OUR VOLUNTEER WORK STARTED AT THE U.S. EMBASSY!
Travel as a Volunteer by Jana Snuderl & Simon Gasparovic
I noticed an invitation for volunteer work in Africa at my colleague’s office; I checked the dates and immediately decided to go! Simon was not overly excited about my idea but he soon changed his mind and bought airline tickets. We dealt with all the necessary administration at the last minute. We had a lot of work to do before departure, so there was no time to think of how it will be and what will happen once we get there. Our unforgettable journey and work began as soon as we arrived to the Gambia.
As a welcome, they took our passports because we did not know exactly where we were going, and they wanted the information. We really did not expect something like that. Simon went out to find the coordinator. He almost caught up with a tall man, who fit the description of the man we were said would be taking care of us, but then he saw Ursa among the Africans, who provided the necessary information so we could get our passports back. As we walked towards the exit, we were stopped again and sent to a small space for baggage checking. We brought a suitcase full of school supplies that Ursa had already packed in Slovenia for us to bring for the children in the kindergarten. They requested to open the suitcase, but I did not know how. I explained what was inside and they let us go. When we stepped out of the airport building, we started to feel the heat even more. At that point, I wanted to go home. Immediately.
I sat down on a suitcase to rest for a few moments, and I was in a better mood soon. The locals welcomed us warmly. We loaded the suitcases and drove to the apartment where we lived the whole time. To our surprise, the apartment was tidy and comfortable. Soon it became clear to us that this was the best and safest solution for a normal stay and work in Gambia.
VISITING THE U.S. EMBASSY
On the first day, we rested from the tiresome journey. In the afternoon, we visited the local beach, went for a walk, and met some locals; in short, it was fun and relaxing. Of course, there were some “incidents”. We visited the Gambia as volunteers and given that our work includes photography and recording, we had professional equipment for quality work with us. Since we did not want to miss anything, we always had a camera in our hands, even when we drove past the U.S. Embassy. Nobody was taking photos at that moment but we were still pulled over with a request for an overview of the cameras and photos taken. We stepped out of the car and walked to the embassy, where a security guard was waiting for us to take us to a responsible person. We thought that we would be taken to an office or at least something similar. This is Africa, however. We stopped under a tree.
The security guard called someone and “ordered” us to wait. People came from different directions and a few meters away from us was a soldier with a long gun. I asked Urša jokingly if I could take a photo of him and she was not happy about my idea. The guard explained to three men why we were standing under a tree, until “the chief” came and looked through the photos. We took very few photos, so he asked us how long have we been in Gambia. We explained that less than 24 hours, he laughed and because he found nothing, we were let go and wished a happy stay in Gambia. Interesting start. Very interesting.
A lot happened to us from day 1. If I wanted to describe each experience in detail, the result would be a book of adventures from the land of smiling people. In a very short time, we managed to get to know a lot of locals, local life, their customs and culture, their way of dealing with everyday problems, celebrating major holidays, we listened to the traditional music, helped pass out rice etc. Together with the representative of the organization in the Gambia, we visited the local hospital, got a taste of “peeling” coconuts, and tried local traditional food. We visited the monkey park, the crocodile pool, the snake park, the botanical garden, local markets… In short, we saw many interesting things on our trip. The most important thing here is that we were also doing voluntary work.
A BOAT RIDE, A GOAT, CROCODILES AND A FOOTBALL GAME
The most comical by far was the ride with a local boat. The fact that you have to be carried to the boat and the boat itself becomes irrelevant once you experience the adrenalin ride in that boat, which is overloaded with Africans who are afraid of water, and the boats are splendidly driven/managed. We experienced everything on that boat, except sinking or turning. We got stranded repeatedly, crashed into another boat, almost had a close encounter with a ferry, the engine broke down, one of the passengers fell into the water and needed rescue, a lot of people vomited, got in a quarrel and there was even a fight. This did not happen at once, we went to the village several times and repeatedly we found ourselves in unexpected situations.
