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In December, my family joined me for my annual visit to The Gambia. On their first day in country, we visited Coordinator Ebrima Sanneh's home. Ebrima invited some secondary school students to meet with us. As we sat down with one group of them, Ebrima asked "Do you remember these two girls?"
The first was Jarriatou B. We had begun supporting Jariatou ("Jarrie") more than 5 years ago. She been out of school for some time, but with our support, she had gone back to 6th grade - at the age of 15. Now she was a young woman, about to turn 21, and in 11th grade, already thinking about next steps and determined to make a future for herself.
The other was Adama K. Also 5 years ago, Adama's guardian brought her to meet us; both Adama's parents had died and her guardian could not pay school expenses for her. We got Adama the uniforms and books she needed to enroll in 1st grade. She's now in 6th grade.
We have no way of knowing what the future holds for Jarrie and Adama. But we do know that it holds possibilities that were unthinkable without the support our donors enabled.
I do know how one other student is progressing, so I'd like to give you an update on Fatou Kineh Ndow.
Fatou Kineh's mother is a remarkable woman. When a tainted batch of medicine left her unable to walk in 3rd grade, she had to drop out of school. But she raised a family, and supported her daughter by selling phone credit from a stand at the Westfield traffic circle in Kanifing.
The Disabled Persons Association has for a long time had several stands around the Westfield circle, and many of us have made a point of buying our phone credit from them. But I never imagined that the President of the Association had a daughter who would one day inspire us all.
Fatou Kineh had never heard of GambiaRising when she walked into the Westfield offices of the Catholic Education Secretariat (CES) to ask if they knew anyone offering scholarships. Her mom had borrowed money so she could pay her first tuition at the University of The Gambia, but she could not continue without help. We had never offered support for college to a student who we hadn't supported in secondary school, but we had worked with the CES since our program began in several schools they managed, so they knew how to reach out to us.
We couldn't say no. We paid off her mother's loan, then took over paying for her studies. Almost four years later, in 2016, we got a wonderful surprise: Fatou Kineh was going to receive her degree in Mathematics, summa cum laude. She was also named being named the University's Best Student in Mathematics, Best Female Science Student, Best Undergraduate Student, and Valedictorian of her Class. A modest young woman, she was in the nation's spotlight, featured in the national newspapers, telling her story, and GambiaRising's.
But Fatou Kineh was far from done. She applied to Ohio University to study for her Master's Degree in Mathematics. And was offered a full scholarship. It always amazes me that a "full scholarship" to study in the U.S. still costs more than 95% of Gambians could possibly afford. But we were able to supply what she needed, from visa fees to a new laptop and a plane ticket. And in the Fall of 2016, she arrived in Athens, Ohio. As part of her program, she taught math to undergraduates. And in May, 2018 Fatou Kineh received her Master's Degree.
Fatou Kineh had been home but once since 2016; to renew her passport. Was she homesick? Definitely. Was she ready to return in triumph? Hardly. She explained that to teach at the University of The Gambia required a Master's Degree. But to be a full professor she would need a PhD. There are certainly easier places in the world to study for a PhD than top-rate American universities . To receive a full scholarship from any of them would mean competing for space against the best students in the world. I don't know how many schools she applied to. But I do know that two of them offered her scholarships; both invited her to visit their campuses. "Do you need help with the plane tickets?" I asked. "No," she replied. "They will provide them."
And then it dawned on me: the universities were recruiting Fatou Kineh. Of course they were. And the winner was the University of Iowa.
Today, Fatou Kineh is just two years from receiving her PhD.
What is left is her dissertation. I recently caught up with her and she offered to send me the description of her subject that she had prepared for a research grant application that would allow her to work full time on it (i.e., without teaching). I won't attempt to paraphrase it, but have copied the description here.
I told Fatou it brought tears to my eyes to see how far she had come. She answered, "You have no idea the positive changes you are bringing to all the families these scholarships are helping and to the world at large. "
I do know this: there is a powerful cocktail at work here: highly motivated young Gambians looking for a chance for a better life, backed by donations from several hundred committed donors who maintain their support through thick and thin, and whose funding is multiplied in impact by a team of Gambian volunteer Coordinators (mostly teachers) who work in their own communities to identify and screen applicants, and then make sure the donated funds help as many students as possible.
That's another way of saying "We couldn't do this without you." Every piece of the puzzle is required. Motivated students. Committed and effective Coordinators working without pay in their own communities. But everything is fueled by your monthly donations, IRA distributions, charitable gift fund donations, birthday fundraisers, and periodic gifts.
If you are part of this; thank you so much for being part of GambiaRising. If you haven't joined us recently, please do. We're starting to plan for the new school year. And these young people deserve a chance.
Mike McConnell
Managing Trustee
GambiaRising
www.gambiarising.org
1500 Park Ave Apt PH503
Emeryville, CA 94608-3578