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Dedication of Rice Milling Machine Delayed
The installation of the rice milling machine has been postponed. Unfortunately, a man from Dankunku drowned while crossing The Gambia river. There is a 7-day waiting period before any social activities can occur and during this time people in the village pay their respects to the family. Because the installation of the rice milling machine will involve a large celebration for the villagers, it has been placed on hold for these seven days.

During this time, Shelby Tarutis, or as she is known in The Gambia, Isatou Jallow, and her Gambian brother, Suma Jallow, have been working together to ensure that all is ready for the shipment and installation of the rice milling machine. This week they met with the welder to ensure that the metal frame for the milling machine stand was being prepared and would be ready for shipment next week.

Kumuna Jallow To Go To Mecca
Kumuna Jallow, Shelby’s Gambian sister, is usually her escort and companion during her visits to The Gambia. This year, however, Kumuna is waiting for the plane to Mecca, and for her own journey to begin. In her stead, she has asked her daughter Isatou, Shelby’s “namesake,” to assist Shelby and the two other volunteers with cooking, cleaning, washing, and shopping at the market.

Kumuna is able to fly to Mecca through the luck and generosity of her brother. Suma Jallow won a round trip airplane ticket to Mecca in a lottery for senior management staff held at the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority. Kumuna has never left The Gambia and she has never been on a plane in her life. She regards this event as one of the most important journeys that she can make as a Muslim. In her words – “This has been my first luck in the new year to purify myself on a pilgrimage, which is a strong pillar of Islam.” We all wish her well in her venture and hope that her pilgrimage does truly make this the beginning of a new and wonderful year for her. When she returns to The Gambia, the family will have a very special celebration and we hope to be able to share some of that experience with you on this web site.

Planning Continues
Due to the trip to Mecca, Kumuna will not be present when the milling machine is dedicated. However, she has arranged for Lisa, Isatou, Jibaila and Maba to represent her. (Notice it takes 4 women to take the place of Kumuna.) In addition, due to Kumuna’s absence Shelby, Beverly, and Joanne met with Momodou Manneh on January 28, to discuss his role as cultural interpreter and translator. Although Shelby understands and speaks Mandinka, there are two additional volunteers on this trip. There are also those moments when precise translation is needed and during her absences from The Gambia Shelby’s language skills can get “rusty.” Shelby and the volunteers will be visiting Dankunku in regard to both the Library Project and the Micro Lending Project. They are also planning to visit other sites as time and transportation allows.

As previously noted Shelby has also met with Sirigereh Baldeh, GambiaHELP Country Director, to discuss the several projects underway and to begin the difficult logistical planning that all of these efforts require.

Learn More!
Want to know more? Log on again next week and see what is happening. We look forward to having some new photos, stories about the dedication and news on the arrival of the container.

Thanks for your interest and your continuing support!