Update from Gambia, 23-03-25

Monika reports from Gambia on 25.03.2023:

Here is a short report from our trip to Gambia.

We started our journey two days late, because there was a transport strike in Germany.

The day after our arrival we four Gambian friends went straight to the village, visited the school and met with the Alkalo (mayor) in the garden.

Alle sind stolz auf das gelungene Gartenprojekt. Weitere Maßnahmen wurden besprochen.

Everyone is proud of the successful garden project. Further measures were discussed.

In the evening we prepared the welcome for the friendly „Wüstenkoggen“ from Wismar. Six members of this association drove the Dresden-Dakar-Banjul-Tour for a social purpose with specially prepared cars this year. The association „Wüstenkoggen“ sees its task in promoting the development cooperation in developing countries and in helping on site.

The next few days we all shared many warm-hearted experiences. The chimney for the smoke outlet in the school kitchen was modified under the guidance of the „desert cogs“. This one was not built as it was in the first drawing. There was no experience there – chimneys of this kind did not know our friends in Gambia so.

Members of the „Wüstenkoggen“ association, what literally means Desert Cogs, bought 25 kilos of onions, a canister of oil and a bag of rice for each employee of the Nusery School. The fasting period (Ramadan) started the next day.

In the next few days, the school kitchen will now be tiled for the first time and the cooking area will also be set lower. This will make the work of the kitchen ladies easier.

Joy and fun were had by the children, their caretakers and us at this year’s beach excursion, 130 children were to be taken, and at the excursion with our future school children.

In the meantime, the Desert Cogs are back in Germany. We greet them from this place and say „Thank you very much!“

Soon Hella and Monika Erbe will travel back home. Malve and I will hopefully be able to do the rest of the work and then return home with a good feeling in the middle/end of April.

Best regards from Labakoreh, Monika