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The village of Jamaru is 2 kilometers from the nearest school in Kuli Kunda. So when Sulayman S. was born with both feet misformed, and doctors said nothing could be done, his future seemed bleak. But when other children from the village started walking 20 minutes to go to school, Sulayman insisted on going too. It took him twice as long as the others, and some days his legs pained him too much to go, but for four years, on most days, Sulayman walked to school. Here's just a 20-second clip of the 40-minute walk:
(If you want to see Sulayman's entire walk, you can view it here: https://youtu.be/t0MDKzgPFV0. I doubt you will ever forget it.)
If Sulayman did not get home as expected after school, his father walked down the dirt road through the bush to find him, and then carry him home. The situation was enough to break your heart. But with limited funds and so many other children to help, what could we do?
Alieu Gaye, our Coordinator in Kuli Kunda, is working with us for the first time this year. We told him we had come across a similar situation in Kayenga several years ago when our Coordinator there visited the home of a new student we were supporting and found her twin sister, born with a spinal injury, crawling around the compound, dragging herself by her clenched fists. After getting a wheelchair for her from a local clinic, we bought a donkey and a cart and used it to bring her to school. To our surprise, ten other children from Kayenga came along with her, half of whom who had never been to school before.
Could we do the same in Jamaru? Our Coordinator got quotes for the construction of the cart, and the cost of the donkey. The total cost would be just over $300. He surveyed the community and found four children who were not in school because their parents felt it was too far for a young child to walk to school. We weighed the question of what to do. Then an unexpected donation arrived from the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) of Camp Cole, MO - and it was almost enough to pay for the entire project. We knew we had to do it, and approved the project. A few weeks later, the cart was ready. Then things got interesting. Because the nearest craftsman had been 20 miles away in the town of Soma.
So Alieu set off to pick it up. Step One: loading it on the roof of a "gellie" in Soma.
He unloaded it in Sankanding, where the gellie to Kuli Kunda's roof was full. So the cart was towed behind. Slowly,
Finally, in Kuli Kunda, it was loaded onto an 3rd gellie, for the final leg to Jamaru.
Sulayman and his family were thrilled to see this cart that would change his life.
The next day, the school "bus" left for school. Nine others joined Sulayman on the cart.
Half of them did not have uniforms.. BECAUSE THEY HAD NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL BEFORE.
That afternoon, after school, Sulayman fed and watered the donkey.
It took so many people to make this miracle occur in the heart of Gambia's Kiang West province. Generous church women (and a returned Peace Corps volunteer to introduce them to us), a creative approach to cost-efficient and sustainable solutions, a dedicated Coordinator, a trustworthy family, a supportive school. (Not to mention all the helping hands getting the cart loaded on and off the gellies!) Each one played their role, and each was absolutely essential.
This chain of support starts with the generosity of our donors. For being part of this, thank you.
Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
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