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What a time to be a young Gambian with dreams of a better life! The economy is partially shut down. COVID-19 has shuttered the hotels. Remittances from overseas have dried to a trickle. Schools are closed.
But this I know about so many of The Gambia's young people: their spirit is indomitable.
And however the new school year (now less than 10 weeks away) plays out, we are determined to be there to stand behind those who already depend on us... and others we know will need us.
Last week, the nation's 9th graders went back to school, to prepare for the upcoming West Africa Examinations Council exams. Class sizes were cut in half; everyone was given a mask. Soon, the 12th graders will do the same.
All things considered, The Gambia has done an effective job until recently in containing the COVID pandemic. Most new cases came from outside the country, and their contact tracing system seems rigorous. Incoming travelers who test positive are quarantined at an empty hotel; stats are posted on FaceBook daily, with more detailed reports available one click away. Gambia College and the University have continued to hold online classes throughout the crisis, and government schools plan to re-open on schedule in the fall.
There is great economic hardship, of course. And the a recent trend of more than 20 positive tests per day, including many 10 healthcare workers is troubling. But whether everything goes according to plan or not, we want to be certain that the students we support know that we continue to have their back. We want their mothers who want to protect them, but also others who may have other plans for them, to be clear that they have a coveted scholarship that will take them all the way to 12th grade, whenever it is that schools re-open, and perhaps further. We want them to have their uniforms in hand before schools are scheduled to open. We want them to be clear that they have our support; that they have a future.
This is exactly what we were able to do for Fatou N. this school year. Fatou is from Soma town, and attended Soma primary school. She was a very intelligent student, was active in school clubs and was especially active in fighting for the rights of girls. Shortly before she started 7th grade, she lost her father. After that, her mother struggled to support the family, but she found a way to keep Fatou and her elder brother in school. After a few years of struggling, her elder brother decided to leave school to work as laborer to help. But when she was in 9th grade, Fatou's mother fell ill and then died. Her elder brother told Fatou that he wanted to get married and could not continue to support her education. But last Fall, he heard about GambiaRising, and tracked down our Coordinator when he came to use an internet cafe in Soma; he explained that his younger sister was stubborn, refused to get married, and was determined to stay in school. Just then, we had just begun expanding our program in the Lower River Region (LRR), and Fatou clearly met our criteria for support. And so she enrolled in grade 10 at Soma Sr. Secondary School. She also resumed her advocacy for girls' rights and was selected to represent all the girls of LRR at the country's Children's Parliament.
And this September, that is also what we must do for Amie and Fatoumata N--. Amie and Fatoumata lived in Sare Musa and attended school in Misera. But when both their father and mother died, they were forced to drop out and went to live with their grandmother across the Senegal border in Tabaye. Their grandmother was very old and too poor to afford school for them, but she supported them as best she could (with their help). Then she also died. No relatives would take them in, so the girls lived on their own in their grandmother's compound. With no one to protect them, Fatou (the older one) became pregnant and had a baby. At that point, an elderly friend of the grandmother told them to come stay with her. She could protect them but she also could not help them go to school.
One of the girls' friends from Misera recently told the sisters that there was a new scholarship program in Misera called GambiaRising, and so last week the sisters walked the 8 km from Tabaye to come to our Coordinator's home and appeal to him for help. Under our policy to prioritize teen-aged girls, he immediately told them we would certainly find a way for them to go back to school in September. (And so our budget went up.)
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I hope it is clear that the work that you and we are doing together is life-changing for those we can help. Now, more than ever, we need to find a way to give more young Gambians the small support that will make such a difference in the kind of life they will have.
There are not many of us, but we are extremely effective. How many are we? Do I count the teachers who alert us to a promising student who drops out? The student who helps our Coordinator keep their records? Fatou's older brother, who tracks down our Coordinator at an internet cafe'? We now have 16 Coordinators, and they all have helpers in their communities. We also have 168 donors who have donated each of the last two years. More have donated to online birthday and Giving Tuesday fundraisers. But basically, we are a small band of people who have declared that we will include the dreams of young Gambians' in their hearts (and their budgets). Each donor, large or small, is crucial. And we make every dollar as impactful as we know how.
We understand that many of us are not strong financially right now. So we have to rely on those who are able to continue their support, or renew their support, or begin their support of these young people who truly have no place to turn but us. If you haven't donated yet this year, I hope you will stand with them, by sending a check (address below), or donating here:
Our Community Coordinators will in turn ensure that every penny you can send will be used exclusively to support young Gambians and their education.
And on behalf of every student to whom you give new possibilities, thank you in advance for being part of GambiaRising.
Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
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1500 Park Ave. #PH 503
Emeryville, CA 94608
