Help Make a Big Difference in The Gambia
one of Africa’s Smallest Countries
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Thanks for your donations to GambiaHelp through Seattle Foundation's GiveBig. You really help us make a difference! |
News on the 2013 Trip to
The Gambia |
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95% of all funds go directly to projects in The Gambia. GambiaHELP contributions are used to: ~ help villages develop sustainable local industries, such as producing soaps, mosquito nets, rice-milling machines, decorative fabrics ~ supply books and medical equipment ~ pay for basic education ~ find lasting solutions to local needs |
More on these and other GambiaHELP projects.
Giving the Gift of Hope to People in The Gambia -
Flier and Form
Gifts of Animals, Water, Education and More
2012-2013 Bicycle Campaign for The Gambia!
For
several years, GambiaHELP has been sending bicycles to the Gambia and
the need is still great.
Children in The Gambia often live in villages far away from their assigned school. This causes many children to suffer, due to the distances (7-10km) they have to walk to get to school.
Bicycles can save lost class time, prevent tardiness and improve graduation prospects - to say nothing of saving valuable time that could be used for studying.
With a small donation, you can have a direct impact on the quality of life these children can enjoy. We believe, and studies have shown, that an educated population is more likely to be employed, have children at a later age, and enjoy improved health status.
We are looking for bicycle donations (even broken bikes) and funds for bicycle repairs done in The Gambia. If you have bicycles, pumps, helmets or other gear to donate, please let us know. If you know of police departments or other resources that collect unclaimed bicycles, please let us know about that too. Contact Director Shelby Tarutis at shelby@GambiaHELP.org.
Thanks for making donations to the
Bicycle fund via Pay Pal
Please put the amount you wish to donate in the upper left hand corner
of the form.
Photography Project
In March 2010, professional photographers Kevin Sharp and Marc Shor traveled to The Gambia to document the work that GambiaHELP is doing. Click here to see some of their photos, which are for sale. All proceeds go to GambiaHELP.
GambiaHELP is a volunteer organization. We welcome donations to support our projects and volunteers to keep them going. Because we are a volunteer organization, 95% of all donations to GambiaHELP go directly to fund projects in The Gambia.
The Gambia is located in West Africa along the Gambia River. The country is surrounded by Senegal. Some of the biggest problems in West Africa and Gambia involve health, education, and nurturing a sustainable economy and environment. English is the official language of Gambia making it a good fit for cooperation with communities in the USA.
Shelby Tarutis is GambiaHELP's Executive Director. The project started when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia in the 1980s. She fell in love with the people and knew first hand how much they could do with just a little help. After earning her Masters in Public Health, she founded GambiaHELP. She started working in her Peace Corps village, Dankunku, and then spread to many villages throughout the country.
Through your donations, GambiaHELP gives educational funds to needy students, provides books and medical supplies, and supports sustainable projects like tie dye, soap making, sewing mosquito nets, and rice milling machines that are managed by women's groups (kaffos) throughout the country.
We get great results helping women and girls and especially the women's groups. Every village has one and they tend to be the safety net for the whole village. By helping them develop sustainable projects, they in turn use the benefits of their projects to help the whole village.
We take on bigger projects like building and repairing wells. This not only provides water, but allows gardens to flourish in the dry season providing much needed vegetables to the community. It is often the women who work the gardens to provide vegetables for the school children and others in need throughout the village.
Our biggest projects include building libraries, schools, and skill centers. Skill centers are buildings where the community can receive training, have meetings, store supplies out of the weather and make the goods for their sustainable projects.
The projects GambiaHELP supports come from the needs and dreams of the communities in The Gambia. GambiaHELP requires the community to donate 25% of the project in labor, services and land donations. This is a time consuming method, but because of this dedication and commitment, our projects have long lasting results and are beneficial to the entire community.
Other giving projects include micro lending, setting up computer labs, and facilitating a Friendship Exchange between students in the USA and The Gambia.
