Mamadou
Diouf mixes English with his French and Wolof when talking about
arriving in New York City from Senegal and discovering African
Services. "Ever since I got to know African Services, I've sent more
than 50 people there."
He never imagined he'd
come to the U.S., Mamadou says. Trained as a welder, he worked in the
oil industry in Senegal for many years, until it became increasingly
difficult to find adequate work to support his family. As a married
father of eight, he applied for a visa on a whim and received it. He
arrived in New York City just before September 11th.
Mamadou
took on the kind of jobs for which immigrants are often relied on. He
befriended a store owner who allowed him to live and work at his shop.
"I used the same bucket to clean the place and have a shower for
myself," he says, laughing. "Where I come from, I am honored and
respected. But sometimes someone comes along, gives you a job and you
hold on to it." He stayed several months until his friend asked him to
manage elsewhere. He moved on to work as a street sweeper on 14th
Street and slept at a local mosque.
After connecting with other Senegalese immigrants, he found his current
job checking bags at a ladies clothing store in Harlem. Mamadou now
shares an apartment with four roommates in the Bronx, and after paying
his rent and buying a Metrocard, he sends home to his family what is
left of his earnings--about $150 a month. About all the challenges he's
faced, he says, "I have to thank God I am someone who makes friends
easily."
It
was in meeting ASC outreach worker Daouda Ndiaye that Mamadou first
learned of African Services. He told Daouda about the health troubles
he had been struggling with, and Daouda encouraged him to come to ASC.
Staff escorted Mamadou to Bellevue Hospital, helped him apply for a
hospital card qualifying him for low-cost care, and provided medical
interpretation during his doctor's visit. Today, Mamadou says his
health has vastly improved and he's made it his mission to spread the
word. "Ever since I got to know African Services, I've sent more than
50 people there. Now every single person in my home, on my street and
at my work has a hospital card."
He also talks
openly about taking an HIV test at African Services. "In Africa, we
were ill-informed about HIV. Some people think just sitting with an
HIV-positive person is a condemnation. By coming to ASC you get the
facts and you liberate your mind." These days, he comes most often to
our food pantry. "What I earn isn't sufficient, so it's helpful."
Mamadou
says he'd like his children to come to the U.S. and then he'd pack his
bags. He's proud of the foundation he's built in a few short years.
"For me, just crossing the Atlantic, that's already success. Meeting up
with African Services, that's success too."
