What is End Talibe?

Hello!

My name is Fota, and I am a 16-year-old girl living in Virginia. My family is from Senegal, west Africa and we visit Senegal about once a year to see friends and family. During my last trip (June 2012), I witnessed a plethora of children begging for money for no apparent reason. I asked my aunt what was going on and she replied, "They are Talibe." I didn't understand the whole concept of "Talibe", but here is a breakdown: Talibe are children who are given up by their parents and sent to Islamic spiritual leaders called, "Marabout". The Marabout are supposed to care for the children, but instead the children are sent out in public to beg for money to return to their Marabout. There are presumed to be hundreds of Marabout presiding just in the main city of Dakar, Senegal. Each day these children are sent to collect money and they barely eat throughout their work day; they wear tattered clothing and parade around hoping to collect their daily goal set by their Marabout.

My plan is to put an end to this nonsense. Senegal has just elected a new president named, Macky Sall; this is OUR time to halt this child abuse. I plan to send the petition to President Sall's office by the end of 2013, but I need at least 100,000 signatures to show that people do care about these children. Sign this simple petition and help these children become one step closer to an ordinary life.

Thank you!

Fota