We started GambiaRising with a clear goal:  to give young Gambians a chance for a better life, with the least unintended damage.  That sounds simple but it is not. 

We were returned Peace Corps volunteers and former staff, so we had seen first-hand the failed development projects that littered the countryside.  We were well aware of the ways in which assistance could lead those assisted to become dependent on that assistance.  We wanted those we helped to feel empowered, not diminished.  And we believed deeply in effective philanthropy: doing the most good possible with donated dollars. 

It soon became clear that the ideal place to focus was helping Gambians stay in school.  We knew that education was a necessary factor in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.  We also knew that those of us who had gone to schools on scholarships had not felt "less than" the donors who made it possible.  To further lessen the chance of "up down" relationships with the students we helped, we decided not to emphasize the source of the funds for those scholarships (most of our students have never heard of GambiaRising).  And especially, we knew that study after study has shown that educating girls is as close to a silver bullet as has been found in international development.  It is even #6 on the the Drawdown list of ways to combat climate change.  (And if their brothers were also out of school, it certainly wouldn't hurt to help them too.)

The former British  colonies in west Africa have a common senior school examination system called WASSCE.  And given her enthusiastic attitude toward school, when Fatoumata did not pass her 12th grade exams, our Coordinator (Kebba Sanyang) recommended that we give her another chance, and we supported her to repeat 12th grade.  But when she did not pass again the next year, we wondered if we had made a mistake.  Kebba sat down with Fatoumata.  She explained even though Brikamaba was the closest school to her home, she had to walk 3 hours each way from her village of Sare Babou.  But on top of that, her mother was requiring that she fulfill her share of the household chores when she got home. Time for homework?  No chance.  Time to sleep?  Barely.  So Kebba went to Sare Babou and met with the family.  "This girl is bright; this girl has a  chance to have an income and  help the family," he said. "If we can support her to repeat one more time, will you please relieve her from household duties for just that one year?"  They relented.  We bought Fatoumata a bicycle, along with her school supplies.  Fatoumata did her part.  And she not only graduated, but immediately got a job teaching at the local school.

Meanwhile, back in the coastal towns, we still have 173 students on our waiting list - and none of them are in school today.  We want all of them going to school this September.  We are not sure how, but we are hoping that our current donors stay with us, that some increase their support if they are able, and that new ones will join us.  This is also the part of the country where our volunteer Coordinator (Ebrima Sanneh) has organized four young Gambian tailors to make school uniforms for us at not charge if we provide the cloth.  BUT, they said, please don't ask us to do that just before school starts, because that is when we have paying customers. 

So we are going to start telling those on our waiting list, now not in school, and losing hope, that we are going to start making uniforms for them for the new school year.  It is too late now to go to school this year, with only a few weeks left before summer, but we believe it is important for them to know that they will be going back to school soon.  Knowing your life has hope is perhaps the most precious gift you can receive.  Ebrima has begun buying cloth so our volunteer tailors can begin making uniforms.  It is also off season, so he believes he can negotiate better prices for bulk purchases of school books and supplies. So as funds permit, we will also begin buying these as well.

 Nothing says your life is about to improve like getting measured for your new school uniform!

Although schools will be open for six more weeks, we need to be start thinking about the new school year. For our  volunteer coordinators, this means making lists of students whose cases have been brought to us by local schools and by other students and the minimum budgets to support them.  Then visiting their homes, determining their ability to squeeze out just enough funds for school uniforms and books, and at the higher grades, also school fees.  And Stateside, we start reviewing our donor lists, thinking about who we can count on again in the new school year, and where we will find new supporters.  We now have more than 200 donors, which seems like a lot until you compare it to the need.  We have found out the hard way that the people we can count on to support these young Gambians year after year are those who have lived in The Gambia, their families, and their friends.  And the stakes are so high for these young people.  The fact that only $3 per month stands between a young Gambian and going to school, or $10 per month between a teen-aged girl hoping to stay in school and being married - that is either make you cry or give you hope when you  think about it.  We chose to see it as hopeful.  It takes so little to change a life.

Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
www.facebook.com/gambiarising

1500 Park Avenue #PH 503
Emeryville, CA  95608