Our two biggest successes during our recent visit to evaluate our projects in The Gambia were the creation of the Bakindick Youth Development Association – Richard Pierpoint Library and providing support to two of our 18 scholarship students who have been having learning challenges.

In Bakindick, a local school has agreed to house the library and the two village organizations have implemented a system to maintain and control the book inventory. We are now going to phase two of the project by repairing the roof, which will cost a little more than $1,000 and take almost one-third of our 2019 budget.

The Baobab Youth Development Association in Nema Kunku administers the scholarship program. However, they are also seemingly becoming social workers as they supported one student’s effort to obtain hearing aids and another special education instruction.

We had been preparing to buy the student hearing aids, but she luckily got them for free.  Therefore, we supported the family with about $16 in transportation assistance to get to and from the doctor.  For the second child, after much investigation, we found a school for children with learning disabilities and we had him tested at the school.  We are now working on the next phase that may include paying a tutor about $12 to assist him. 

Meanwhile, the library in Soma continues to engage the children and encourages them to want to read. Our new project with the Kubenah Cultural Museum looks promising as we assist them in preserving our culture. 

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We will be selling their soap at the upcoming National Black Memorabilia Fine Art & Craft Show in Gaithersburg, MD, Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and April 7.

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And, we were elated to participate in the Baobab Youth Development Association’s soap making project.  We will be selling their soap at the upcoming National Black Memorabilia Fine Art & Craft Show in Gaithersburg, MD, Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and April 7.  The all-natural honey soap with bees wax, with or without peppermint, is only $4 per bar.