If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is going to be our longest email ever.

Because as the year nears the end, we want to celebrate with you the lives changed, the young Gambians given hope, through the partnership of hard-working Gambian Community Coordinators and volunteers, and generous donors, each doing what they can to give these young people a chance. We call this partnership GambiaRising.  None of us could do it alone, and each is essential.  

If you have supported these young people this year, let me speak for them and thank you.  (And if you have not yet joined us, you can quickly remedy that here.)

When your guardian (most likely, a single mother) wakes up each morning wondering how to feed her family, there is no question of extra funds for school.  But when a teacher or a neighbor or a friend tells you there is someone in the community or nearby who might help you go back to (or start)(or stay in) school, you go looking for them.  When they give you the uniforms, books, and other things you need to get enrolled (again), you're relieved and happy.  You still have plenty of hard work to do, are still helping your mother, walking up to several miles to and from school, sitting in classrooms of up to 110 degrees, and studying by candle or flashlight. 

When you go to the same person at the beginning of the next school year, and they welcome and outfit you again, you begin to trust.  And when you do that again and again and they tell you they will support you all the way through 12th grade, you start to think your life might have more possibility than you ever dreamed.  If you are doing well in school, you bear down extra hard.  You ask the Community Coordinator if there is a chance you might be able to study after 12th grade if your national exam results are good enough.  You begin to feel agency; you begin to write a new story for your life.

Not counting donors to fundraisers in Washington, Houston, and on FaceBook this school year, just under 200 donors are making this possible.  The relentless commitment of our Gambian team and their commitment to using every donated dollar to do the most good possible have enabled us to support the dreams of more students than ever this year.  You don't have time to read all of their stories, but we will tell a few each month during the year in future updates, and more in our weekly FaceBook posts.  For now, please take a moment and celebrate with us the lives completely changed through these donations, this hard work.  If you have not joined us this year, we need you more than ever, so please do so here: www.gambiarising.org/donate.  And for those of you whose contributions this year have enabled us to do this work and enabled these young people to have possibility in their life, let me quote my favorite Gambian teacher and say "Clap for yourself."

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

1500 Park Ave. Apt PH503
Emeryville, CA  94608-3578