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Coronakrise 15.4.2020

DIe gambische Regierung hat den shutdown im Land um 45 Tage verlängert, d.h. alle Läden bis auf Lebensmittelläden bleiben geschlossen, alle Märkte, alle Schulen sind zu. Viele Familien, die sonst Obst oder Fisch oder Salz auf dem Markt verkaufen, haben kein Einkommen mehr. Noch viel mehr Menschen sind arbeitslos. Die Angst vor Hunger ist gross.

Inzwischen haben wir für alle geförderten Familien und unsere gambischen Vereinsmitglieder über die Plattform www.baluwo.com 45 Säcke Reis in Gambia kaufen und lagern lassen. Dieser Reis reicht für 3 Monate für eine mehrköpfige Familie. Unser großartiges gambisches Team hat die ersten Lebensmittel, auch jeweils 5 l Öl für jede Familie, verteilt. Die Freude und Dankbarkeit waren groß, zumal unser Team unangekündigt kam und die Frage, wie in den nächsten Tagen das Essen organisiert werden kann, ersteinmal gelöst war.

Wir machen weiter und haben dazu über die Online-Plattform „betterplace“ ein Spenden-Projekt aufgesetzt. Der Vorteil: betterplace legt bei allen Einzelspenden, die bis Ende April eingehen nochmal 10% dazu. Die Projektseite ist zu finden unter https://www.betterplace.org/de/projects/79026-lebensmittel-fur-familien-in-gambia-durch-corona-shutdown-droht-hunger.

Wir freuen uns sehr, wenn  unsere Arbeit auch in dieser aktuellen Notlage unterstützt wird: durch zusätzliche Spenden für die Lebensmittel und durch Weiterleiten des Links oder unsere Email im Freundes- und Familienkreis. Natürlich sind auch Spenden direkt an unser bekanntes Vereinskonto willkommen.


Corona 5.4.2020

We are very concerned about the children we support and our Gambian club members: The Gambia also has the first confirmed cases of corona diseases. The number of confirmed infections is low, but there will be far more people infected with Covid-19.
But what affects people much more directly besides the danger from the virus are the effects, which have the necessary restrictions that the Gambian government has decided. In addition to schools, all shops except grocery stores are closed, as are the markets and many other public services and businesses. As a result, families that are often very poor already lack their source of income. Many live on small stalls where they sell fruit from their own garden or similar. The families generally have no savings, so far there is no state aid.
We have already distributed soap, disinfectants and detergents to the families of our sponsored children. Today we also decided to provide the families with rice to alleviate the acute need. A 50 kg sack of rice currently costs between 25 and 30 euros and is enough for a family of 8 for about a month.
Please support us in this and donate in this current emergency for food with which we can supply the families. Those who are hungry have no strength to fight an illness!

Travel report Gambia 2020

From the end of January 2020 to the end of February 2020, a total of 8 members of our association were in the area around Sanyang in Gambia. A great pleasure to see the children again after 1 year, as well as the Gambian club colleagues!
All the children already sponsored by the association were visited, gifts were distributed, the needs for 2020 were inquired about and clarified and above all: contact with the families was renewed and intensified. Everyone was happy to see you again! The moments when we could see that children and families have been visibly better since last year were particularly beautiful….
New families were also sought out; school fees were deposited at the respective schools for all new children. Bicycles, school uniforms, shoes, backpacks and other everyday items that are important for school attendance were also purchased. And sometimes even a sack of rice or rent was urgently needed. Gambia is and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.



The school project in Sinchan was visited by our German members right at the start of the trip to initiate and oversee the construction of a well. This was completed when you left! Now 700 pupils from a small village school can drink water and wash themselves, the cooks can cook lunch for everyone without having to run into the village for cooking water as before.

 

January 2020 we will fly to the Gambia again

7 members of Gambia-Bayoolu will fly to the Gambia. During our stay we will visit all the children and families we support. We want to calculate and secure the current demand of school fees/clothing/money for books etc. for the coming year. We will also meet further children and families in need of our help in order to start financially supporting them too.
We also had an enquiry from a village school from Kunkujang asking us for help. They have neither water supplies nor electricity. The roof – provisionally covered with reed – will not withstand the water during the 3 months rainy season. There is only one toilet for 400 students.
The members of our association want to inform themselves about the condition of the school while being in the Gambia and launch the much needed help (new roof, more sanitary units) both actively and financially.
The help needed by the school greatly surpasses the financial abilities of our association, we are in need of further donations in order to guarantee large-scale improvements like building a new class room, connection to the water supply, electricity etc.

Wilhelmstrassen Neighbourhood festival on 7.09.2019

September 7, 2019 the annual Wilhelmstrassen neighbourhood festival in Hattingen took place. Our association had an information desk there in order to distribute pamphlets and to start a conversation with visitors. After a beautiful afternoon and evening with many interesting talks we had collected €225 for our association!

Wiesen quarter festival Witten 13.07.2019

From morning to evening we sold tasty Gambian food (Domoda and Benechin) at the Wiesen quarter festival in Witten. All the monies taken will be used to support children and youths in the Gambia. Several hundreds of euros were thus collected! We also talked with many festival visitors about our association and our immediate engagement in the Gambia. The weather also played its part and so the Wiesen quarter festival turned out to be a great success!

 

Our visit in February´19

In February 2019 3 executive committee member of Gambia Bayoolu e .V. travelled to the Gambia to initiate the first steps for the association. An inaugural meeting with the 3 Gambian members who will supervise and continue the work locally took place.

From left to right: Inge Hanemann, Demba Cham, Anna B. Mendy, Ousainou Jallow, Enny Pötter, Mustapha Cham

Together for orphaned children in the Gambia