One day we separated into a male and a female group and went about separately. Simon went to the village to buy a goat for the upcoming holiday, and we went to the crocodile park, to a local market in Bakau and the botanical garden. We spent some time on the beach, where I made some beautiful photos with a local fisherman. Simon had the honour of selecting a goat on the market/fair for cattle and “drag” it all the way home through the village. Every single day was full of new adventures and unforgettable experiences.
That same goat was “sacrificed” at their big holiday a few days later. Gambia is a Muslim country and at during time of our stay in the Gambia, they were celebrating the so-called EID. They killed a goat in the yard, removed the skin and cooked it. They also prepared some “European” dishes for us because not all of us were used to eating that meat or we do not eat it at all. It was a great honour and pleasure that we could stay with the family of our host Musa Faal, and to celebrate and experience their traditional celebrations. On that day, we dressed in traditional clothes, showing our belonging.
The locals noticed what we were doing and they were excited about the photos and videos. We were asked if we could do a “photo shoot” of a very well-known young Gambian musician who comes from a “musical” family. His father, when he was still alive, played and sang for the president of the country. It is traditional music and a mix of popular music. We also went to see his performance. Jali Madi has many fans and we were glad that we could contribute to his successful career with our work.
We helped pass out rice to the poorest families in the village. We helped carry bags of rice to families, which received the donations. People were very grateful, because rice is the most important food in their everyday diet. They thanked us and expressed emotions in different ways; some talked, others lowered his eyes to the ground as a sign of respect, while others started to pray right there.
We also attended two local football games where they allowed me to a special area for photographers. There was a wonderful atmosphere at the first game, cheerleaders of the football team sang and danced and local drummers drummed loudly the entire game. There was a tie in the last minute and it is impossible to describe how “wildly” they expressed their happiness. After the game, we witnessed a brawl between two cheerleaders from the opposite teams but we had fun watching them, because they gave us the opportunity to be a part of the local community and a part of their life. Our job ended early at the second game because the power went out and the football game did not even start, nor finish. This is Africa.
HAPPY CHILDREN
Finally, we come to the children who are the cause of our trip. I could write a lot about the situation but some things are hard to describe until you experience them. For example, it is difficult to describe the heat in classrooms, dirt after lunch, nasty flies, the stench from the toilets, the state of the classrooms and the situation in the nursery.
It rained that night, which is actually nothing unusual for Slovenians or the Gambians. But for pupils of the local kindergarten, the rain poses a major risk!
When we entered the school that morning, where we worked together with other female volunteers from Slovenia, we were shocked. The children moved their classrooms to the courtyard. Simon was taken to the class with the youngest children in the kindergarten and the ceiling was completely wet and “bent”. It seemed as if it could collapse on us any minute! We were horrified and immediately decided to help them!
Since we do not have the money to rebuild the local school, we decided that we would help with our knowledge and work. Anyone can think of a way to help. Money alone cannot solve all the problems people have all over the world.
For starters, we decided to make a calendar and greeting cards that would be sold through associations to renew the roof, build new classrooms, purchase new equipment etc. The local school desperately needs new school equipment, chairs and tables, as all of the equipment was destroyed. They have no playground equipment. The swings were destroyed. The classes have no electricity, and consequently, no fans that could ease the heat in the classrooms. The floors are destroyed, and the dust raising from the floors at all times irritates the respiratory system and increases the bad situation in classrooms. If it rains, they are forced to close the shutters (they have no windows), thereby causing darkness in the classrooms, because no electricity means no lights. They do not have enough toilets and they cannot afford cleaners, so teachers clean toilets during class. Because of all this, we want to help and make a change in school for the children who come from very poor families. School meals are not organized, so they bring them in their school bags. The poorest come to school without lunch. It is very sad scene.
The school has difficulties because of unpaid obligations of the parents. Annual tuition for a child in the Gambia is about 45€, and for many parents it is a huge problem, so during our stay, many children stopped coming to school, as their parents simply could not afford it.
All funds that have been raised are intended solely for the renewal of the kindergarten, which will take place in February 2014 when we will be going on a new mission to the Gambia with our friends. We excited many people and we are looking forward to seeing the changes that we can make together!
VIDEO RECORDING FOR THE RENOVATING OF MOBE- TA – by JS Design
VOLUNTEERS DANCE IN GAMBIA– by JS Design