An Update
May 27, 2020An update on how The Gambia Partnership’s work in The Gambia is affected, during the coronavirus.
Sgoil Creideamh (Faith School) is closed and has been for around 6 weeks now. We are following standard practice across the country and continue to pay all teaching and non-teaching staff their salaries. The Gambian government has provided teaching materials across the internet, TV and radio in The Gambia for children to learn and parents to educate.
In the area where our school is based there is a strong farming community. Most people have a garden where they grow their own crops and as the crops have been good again this year, despite the rains being late, there is no lack of food for those who have access to a garden. It does not seem that the locust swarms which are plaguing and devastating other African countries will affect The Gambia but if it did the impact would be catastrophic. Most people who grow their own crops retain on average 30% of what they grow and sell or trade the remaining 70%.
Just a stone’s throw down the road in the large town of Brikama, things are a bit more difficult. Brikama market opens sporadically for people to buy much needed produce but the government have been quite decisive (just like our own) and have ordered as little activity as possible. In Brikama and other built up areas, many people have lost their jobs and, living in a built-up area, have little opportunity to produce their own crops. For this reason, we recently provided £500 to our Gambian committee, in order for them to identify the most vulnerable families in their areas and support them with food provisions, to see them through the coming months. A total of 12 families were identified by our Gambian Committee in need of support.
Money in The Gambia stretches a lot further than it does here in the UK, however the support our Gambian Committee members provided is a drop in the ocean both in their areas and the country as a whole. Each of the 12 families were chosen based on need but also on the basis of locality. It is our intention to follow up the initial contacts made, build up a relationship and walk with them. This is the most important thing that can be done for people anywhere. Seek opportunities to share the gospel and be obedient in doing so when that time comes. Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22: 37-39).
Our appointed evangelist is yet to start, his name is Alex Manga, please pray for him as he prepares to serve and we seek to find an effective way to utilise his time and skills. Please pray for Alex and his wife who is expecting a child imminently. Please also pray for our previous evangelist, Benjamin Demba who was due to start college and again has not yet had the opportunity to do so due to the pandemic. Benjamin is newly married and is reliant on his wife’s income now that the salary as an evangelist has stopped.
Please pray for the teaching staff who have had to stay at home, that they would use their time well and plan for the future of the school. Pray also for the Christians in Kabekel, the village where Sgoil Creideamh is located, that they would be an example and a support to those around them. Please also pray for our Committee in The Gambia that they would be an effective witness through the Partnership and also in their own personal circumstances.
At home we have closed The Gambia Shop on Church Street, in line with Government requirements. We have been blessed to receive a ‘holiday’ on our shop rent for the last 3 months. As always, we are extremely grateful to our shop volunteers who are proactive and enthusiastic to deliver a consistent service and who we have missed during the closure of the shop. We look forward to the shop reopening and being able to see our regular customers, volunteers and new faces when the time comes. As a committee, we are meeting regularly via Zoom, one item which we are exploring is how we can introduce some new vigour into the shop (stock, marketing, presentation etc), we welcome any and all ideas.
Please pray for the charity that we will be led by the spirit and wise in meeting needs.
Some projects which we are currently working to develop are:
- The review and continuation of the original loans scheme with a focus on smaller capital projects;
- The installation of solar power in the school to allow evening classes, Bible studies and further opportunities within the village;
- The establishment of a garden for a friend of the charity, Bafoday Bojang (see here). The partnership is purchasing some land and leasing it back to Bafo to assist him in growing crops in order to provide for himself and his family;
- We have fabricated and are installing a roundabout and football goals in the school playground as paid for by funds raised by Stornoway Primary children (the project has been delayed by the pandemic);
- We are exploring issues of self-sustainability at Sgoil Creideamh (Faith School). Specifically we are looking at ways of increasing the schools ability to cover their own running costs, in order to empower the community to manage their own affairs and work together to achieve for future generations;
- We are investigating the possibility of a full-time worker whose job would be to develop the interests of the Partnership and seek opportunities for engagement;
There are, as always, many opportunities and many needs. We are working hard to make sure that the partnership continues to develop, make a difference and reach people for Christ.
We wanted to update you at this time so that you would take the time to pray not only for us but for The Gambia. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions regarding our work, or wish to support the work of the charity, both at home and in The Gambia.
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