Progress

GOES (Gambian Occasional Emergency Support) is a micro charity* registered with HMRC for Gift Aid (XT 7385)

Looking back to Christmas 2017 when we were a little worried about the future of GOES, a mocro charity Joyce and I have been running for about 12 years.

We were finding it impossible, due to our interesting collection of age and medical conditions, to find travel insurance at a price we could afford. To take my mind off the worry I decided to be ill (!) and we cancelled our celebrations.

Recovering, we decided to hand over the practical of work in The Gambia to a young local man, K. He, with his family, lives in the village** where much of our work goes on. K is familiar with the local schools, and the very busy local clinic. We also operate in another fishing village, Bakau, and a suburb of the busiest city, Serrekunda, where we support another nursery school.

We pay a salary – we’re not paying for airfares so that’s sorted that – and local bush taxi fares. He has been accepted as our representative by all the beneficiaries and we’ve received positive feedback from them. Nearly twelve months on and things seem to be going smoothly. We, with your help, have supported 15 students, mainly female, aged from 7 to 22, with funding towards their education. A school has received a grant towards the cost of re-roofing, a village clinic has been kept supplied with essential medical supplies, and an indoor fresh water supply has been laid on.

·          * Operating on less than 5,000 GBP pa

·         ** The village ‘Malinding’ is based on, re-located onto the opposite bank of the river Gambia.