Our program relies on our Gambian “Coordinators,” who operate the program on the ground. Most of them are teachers or school administrators, and they know the needs of the children they're teaching. They are the ones who interview students, visit families, keep records, and manage the distribution of uniforms and books. When a child drops out of school, it is their teacher who is the first to know.

As new donations allow us to add more villages and schools to the program, they, in turn, build a network of good-hearted volunteers in each village and/or school. When I asked our 10-person leadership team of long-term Coordinators to list the key people they work
with, the number totaled more than 50.

Here's an example: our Lower River Region Coordinator Alieu Gaye negotiated for discounted prices on materials for cloth for school uniforms.  For the school in Jiroff, he asked for help from Haddy Bah who is on the Jiroff Village Development Council (VDC) and also the Youth Committee.  She was happy to travel the 15 miles to Soma to pick up cloth to take to the tailor who would measure the students and make their uniforms.

Of course, at any school and in any village, more than one or two people care about the future of their children.  We work with one primary contact, who in turn is assisted by others.  Last week, when Coordinator Ebrima Sanneh was told by our school coordinator at Old Yundum Lower Basic School that a tailor would be coming to the school to measure students for their uniforms for the new school year in the fall, he dropped by to observe and take some photos.  (It saves the tailor and the students a lot of trouble to do the measuring at school.)  When Ebrima arrived, he was delighted to find another teacher he had never met before, Sainabou Marong, helping out.  

"Wait," you say. "Why are you measuring for uniforms in March?" 

Starting early began as a money-saving technique.  We buy much of our uniform cloth in bulk.  We can get large discounts by buying early, so the merchant has time to use our payments to order more cloth, which often comes by sea.  In the urban areas, we now have a half dozen tailors who will sew uniforms free if we supply the cloth.  BUT only in their spare time.  NOT close to the beginning of school and definitely not one month from now, when the Koriteh feast will mark the end of Ramadan. So by starting early we can save substantially.  Here's the other benefit: the big drop-out occasions for students are when they change schools to start 7th and 10th grade.  So when we go to a student and say, "Let's measure you for your 7th (or 10th) grade uniforms, and then give them to them before the end of school, it becomes a way of reinforcing our commitment to support their education through 12th grade, and a visual demonstration of that to the family.  They are all set for the new school year.

This is a busy time of year: starting to plan for the new school year, beginning to buy cloth and books now, in the off-season, as funds allow.  This year, several unexpected gifts at year's end also gave us the pleasant task of informing two dozen college and university students that we could help them.  Most of these had been blocked from starting the new semester due to non-payment of overdue tuition, and we were indeed their last resort.  Some had already gone back to their village.  Of those, nearly half are studying to be teachers in the next two or three years.  Another six will be nurses or public health workers.  It took two things to happen at the same time to rescue the futures of these young people: 1) Our donors had to continue their support at the same level or a bit better than in previous years, and 2) Larger donations or new donations had to arrive on top of those. I will credit the IRS and the required minimum distributions (RMDs) from IRAs for part of this, but directing those mandatory distributions to rescue the future of Gambian students is definitely not part of the IRS requirement.  So a HUGE thanks to everyone who came through all year, and at the end of 2023 and in early 2024.  You can imagine how much more rewarding it is to everyone involved when we are able to say, "I have good news; we can pay your tuition" instead of "No, sorry, you deserve a chance but we can't help you."  THANKS to everyone who helped create miracles in so many young Gambians' lives. 

Here are photos of a few of these college and university students, now back in school where they belong.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting the hopes and dreams of these brave young people.

If you have not contributed lately, now would be a perfect time, as we are making budgets for the new school year.  Three dollars per month will support a young person in lower basic school.  Yep. That's the number.  Please do what you can. 

Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www. gambiarising.org

1500 Park Ave.  #503
Emeryville, CA  94608