The five days plan of stop smoking.

The five days plan of stop smoking
The five days plan of stop smoking has just been concluded at Socio-Cultural Centre of Grand Dakar from the 11th to 15th of April 2016, under the supervision of Pasteur Guy Roger, President of the West Sahel Union Mission. The organization and the coordination of the program were ensured by Pastor Jacques Mansaly, President of Senegal/Mauritania Mission. Every evening, 30 participants were motivated by the presentations of Pastor (Dr) Zakari Kassoule and Dr Andre Ndaa.
During the program, a former smoker testified of the benefits of the five days plan organized in Dakar in 1982. His weaning of smoking tobacco contributed to help him to resume his studies that led him to be one of the best administrators of the country. He was passing by when he saw the banner of the five days plan. He was then impressed to testify his gratefulness.
During the 5th night (the last night), 16 people committed themselves to stop smoking. Certificates of participation were given to them in order to remind them of their commitment. The program ended with testimonies and a vote of thanks to the Director of the Socio-Cultural Centre of Grand Dakar, to the entire volunteers that actively participated to the planning and organization of these five days plan. The earnest desire of the participants is to have such program be repeated in order to help the numerous smokers in Senegal.
Matamoulana, or the anti-tobacco village
After Dakar’s program, we went to Nouakchott, in Mauritania for the third consecutive year, for sensitization and the weaning of smoking tobacco that we carried on with the collaboration of ADRA Mauritania. On the 18th of April, in the afternoon, we arrived at Dakar Renews the Five Days Plan
Matamoulana, meaning “gift of God”, because of the well that led to the creation of the village. The town is 160 kms far from Nouakchott, (100 kms tarred and 60 kms dune of drifted sand road). A local NGO, instructed by the traditional ruler of the village carefully prepared our arrival. After we were accommodated, we were informed by the village leaders that it will not be possible to carry out our five days plan that leads to stop smoking as previously scheduled. Reason being that the village leaders had put in place a program to fight smoking of tobacco in the village and the following measures have been adopted:
1- Smoking in public in the village is strictly forbidden
2- Selling of cigarette is strictly prohibited
3- Any public transport vehicle that will be caught transporting cigarette into the village will be bound from coming in.
With such draconian measure, the few remaining smokers operate secretly. They dare not come out openly to attend the five days plan program. For the second consecutive year, we were invited to sensitize by teaching them how a smoker could get rid of cigarette.
Under the heat, we went from one place to another sensitizing 18 secondary school classrooms. Each session comprises:
- Video projection on the dangers of tobacco consumption
- Some explanations on how to stop smoking
- Afterward we answered questions from students
- Finally we asked them to commit themselves never to smoke.
Still in the framework of sensitization, the villagers were invited in the court yard of the chief. There we projected a video showing a total ablation of one of the lungs of a smoker suffering from of lung cancer. After Matamoulana, we proceeded to the town of Nouadhibou, 400 kms far from Nouakchott, where we held another program of sensitization that involved 3 schools in that town.
In conclusion, 1400 children (students) as well as their teachers were sensitized through this program.

Imams come to the rescue of the anti-tobacco fight
Through another local NGO based in a very crowded neighborhood, of Nouakchott, the capital city of Mauritania, ADRA Mauritania booked an appointment with Imams for a special program. On April 24, 2016, on getting to the headquarters of the NGO, we found over 50 peoples squeezed in a small room that could contain about 10 or 15 peoples. We then introduced our program that comprises: video projection on the danger of tobacco consumption, explanations, answers to questions, and free medical checkup with distribution of eye glasses. The Imams went back with a clear message to their members: <>
Andre Ndaa et Zakari Kassoule