Hello everyone, stay in touch wherever you are and we hope you are all well and observing safety guidelines.
For us, in The Gambia, we are in our 8th week of countrywide lockdown and social distancing. And we thought you might like to know what we are doing to keep busy and how we all are.
See here for daily statistics about number of tests and confirmed cases for Gambia.
Our staff, your friends
For those who have visited us in the past, you will be glad to know all our staff is very well. They are social distancing, staying at home, and send their love and best wishes.
Help for the village
A problem many of us are facing at this time is how to stay at home and manage to pay our bills and still eat. For Gambia and other African countries, this is an even bigger problem.
Most compounds and households don’t have refrigeration and a well-stocked pantry is not something locals have. This means that no work equals no food. And is a major issue from day one, not month one as most locals lost their income on the day of lockdown.
Without formally asking for help we have been given over £1000 by some of our wonderful previous guests with permission to use the money to make the greatest impact.
At £20 for one fifty-kilo bag of rice, we thought it best to purchase from local shops in Gunjur 50 x 50 kg bags and soap to distribute among staff and our extended families such as our craft providers, taxis, and guides.
We also work with the local organisation Abubakarr Siddique Foundation for Needy and Orphan Welfare and distributed 650 kg rice through them to children who have lost one or both parents, and the most vulnerable families in the village.
With your help, we would like to do another round to support AFNOW’s food bank initiative and to secure funding for when schools will reopen. Email for details in the “how you can help” section below.
Something to look forward to…
We have a new website on the way.
It will be fast, easier to navigate, and will work better on small screens. And further down the line, we are planning some very special features such as flight search to make it even easier for you to visit. Oh, did I mention the site will also be available in German, thanks to our kind guest, Katrin Erben? 🙂
Please feel free to say what you love about it and what you don’t.
Our dogs, 7 & Yoga
Are delighted to know they have Linda and I with them for longer this year and are waiting to welcome you again when this is over.