Fatou Diouck, the Senegalese volleyball player who fights against girls dropping out of school

Fatou Diouck, a Senegalese volleyball player, is committed to fighting against girls dropping out of school through sport, in her NGO “Demoiselles de Keur, Sénégalaises de demain”.

Fatou Diouck spent several years playing volleyball as a striker-receiver, and won several titles during her career. Captain of the Senegalese national volleyball team, player in France, but also in Asia, namely in South Korea and Thailand, she is one of the few African players to have won the title of Asian Club Champion. She was also named Best Player in the Thai Volleyball Championship.

She started playing volleyball at the age of 13, after meeting her coach in the street, who suggested her to try this sporting discipline. It didn’t take long for her to develop a passion for the sport, while at the same time pursuing her studies, despite her family’s reluctance. In 2001, she was elected “Best player of the year in the Senegalese Championship”. From there, she went on playing in Europe (France, Finland) and Asia (Azerbaijan, South Korea, Thailand). Recently, she joined Clamart Club in France.

Committed to educating young girls

In 2013, she founded the NGO “Demoiselles de Keur, Sénégalaises de demain”, which fights against girls dropping out of school through sport, particularly volleyball. In its approach, the NGO meets young girls on the streets or in their homes, explains them its project  and introduces them to volleyball. The girls are then encouraged to resume their studies to continue practicing their sport. The NGO also runs awareness-raising campaigns with school headmasters on the reasons why girls drop out of school before meeting them to resume their studies. It organizes webinars on physical preparation, seminars, round-table discussions on sport and development, advanced training camps, continuing education courses, etc.

Sportswoman, but also entrepreneur

In addition to her sporting career, Fatou Diouck is also an entrepreneur. She created the Dono brand after discovering craft techniques in Thailand. It’s a brand of upcycled bags made from leather and fabric that aims to perpetuate the know-how and ancestral traditions around leather.  At the same time, the Senegalese also holds a position of business manager at Telsi, a customer relations training organization.