Respect!

Respect!
Football isn't one of my great interests in life nowadays. When one player can 'earn' more in a couple of months more than many people (me included) earn in a lifetime of work I begin to think that something has gone sadly wrong. I love to see the game played by youngsters who play because they love to play. The boys in this picture play with great enthusiasm and skill and good humour.
Maybe they do dream of playing for Man United or Chelsea or ... and there's no harm in that. Meanwhile, they play with great energy and enjoyment and that I can and do respect, greatly. It's something a lot of the richest players in the world could learn from them.
Rant over! Just a thought though - Joyce would love to watch a team of Gambian girls playing in the Cricket World Cup on day soon - how about it, girls?

Slowly getting there!

We've booked! Next stage is writing the Thomas Cook to see if they'll allow extra free baggage - they usually are very good because we're a registered charity, so fingers crossed. We've been offered educational and medical supplies together with some clothing and we've made to usual requests for mobile 'phones, laptops and reading glasses. We're also taking out a few tin and bottle openers - seeing friends opening bottles of Malta with their teeth is frightening!
Paul and Jenny have been working on the new web site and we'll let you know when it's up and running.
We sold the old broken outboard motor for scrap and the money is in the charity a/c - thanks to the generous buyer.
I'm working fairly hard on the next book but it's not flowing very well - must lock myself away somewhere and put nose to keyboard ...
Each time we go into town we buy a few tubes of ointment, bandages, plasters, skin cream and that sort of thing. We get great medical advice from the travel clinic at out local surgery and from T. at Superdrug.
We've renewed our travel insurance and we have permanently crossed fingers to avoid any of the illnesses that put us out of action earlier in the year - crossed fingers make typing very difficult!
Looking forward so very much to seeing our Gambian friends again.
Best wishes & thanks for reading,
Tom.

Next visit

Booked! Packed? Don't be silly - there's heaps of time! We had a surprise 'phone call from some one we'd spoken to on our way home last March and were delighted to find out they have been busy collecting things which will be of great value out in The Gambia. We expect a delivery shortly!
As you're reading this just check to see if there are any surplus laptops, mobile 'phones or reading glasses longing for a longer life in the sun! Email us at the usual address or leave a message on 01925-264926. We also take medical supplies which we donate to hospitals and clinics - we're not qualified to prescribe ourselves.
£3 0r £4 pounds (depending on the exchange rate) provides protection from malaria and provides the netmaker with an income.

Best of all - go to The Gambia yourself, if you can. There are some really good travel bargains about at the monent.

Thanks for reading this. Our new website should be up and running shortly (thanks, Jenny & Paul).
We'll keep this blog going as well.

Best wishes & thanks to all our supporters,
Joyce & Tom.

The Gambia in the recession.

I'm not sure whether we're having a good year or a bad year.
On the one hand, contributions are still coming in at about the same rate as in previous years, but on the other the money is going out much more quickly! We never intended to build up a large balance in the bank, being firmly of the opinion that if there was a need money should go there rather than gather dust in a bank's vault. We tithe our income and many of you have been more than supportive.
Low exchange rates are a great hurdle to small charities, and, linked with rising prices in The Gambia, mean that a GOES pound doesn't go as far as it did.
We hope to be travelling there again - wonder: can we claim Gift Aid on travel expences???
Please don't be discouraged: we are still able to help many people cope with the difficulties of life, and we have no intention at all of quitting.
Best wishes to all of you, and thanks from your Gambian friends.

Joyce & Tom,

Contact at newhutte at dsl dot. pipex dot com

Summer update..

We've reported some really sad news to you recently.

The man and wife who lost their children are slowly coming to terms with their loss. We've spoken to them to convey our sadness and to pass on the condolences of those of you who have been moved by the tragedy. Thank goodness for text messaging, by which we can keep in touch with them.

That is one of the difficulties of this sort of work - very often there is only a poor 'phone signal available in the villages where we work.

Another difficulty is that we keep running out of money! To be honest, we had a very good year last year (2009-2010) and managed to get a lot of things done. This year, unsurprisingly, is being quite hard going. Money everywhere is tight, but we can only do what we can do. We promise you that every single penny you donate goes to The Gambia without deduction.

To help us remember the good days here are some of our Gambian friends who have invited us into their homes - maybe you should come and meet them? Be careful though, it's very hard to go to The Gambia just once - it's habit forming! (Jolly good habit to have, though!)

Time to come round seeking donations!

We took out nearly 60kgs luggage in April (our cases weighed 21kgs on the trip home! So, we're collecting again.

Mobile 'phones, school materials, watches, reading glasses, tin-openers (to save accidents happening when chef attacks a tin with a machete!)

First aid kits are welcome, plasters, crepe bandages, safety pins - you get the idea.

Obviously we don't reject money! £3 saves a life - the cost of a mosquito net.

Everything you give goes to The Gambia. We take nothing from donations for our own expenses.

newhutte@dsl.pipex.com will find us.

Thanks for your interest,

Joyce & Tom.

Update on house fire.

We love to bring you good news about how you have helped H gain her degree or helped F qualify as a nurse or N repair his storm damaged house. Sadly, not all news can be good.

In our last post well told you about a house fire which injured two little girls. We told you that the family had to travel to a neighbouring country for treatment. We now have to tell you that both children died as a result of their injuries. We were trying to help their father as he endured the nightmare of bringing home, first one then the other of his children, by taxi, for burial in their village. Finally, he brought his wife home. She too had suffered severe burns but she survived.

Imagine having to haggle the fare home with the body of your child in your arms. Twice.

We cannot do anything, other than count our blessings and our immense good fortune that we, here in England, will never experience this situation. We count our blessings, and thank all of you who have, by your kind donations, slightly eased the burden of the parents. We have their permission to tell you this story.

The picture we show you today is that of a Gambian five dalasi note. It's worth about ten pence. It's the standard fare in a communal taxi for a short journey. A single journey home from the hospital in Dakar cost three thousand dalasi. That was after the price had been haggled down from three thousand five hundred. GOES sent the money. The family - now reduced to husband and wife, send their thanks and are trying to rebuild their lives and home.