Bedtime Reading

Well, it makes a change from trying to write books! We've had a request to help a village in a very practical way, in particular, the help would go to the women of the village. One of the defining sounds of sub-Saharan Africa is the rhythmic pounding of maize. Women spend hours pounding the grain in a large mortar, using a pestle as tall as themselves. I've tried it, it's hard work. The alternative to this hard labour is to bundle-up your maize crop, take it to the nearest maize mill and pay to have it ground there. You'll also have to pay the taxi fares there and back. In the end you'll save a little time and labour and spend a fair amount on the taxi. Now, what if the village had its own mill? The women would save on time, travel and labour. They would pay a small fee which would go to keeping the mill in good working order but their lives would be a lot easier.

Of course there's a snag. These things cost money. A lot of money - think a couple of thousand pounds for a diesel powered, Chinese built machine. There would be dock charges, transport charges, import duties.You'd need a secure shed to keep it in, regular servicing, fuel; it all adds up. This is where the bedtime reading comes in. Some mills don't have engines to power them. They have people power - a big wheel with a handle on to turn the grinders and produce the meal. They village has strong men and women ... So, we have to find a suitable machine which could cope with the quantities of maize the village produces (some research needed), somewhere to keep it - and some money to buy it! Then we can go shopping!

and a hand powered mill is a lot cheaper than a diesel powered one! Anyone happen to know how to calculate the amount of maize grown on a typical Gambian small-holding? Like to help?

newhutte@dsl.pipex.com

Thanks for reading this.

Jean - please get in touch.

Jean - we spoke at Badala Park about Gift Aid - I'm sorry but I've lost your 'phone number.
Plaese call me again and I'll try to help.
Best Wishes,
Tom.

Rain damage.

This shows the damage a rainy season can inflict on a mud brick house. The owner has made one attempt to repair his family's home but he needs several bags of cement to strengthen the bricks in order to prevent further damage. Really, the long term answer is to re-build completely. GOES, with your help, will offer assistance in this project. The house of another family has been similarly affected, and help has been offered there as well.

Follow-up to previous post.

Strange old world it is. In emails responding to the previous post I received two points of view.
The first, from someone who doesn't know me, berated me for 'making fun of someone's death'.
The next post, from someone who does know me, offered help to the bereaved family.

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.