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Journal of Alex Hare

February 21, 2004 – Dankunku Village, The Gambia
After a long and hot drive from Banjul, capital of The Gambia, the GambiaHELP vehicle was met at the outskirts of Dankunku Village by over a hundred people singing, waving branches and dancing to traditional drum beats. The welcoming procession escorted the vehicle into the village where Shelby Tarutis, Carolyn Horsfall, and myself were seated at the end of a large circle. As part of the welcoming ceremonies, a number of songs and dances were performed. These included special performances by the women’s group, Nema Kaafo, as well as traditionally costumed dancers dressed as mythical creatures known as the “Concoran” that are believed to drive away evil spirits.

Later in the evening a traditional spicy, rich, chicken dish called benachin was served along with a wonderful mix of locally grown vegetables. The dancing and the ceremonies continued enthusiastically well into the following morning!

The following morning there were brilliant blue skies, warm sunshine and even warmer hospitality. A delegation of local and regional leaders arrived to officially welcome Shelby and GambiaHELP to Dankunku. The village headman, leaders of the local mosque, representatives from the council of elders and regional representatives, were all present and expressed their sincere appreciation for the developmental assistance provided by GambiaHELP. After these formalities, the still morning silence was quickly broken with continued celebration by a group of villagers forming a second dance circle just outside the GambiaHELP compound. This group presented the GambiaHELP representatives with gifts of food and local clothes. Later in the day, there was a tour of the Dankunku School. The students performed a play on the dangers of HIV and several boxes of school books that had been brought up-country were delivered to the school by Ms. Tarutis.

February 22, 2004 – Dankunku Village, The Gambia
On February 22, 2004, the local Dankunku scout troop performed synchronized marching maneuvers around the school courtyard, followed by a formal presentation and inspection of the scout troop by the school headmaster and Shelby Tarutis. The presentation wrapped up with an enthusiastic collection of group songs by the scout troop, after which Carolyn Horsfall, a former Eagle Scout in the United States, met with the local scout leader to discuss possibilities for contact between the local scout troop and scout troops in the Seattle area. In the afternoon, Shelby Tarutis met with the village women’s group to review and discuss their progress in administrative planning.

Working late in the evening by candle light, Shelby Tarutis next met with the Dankunku Basic Cycle School librarian and headmaster to discuss their most urgent requirements for the school. Key among their priorities is the expansion of the school library whose current size and resources significantly limit student access. A second major concern involved the construction of a dining hall to provide a clean and safe environment for a breakfast and lunch program. This program prepares and serves meals from donated food to the most disadvantaged students in the school. GambiaHELP intends to remain one more day in Dankunku and then return to the Banjul area.

February 25, 2004 – San Cheba, The Gambia
Much of this morning and early afternoon were spent sorting and packing boxes of books, some of which were recently received by Suma Jallow, GambiaHELP’s in-country representative, from a generous circumnavigating sailor, Stephan Regulinski. This unexpected donation included a number of books on subjects just requested by Dankunku Basic Cycle School, and GambiaHELP will be able to fulfill their request immediately. Shelby Tarutis also met briefly with an interpreter who GambiaHELP will require when working up-country. Further contract work, itinerary work and duty waiver letters were written up in the evening and similar work will continue tomorrow.

This evening, GambiaHELP representatives and friends said goodbye to Carolyn Horsfall, who had accompanied Shelby Tarutis from Seattle and spent two weeks working in-country alongside her. Carolyn, we will miss your help and your bright smile! Have a safe journey home and many thanks to you for your voluntary service.

February 27, 2004 – San Cheba, The Gambia
Yesterday morning Shelby Tarutis spent several hours in the morning working out a contract with Momoudou Manneh for translation and administrative services at a local restaurant called Safari Gardens. A very relaxed atmosphere made working quickly easy, but so did birds with active bladders. Local tradition claims that if a bird drops on you, its young will be given your name in return. Already having namesakes, Shelby and Alex decided they could think better under a bit fewer branches! Momoudou is a local Gambian who has worked extensively with the American Peace Corps in The Gambia and has a wealth of local and cultural knowledge. He will also be able to help Shelby in locating and contacting certain Gambian officials for meetings to discuss further development of programs.

One such program that GambiaHELP is interested in bringing to The Gambia is a library development/internship program currently offered in South Africa through the World Library Partnership. This is a non-profit organization started by a former Peace Corps volunteer that connects teacher-librarians with participating schools in South Africa. Teacher-librarians spend time instructing local teachers the essentials of library administration such as cataloging and processing library materials, using libraries in the classroom, and circulation of library materials. Selected students are also taught how to assist with library management to ensure sufficient knowledge remains within the school to manage its library independently. GambiaHELP’s experience with library development and familiarity with the Peace Corps and volunteer placement make The Gambia an ideal location for expansion of the World Library Partnership program.

The afternoon was spent registering with the American Embassy, conducting official correspondence and typing reports. We had electricity too! Electricity is available in sporadic periods briefly throughout the week and you never know when it is going to become available. The charm of working by candle light can fade sometimes…

Alex Hare is a 25 year old resident of Canada who recently received his graduate degree in biochemistry and medical genetics at the University of Manitoba. Alex learned about GambiaHELP through its website and volunteered to go to the Gambia based upon a strong interest in ecology and biology. In addition to his academic interest, Alex believes, on a personal level, that providing health and educational assistance to underdeveloped countries is an important responsibility of more advantaged nations and of their citizens. This is Alex Hare’s first trip to Africa.