1. Where is this?
One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them I'm going to the Gambia is: „Where is this?“ I admit that I had to Google it myself the first time I heard of it while I was still deciding to go, so I decided to write a bit more about the country and what I'll be doing there.
One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them I'm going to the Gambia is: „Where is this?“ I admit that I had to Google it myself the first time I heard of it while I was still deciding to go, so I decided to write a bit more about the country and what I'll be doing there.
The Gambia is the smallest
country in mainland Africa. It is surrounded by Senegal apart from a short strip of Atlantic coastline (less than 50 km) and situated
on either side of the Gambia river, which flows through the country's
centre and empties into the Atlantic ocean. The area is only 10, 689
square kilometres with a population of 1,882,450, which makes it even
smaller than Slovenia. The capital is Banjul, although the largest cities are Serekunda (where I'll be staying) and Brikama. Its climate is tropical with a hot and rainy season from June until November and cooler temperatures and less rain from then until May.
The country has fertile land so their economy is dominated by farming, fishing and tourism. It's also one of the poorest countries in Africa with a third of population living below the United Nations poverty line of $1,25 a day. The official language is English, although other languages are spoken as well, because of a variety of ethnic groups present: Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Serer, Krio, ... 90% of people are Sunni Muslims.
2. What will I be doing?
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The other question people usually ask is what I will be doing there. As I mentioned in my previous post I'm going as a volunteer with the Slovenian non-profit organization Kids are the World (Za otroke sveta). Their goal is to help underprivileged children with sponsors for their education and basic needs and volunteers at their school. The annual fee is 45 Euros for mandatory uniforms and school books, which is sometimes out of reach for some families.
This summer they decided to organize a free two month summer camp for the children at the Mo-beta Kindergarten and Nursery school. The volunteers managed to raise enough money for the children's lunch (lunch is usually not provided by the school).
It's essential to present learning as fun and something which can also be done through play and creative activities. The children usually learn by repetition without stimulating educational tools and often just repeat the words without actually understanding them. As a volunteer I'll be present in one of the groups, together with their teacher, where we'll be learning and having creative workshops in accordance with the chosen weekly theme. I've done a lot of preparation at home already, collecting supplies, brainstorming for ideas together with other volunteers and I'm really looking forward to it.
2. What will I be doing?
The other question people usually ask is what I will be doing there. As I mentioned in my previous post I'm going as a volunteer with the Slovenian non-profit organization Kids are the World (Za otroke sveta). Their goal is to help underprivileged children with sponsors for their education and basic needs and volunteers at their school. The annual fee is 45 Euros for mandatory uniforms and school books, which is sometimes out of reach for some families.
This summer they decided to organize a free two month summer camp for the children at the Mo-beta Kindergarten and Nursery school. The volunteers managed to raise enough money for the children's lunch (lunch is usually not provided by the school).
It's essential to present learning as fun and something which can also be done through play and creative activities. The children usually learn by repetition without stimulating educational tools and often just repeat the words without actually understanding them. As a volunteer I'll be present in one of the groups, together with their teacher, where we'll be learning and having creative workshops in accordance with the chosen weekly theme. I've done a lot of preparation at home already, collecting supplies, brainstorming for ideas together with other volunteers and I'm really looking forward to it.
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