25 YEARS

The Kassumay Foundation is a non-profit organization that works for the integral development of people, mainly at Casamance in Senegal and this year 25 years ago.

Kassumay for all. We want to welcome you with this expression of diolà ethnicity, majority in the Casamance region, in southern Senegal, where we develop our projects. It can be translated by: PAU. And we have added... For all, referring to the Associació all, embryo of the foundation.

This expression has implied the greater attitude of solidarity that someone can desire. Wishing everyone, we express our imaginary as an entity; A society that lives in peace is a society that can consider its project of future and progress. In this project for the future, we want to contribute with our grain of sand.

In our visits to the area have learned to use often this greeting with the natural of the country and perhaps for being an unknown word until then, for its special meaning, by the relationship of proximity that allows so simple and for the warmth that is perceived in the greeting we came to baptize our foundation with this expression: Kassumay for all

The Senegalese population is mostly Muslim-between 88% and 94% approximately-although the practice of this religion is highly moderate and tolerant of other beliefs. For this reason the most usual greeting is the common in all the Muslim societies of the planet, ie, As Salaam Alaykum, which comes to mean: peace be with you; and The proper answer is Wa alaykum As-Salaam, ie: and also with you.

But in the south of Senegal, where the Basse Casamance region is located, currently the objective of our collaboration, is where the most important Christian community formed by both Catholics and Animists is. This is why in this area the common greeting is Kassumay, in which he also responds with Kassumay. This word is used by the members of the Diolà ethnic group also called Joola.

This expression is of difficult transcription since the native languages of this area are only oral and do not have a standardized grammar. Also its meaning is difficult to translate into our language, but what it is can give for valid would be: Pau, although in some publication is preferred to translate for good day, can be to map the greeting with the one of our lands.

In our visit to Casamance, in the December of the 2005, we learned to use this greeting often with the natural of the country and perhaps to be an unknown word until then for us, because of its special meaning also by the relationship of you to you that allows so simple and the warmth that is perceived in the greeting (far from our simple and sometimes aseptic , hello or Good day, afternoon or night) we were to baptize our foundation with this name and add it below for everyone, while making reference to the association EVERYONE, without which maybe at the moment we would not currently be talking about the Kassumay Foundation.

With this name we wanted to make an implicit reference to article 4 of the Foundation that says: The foundation will tend to meet the needs of the region of Casamance (Senegal), with the possibility of extending the actions to other areas.