Gambia Trip Report (Group 2)
January 10, 2017A group of 14 of us spent a week in the Gambia at the end of November to follow up the earlier group’s work. Basing ourselves at the Kingfisher lodge just 5 minutes’ walk from the village, and Gambian owned, we were afforded much more freedom and opportunity in our days. With the majority of the group having been to Gambia before, it was only Kathryn, Joel, Aidan, Peter and Gillian who were new to the experience. We were welcomed warmly as always but it was also nice that there wasn’t too much fuss, perhaps reflecting that as we continue to return, we are more accepted as friends than foreigners. The week was productive with trips to the dentist and the local health clinic throughout the week for those in need but with no opportunity to fund the work. This opens doors for us and allows us to show our heartfelt love for the people and the place, an amazing chance to live out the commandment in Luke 10:27.
The week was much more people focused than previous trips, affording us all the opportunity to sit with people and understand their daily lives. It was an opportunity to get to know people and share the gospel where the opportunity arose, visiting compounds and sitting with people after they finished their work in the garden or farm. Normally we would approach a week in Gambia with a practical to do list so that everyone has an opportunity to contribute and see an end product, this time it was about the process and I believe we are all richer for it. While we did some painting of the school and some other works around that, the real value was in the time spent with people.
It was great to see the school up and running, under the stewardship of Marie Sagnia we have over 130 pupils (98 in nursery and 42 in school) in their equivalent of nursery through to primary 2. It broke our hearts to see 11 year old kids struggling to do primary 1 work with children unable to spell or read. Some of these kids have not had the opportunity to enter education before, we were able to make sure they got extra classes and the support they required to start hoping for a better future. The school is in its infancy and with much discussion and planning with the staff and members of the PTA, we are excited to be on the way with education. The school is keen to partner with a Scottish school so that is something we will be actively pursuing.
Staying near the village we were able to return at night and under torchlight we worked our way through Ephesians chapter by chapter and enjoyed fellowship and teaching with our Gambian brothers and sisters, around 40 of us some nights crammed into the classrooms. We spent time discussing the truths of the gospel many times during the day and often with interested Muslims; please pray that the gospel will take root. We invested in the Christians in the village, providing bibles and study materials for young and old, spending time in prayer and reflection. We believe the best people to reach Africans are Africans but it is a privilege being welcomed into the village and for people to be so open and free to talk. We were able to give the kids toys donated by kids from the Stornoway playgroup along with a beautiful banner presented to them and we also handed out bookmarks prepared by the kids at the Providence Christian School.
We also considered microloans as a means to empower people; we looked for opportunities for investment in family lives and are now looking to support the establishment of an orchard to make one family self-sufficient. We have also begun a plan to make the school self-sufficient by starting a garden which requires to be planted in May 2017. Much work to do but the ground has been made available to us at no cost by the community.
We were greatly blessed during the week, having to lean on God on a daily basis without the usual resources to hand. The villagers cooked lunch for us each day as a thank you and we were greatly touched and encouraged in this.
The water filters have been adopted by all the households visited. The amount of absences from school for diarrhoeal illness has significantly reduced- an estimate provided was a reduction of 80% and illness in homes affecting adults has also been cut by a great amount. The gifts given for funding them has meant that the filters have been very gratefully received in the village. There is still a substantial need for health care, sanitation and hygiene and more discussions on how best to meet these needs will be explored.
Please pray for the school’s educational development, the village to grab hold of the gospel, for the Christians in the village to be a bright witness, for Pastor Konteh to be an effective pastoral support and ultimately that we would glorify God in all of this. Thank you so much for your on-going support. PS, the young people who came with us are a credit to their families and their community. Amazing.
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