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Everything GambiaRising does is in response to an immediate need. But when you are helping young Gambians get an education, the effects endure. According to our friends at The OASIS Initiative at UC Berkeley: "In Sub-Saharan Africa, women’s earnings increase by 14.5% for each year of schooling they complete." And "children in low-income countries who complete secondary education can expect lifetime earnings almost five times higher than their parents." (Their most report is here.)
Fatou S. is in her 2nd year studying to be a teacher at Gambia College. But she couldn't pay her tuition, was about to be sent out, and came to seek our help. Asking about her family situation, we discovered that her mother is the family's sole support but has been sick and unable to work. So Fatou was not only going to college, she was ALSO working as a housemaid to support the family. "Bring your siblings to meet us," our Coordinator said. There were SIX of them, aged 9 to 18. We paid Fatou's tuition and pledged to keep doing so. And while her mother is unable to work, we will also make sure the other 6 of them stay in school.
In the 10+ years we have been doing this work, I can't remember times being this hard, and the stakes being so high. We are SO grateful to our monthly donors and to those who have already renewed their support for the new school year. That will be invaluable to allow us to support all those we supported last year. That consistency is the crucial aspect of our program because it allows students to think differently about their lives; they can think about a future that includes an education.
Taking care of the many students we already support is essential. It leaves us only with those like Fatou with new appeals. And these come to us every day. Those who were not in school last year. Those who can't pay college tuition. Those with a father who died, was injured, or abandoned the family. You can imagine what it is like for our Coordinators, on the front lines, coming home more often than not to find a mother and her children waiting to talk to them.
To be on a solid foundation, any non-profit needs recurring income it can count on; we are grateful for that. But faced with pressing demand and need, we hesitate to ask those same supporters to stretch until they break and give more. Here's what we do ask: If you have not supported a Gambian student in the past year through GambiaRising, please do so today. $3 per month can send a child back to school. $40 per month can pay all the expenses of a student at Gambia College studying to be a teacher.
We know that in this broken world of so much need, those to whom GambiaRising can readily turn are those who have a direct relationship with The Gambia and its people. And their friends and families. That's a small universe. But it is big enough to support many more students if everyone reading this note chips in. I hope you can find it in your heart to do so. Because we really should say "Yes" to the next Fatou who comes calling.
Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
