Home from Home

Back in England after an exciting trip, full of surprises, not least that of developing Banjul Belly (don't ask!) on the plane home. Recovering nicely, thanks - may move on to eating again by Christmas Eve, I hope.
Very mixed memories: the death of a friend's wife in childbirth. Baby delivered dead and mother died three days later. Counter that with the discovery that a girl whom you have helped to sponsor has completed her nurse training and is doing a third year to study midwifery.
Two friends have had their houses very badly damaged in the rainy season. You've helped them, too. A girl GOES has supported through high school has completely fluffed her exams this term - 'fail' in nearly every subject - and was in a blind panic about failing her finals in May. A bit of reasoning - she normally scores 'excellent' and 'credit' marks, and the promise of a maths tutor helped to calm her.
All the mobile 'phones and spectacles, the knitted bonnets and clothing, the medical supplies and books found good homes.
Met representatives of two other charities and talked about ways in which we can be mutually supportive.
Had a day off and stayed in the hotel for one whole day: fourteen of our students visited me! Highlight of that day was the girl who had never set foot in a swimming pool and ended the day, supported by a buoyancy, aid swimming twelve circuits of the pool with a huge grin on her face!
Happy day spent at the home of a lady who had just returned from Mecca; sad day at the 'forty day charity' following the death from a heart attack of a 19 year old boy who had been treated for asthma ... his mother was so distressed and a hundred people wishing her well didn't help much on the day.
Thanks to all the friends there who fed me, gave me a bed for the night, gave advice, kept me up talking till the early hours, escorted me and told me off when I walked too far in the hot sun or helped to push-start stalled taxis.
Thanks to all the friends here who support us, encourage us to carry on, donate materials and money and listen to my interminable droning on about The Gambia.
May you all enjoy long life, good health and happiness.
When I'm a bit more organised I'll post some photographs. Probably!

Leaving, on a jet plane!

Countdown in progress; tickets, accommodation, insurance, packing. Packing? Not quite finished! Oh for a self-packing bag! Had hoped that Mr Thomas Cook would be as generous as he has been in the past, not this time. We've had to refuse some kind offers but rest assured, everything we have accepted to date will go out on this trip. Many thanks for the gifts of mobile 'phones and reading glasses: the gifts of simple medications will go to village clinics. After a somewhat bleak couple of months donations have been rolling in; a lady in Bulgaria gave a donation to Joyce, friends have been very generous, several local businesses have been very kind, our loyal standing order friends are also most appreciated. Gift Aid next April should equal or exceed this year's figure. We've been busy supplying bags of rice to hungry families but have drawn the line at providing sheep for slaughter at the festival of Tobaski. At up to a hundred pounds a time we have to draw the line somewhere! We'll be visiting Manneh the mosquito net maker in Banjul market again with an order. It's so much cheaper to have them made there, it provides employment to local people and puts money directly into the local community. (As compared with the efforts of an English 'charity' which pushed a plastic bag through our door last week. The idea was that we should give them good quality clothing which they would then sell to third world countries and the money raised would then be used to benefit people in this country!
Hope to have word about the web site soon, and lots of new photographs when I return to the UK just before Christmas.
Thanks to all of you for your help and support;
Best wishes,
J & T

Doesn't time fly? Just hope the luggage will too!

The next visit to The Gambia is only a few weeks away. Insurance? Fixed! Flight? Booked! Accommodation? Probably arranged - won't be a problem! Packing? Ah. Well. Garden shed stuffed with goodies - thanks, everyone. But: no extra baggage allowance forthcoming yet. Thomas Cook usually very understanding, certainly have been in the past, but we seem to have drawn a blank this time. Can't afford to pay the £10 per kilo they suggested! I wonder if the new 'see-through' scanners at Manchester Airport will see through about 6 layers of clothing? We've been busy trying to enlist the support of M.S.F. to secure operations for a seriously ill child in one of the villages and we hope to have some positive news before we see him. He's being very brave but an operation which would be routine here just isn't available there.
The students we're sponsoring are all working hard. One girl, excluded from taking an exam because her fee had not been paid sneaked in and took the exam - very enterprising, Ami! We sent payment next day in reply to an urgent text message. Mobile 'phones are a life saver there - any to spare, please? We now know that BAYBA money transfer works as far up-country as Basse. This enables us to extend our almost immediate response to calls for help to people in even the most out-lying areas.
We have a very bright young student helping us with work on the web-site and newsletter. Time for Tom to attempt another appeal to Thomas Cook. Fingers crossed.

We have been busy - honestly!

Sorry for not keeping you up to date - time flies! However we can report (with your help and support of course) that:
M.B. has been able to waterproof her house (it's the rainy season now) and attend a course which will help her with her teaching career.
A.G. has been helped with funeral expenses and given a little help for the 40 day charity giving after the death of her sister.
Y.N. has received help with medical expenses for her young brother who has a serious heart condition. You've also given help so she can set up a stall in the local market which will provide employment for another member of her family.
O.S. received help to hire a tractor to prepare his smallholding for the growing season.
F.C. was helped with a grant to buy books for her nursing course, and a little 'fish money' so she could eat while studying!
E.F. was able to buy rice and medical care for his family.
T.S. also received a grant so she could rent and stock a stall selling cosmetics in the local market.
M.N. and his sister A.N. received school fees and money for uniforms and books so they can continue their studies at 6th form level.
Other people have received small grants to buy cement for house repairs, grants towards nursery education - the list goes on.
A provisional newsletter has been sent to contributors and friends - please contact us if you've not received yours.

Afterthought - if you're a newcomer to GOES and would like to make a donation please email us
newhutte@dsl.pipex.com

Thanks for reading this.

Another page from the newslettr.

Where does the money come from???

I wish we knew - or at least, where it's going to come from in the future! I suppose that it's natural in the charity world to worry about the future - there will for ever be a need for resources and money is a prime resource. Food, clean water, shelter, education and health care don't come cheaply nowadays.
So, many thanks to all our contributors! The collection tins bring in a steady amount - thanks to Borders, Hatters and Snips! Not only for the donations but also for the interest and support.
Thanks also for Easysearch (like Google but donates 0.5p per search) and Valued Opinions (market research which pays from 50p to £2 per questionnaire answered) and Ebay.
Of course thanks to Joan and Bob and Val and Ruth and Richard and Sarah and Sheila and VRWG and everybody else (you know who you are and I'm not mentioning those of you who have asked not to be mentioned).
Credit crunch or not we promise to carry on.
Today I was looking at articles about owning 'only' a hundred things. I look around our small but hugely cluttered little house and feel ashamed. Many of our friends in The Gambia would consider themselves wealthy if they owned a hundred things.
Good health, long life and happiness to all of you.

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