Sheffield Students Visit The Gambia
In January 2009, four University of Sheffield students were given the opportunity to take part in a study tour in The Gambia in association with Village Aid. Along with Dave Phillips, our lecturer and devoted Village Aid supporter, Joy Benson, Sophie Burge, Theodora Keeling and I, were chosen to spend a week visiting the Agency for Village Support, a local organisation supported by Village Aid.
We arrived in the busy Banjul area of The Gambia, excited and expectant of what our week was going to involve! After a busy day experiencing the more touristy side of Gambian life, we began the long journey 'up country' towards Kaur, where AVISU is situated. As we passed miles of very flat open plains, rice fields and small villages, we were becoming increasingly excited about where we would find ourselves at the end of the journey.
Our first impressions when we reached Kaur were of the simple living conditions, sandy streets and roads, basic buildings and lots of goats! Although Kaur is one of the larger 'towns' in the region, daily life is still not easy. Kaur has no mains water supply; there are a few standpipes which work for two hours a day, and about four hand pumps. Although the Gambia River is nearby, it is tidal, so the river water is saline and undrinkable.
The purpose of the study tour was for us to observe health promotion, poverty reduction and empowerment among marginalised villagers in rural Gambia. We were to study how AVISU works towards empowering local villagers, particularly women, through adult literacy programmes, linked with micro-credit. Through these projects, they are also able to help villages establish thriving market gardens and support individuals to start their own small scale enterprises.
Our week in Lower Saloum was a whirlwind of visits to villages, market gardens, literacy and empowerment classes and social drama. All the students were really inspired by what we saw. It was so moving to see how the help AVISU was giving on a basic level was improving all aspects of local life. One element that we found very inspiring was the way in which AVISU simply facilitates the development and decision making processes; it is the local people themselves- particularly women- who are given the voice to express what they want for their particular village, and ideas are not imposed on them by outsiders. Even if they are to struggle in their development, the villagers struggle together, and AVISU facilitators act as the glue which keeps the whole village focussed and motivated.
After such a happy time spent learning about the fantastic work AVISU is doing, we were very sad to leave Kaur! Life is not easy in rural Gambia, but the atmosphere is positive and full of enthusiasm for the changes that can be made- very different to the rushed and tiring lifestyles that we were heading home to!
Visiting The Gambia was a life changing experience and the way it was organised so well for us by Village Aid meant it was really beneficial to us and our studies. To show our appreciation for this wonderful opportunity we did some fundraising for Village Aid. We held a cake sale at Sheffield University and it was a huge success, we ran out of cakes and buns on both days! Thanks to the fantastic support of both University staff and students, we managed to raise about £270.
One of our main aims is simply to spread the word about the work Village Aid is doing. We were really impressed with the projects we observed in The Gambia and also respect the idea behind Village Aid's work; that the key to development is the empowerment of local people, particularly women.
As well as thanking Village Aid for the fantastic opportunity we were given, we are also very grateful to the Department of Sociological Studies at Sheffield, particularly Head of Department, Clive Norris who made the trip possible. And of course, Dave Phillips deserves our thanks, as he worked hard with both Village Aid and the University Department to ensure that his students were given this amazing opportunity.