar. At this meeting, the African country's authorities explained that Senegal is an island of security surrounded by instability and that, in order to reinforce this security, it is necessary to increase or generate military capabilities in the Senegalese Armed Forces. To this end, the Spanish Army and Navy are seeking to increase the general capabilities required by the Republic of Senegal through military assistance in advising and training the Senegalese Armed Forces.

At present, Spain continues to carry out military activities in Senegal: a key country for the stability of West Africa, with which there are close ties of cooperation and mutual collaboration. Specifically, Spanish military personnel carry out training in combat functions and preparation in the fight against terrorism, as well as training in various missions such as search and rescue, in addition to training in the reconstruction of infrastructures.