Friday 4 February 2011
2011 trip
We have just arrived home from our last trip to the Gambia to check on the work being done. All projects are going ahead and we were very pleased with the results.
The headmaster of Makumbaya School has changed and the new man did not really seem to understand the way that we work, some of the goods that we had sent out were being held in his office to be used as prizes for good work. We explained that all goods were to be given to the children that needed them most, with no reference to their academic ability. This has now been sorted out.
One of the most surprising things to happen is that we seem to have “acquired” a football team. We were told just before we left that our link committee in Gambia that they had started a team to help the youngsters with no jobs, (95% of the population). When we attended the official launch of the Link Association all the lads turned up to support us. They pay subs to the team every month knowing that the team has no equipment, but they are expected to turn out to do community work three or four times a week. When we were there they were cleaning up an overgrown area of a local school. Using two foot long Pangas (knives) they were chopping down the dry brush that had grown in the last wet season, raking it all together and burning it. They explained that if the brush was left it would form a breeding ground for snakes and lizards that could bite the small children in the school. This was filthy work with dust flying as they chopped and raked, but it was done rapidly with all the lads working hard and no slacking. How many British youngsters would actually pay money every month to a club with no equipment and then turn out to do hard manual labour for no money just, maybe, a donated drink or sweet to clear the dust from the throat
.
If anyone out there has any football equipment that we could send out to these lads it would be much appreciated. Just contact us on info@harmonygambia.org.uk
Dee Symons, our Vice Chairman, leaves for a visit today, 04 February, and will be back in two weeks. During her stay we hope that she will be able to get the clinic at Bafaluto up and running on a regular basis. The Gambian idea of a clinic is a building with doctors, nurses, surgery and birthing rooms, not the first aid clinic that we can provide once a week to mainly check the children ad get them to hospital if required.
The headmaster of Makumbaya School has changed and the new man did not really seem to understand the way that we work, some of the goods that we had sent out were being held in his office to be used as prizes for good work. We explained that all goods were to be given to the children that needed them most, with no reference to their academic ability. This has now been sorted out.
One of the most surprising things to happen is that we seem to have “acquired” a football team. We were told just before we left that our link committee in Gambia that they had started a team to help the youngsters with no jobs, (95% of the population). When we attended the official launch of the Link Association all the lads turned up to support us. They pay subs to the team every month knowing that the team has no equipment, but they are expected to turn out to do community work three or four times a week. When we were there they were cleaning up an overgrown area of a local school. Using two foot long Pangas (knives) they were chopping down the dry brush that had grown in the last wet season, raking it all together and burning it. They explained that if the brush was left it would form a breeding ground for snakes and lizards that could bite the small children in the school. This was filthy work with dust flying as they chopped and raked, but it was done rapidly with all the lads working hard and no slacking. How many British youngsters would actually pay money every month to a club with no equipment and then turn out to do hard manual labour for no money just, maybe, a donated drink or sweet to clear the dust from the throat
.
If anyone out there has any football equipment that we could send out to these lads it would be much appreciated. Just contact us on info@harmonygambia.org.uk
Dee Symons, our Vice Chairman, leaves for a visit today, 04 February, and will be back in two weeks. During her stay we hope that she will be able to get the clinic at Bafaluto up and running on a regular basis. The Gambian idea of a clinic is a building with doctors, nurses, surgery and birthing rooms, not the first aid clinic that we can provide once a week to mainly check the children ad get them to hospital if required.
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