GLOVE was born after a visit by Jackie Church to the
Jackie runs a travel business in The Gambia, employing local tour guides & drivers. Where possible she also works with Gambian businesses and visits areas of interest thereby contributing, in some small way, to their work/life balance. One day two tourists, Chris & Audrey H, walked in and asked to see a Gambian village in the ‘raw’ – nothing ‘spoilt’. She arranged for them to go to the village of a friend, having first gained the permission of the Chief and Elders.
Arranging this visit opened her eyes to the abject poverty some residents of The Gambia are subject to. From her first trip there she vowed to do something to make the villagers’ lives better and to ensure the future held promise for the current inhabitants and the generations to follow.
There is much work needs to be done and the task of prioritising is virtually impossible. Initially, however, it has been decided to work towards an irrigation system and production of compost for the crops. These people are farmers and currently have only the rainy season (Jun – Sep) to grow enough to sell and live on for the rest of the year. In tandem with this other projects include provision of a power supply; safe drinking water and sanitation; a clinic and the means to enable the villagers to become and remain self sufficient with the introduction and teaching of new skills, eg tie/dye & beekeeping.
If you are interested in what plans GLOVE has for the village, please read on. If you would like to help, see how this can be achieved: we don’t only want your money; we want your technical skills, physical ability and enthusiasm.
Account number 71793144 - Sort Code 40-16-05