Senegal MindUp

The MindUp Tawfekh Keur Jaboot, located in Jaxaay, Senegal, was among the first initiatives launched by Heights and Minds, in partnership with Gouy Gui and the Conseil National de Développement de la Nutrition (CNDN).

In Senegal, the MindUp model continues to grow with the opening of three new Tawfekh Keur Jaboot centers — two in Malika and Yeumbeul Sud in December 2024, followed by a third in Yeumbeul Nord in July 2025 new MindUp aims to reduce malnutrition and improve early childhood development outcomes in its community. These centers deliver essential services such as growth monitoring, individual nutrition counseling, and daily meal demonstrations that help families prepare affordable, nutritious meals using local ingredients — with a strong emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Together, these new MindUps are creating safe and nurturing community spaces where parents — especially mothers — can learn, share, and take action to ensure that every child grows up healthy, supported, and ready to thrive.

Since it’s pilot test in November 2024, the Tawfekh Keur Jaboot MindUp in Jaxaay has been generously supported by the CISCO foundation to implement the first community-led Childcare Cooperative in our MindUp! This cooperative provides affordable childcare while empowering mothers to take an active role in their children’s growth where mothers not only find safe spaces for their children, but also participate weekly in activities to learn, spend quality time with their child, and contribute to cooperative activities. Twenty children are enrolled with growing demand from the community as families recognize the cooperative’s impact on children’s well-being and women’s productivity. Our next step is to test the waters further, with the goal of expanding to reach more families.