Seeds for The
I’m Heather Roberts, a local friend of Ruth Kingdon. I retired from teaching in
Thanks to the huge donation of vegetable seeds from Suttons, for the last Church group trip to The Gambia in March, I was able to help out with some of the distribution.
My nearest neighbour is a family man with 10 children whose only income is from the sale of home-smoked fish and ground nuts (peanuts). Luckily I am also employing Lamin as a cook in our small restaurant but he is unable to support his family on this seasonal income so the gift of a carrier bag full of mixed seeds, made a huge impact. He and his wife and 5 eldest children immediately cleared and dug a spare patch of land beside their compound (16metres square) and prepared the soil in 2 metre square plots banked with little mud walls to retain water. They planted a whole range of vegetables and by April they were already coming up and looking healthy. The family take responsibility to water (by bucket from a hand drawn well) twice a day and when I left in June, for 4 months in
Another neighbour (whose wife is our cleaner) and also our watchman have also planted successfully in their compounds and can feed their families on home grown veg which supplements their normal diet of rice and cassava root with boiled leaves and sometimes peanut sauce or a little smoked fish.
Tujereng now has a village Womens’ Garden where a large area of bush has been systematically cleared and dug over by women from every family in the village (rather like our allotment system .) They sow, weed, water and crop collectively and sell the produce for the benefit of their family incomes. I walked there, with a visiting friend, to donate another bulging carrier bag full of seeds to the ladies. They were delighted, if a little amazed, at this ‘manna from heaven!’ A few dances and whoops later we sat down while I tried to explain how to plant some of the unknown veg and then they insisted on a photo showing some of the seed packets held aloft! I was able to buy lettuce from them just 4 weeks later!
The remaining seeds I gave to a school in Lamin for their horticulture classes. I hope all the hundreds of other packets, that Ruth and co had to distribute, were greeted with the same enthusiasm and have made a similarly, positive difference to the lives of local people.
Heather Roberts
June 2009
If
you were going to the Gambia for a fortnight what would you expect?
Bright sunshine, baking heat, beautiful sandy beaches, smiling faces,
good fresh food, relaxation and the bright colours, bustle and energy
of African culture all around you...the smiling coast...?
It's
a skinny country, arranged along the banks of the River Gambia. It was
dry and dusty in March. The paddy fields were empty, waiting for the
rains. The mangoes weren't yet ripe. Only well tended plots were green.
24 people went as a Charity group to visit this amazing country and
returned having had their lives challenged and changed. This was no
holiday.
The
group age ranged from teens to seventies, with gifts in construction,
nursing, teaching, evangelism, administration, management, the sewing
of bean bags and bartering, to name just a few.
Each one had an
important role to play. This was because the trip had a huge agenda.
The
building team got going at 7.30 on the first morning – setting off to
Badou's house where foundations had been dug and 1,000 concrete blocks
made by hand in advance of their arrival. In 3 days they had built an
extension to the little house on a compound in Serrakunda. After
returning from a trip up river they finished their work and celebrated
in style with the family and their friends.
We
took 80 large charity bags full of donated items from the UK (such as
clothes, pens, blankets, medicines, spectacles, shoes, toys ...) and
supplemented them with food, tools, cooking equipment and practical
items bought in the local markets. Some went to homes in the Kotu area
– block huts with tin roofs built on and around a rubbish dump. The
Queen Victoria Hospital in Banjul, and clinics at Serrakunda and near
Tendaba were visited. The juvenile and men's prisons in Banjul received
similar gifts, plus money to help provide a facility for rehabilitation
training in carpentry, tailoring and masonry.
A
number of rural villages near Tendaba were visited and the gifts were
given out under the shade of the meeting tree, to the sound of upturned
tin bowls used as drums, and the laughter and dancing of the women and
children (who threw out a scarf to members of our party so that they
would join in the fun for a few moments before passing it on to another
dancer!). As the men gathered, and the chief came to sit under the
tree, Ruth would present the gifts, and a bible. Many heard about the
love of Jesus Christ, who motivated the group, and many in the UK who
provided charity items, to share their concern and love for those
struggling to cope in Gambia. She would ask permission to pray for sick
people and the response was always gracious and respectful in every way.
At
the Pentecostal Church which the group has links with bibles were
presented and ministry carried out locally. One of the party was
baptised in the sea alongside four African Christians. We benefited
hugely from the time shared with members of the family of God in the
Gambia. They gave to us more than we ever could them.
D.
Harris International School is in Kotu. The Nursery and Primary
classrooms were painted (quite an experience to mix up lime with water
and watch the cauldron bubble), locks fitted and shelves installed. The
sponsorship programme was administered and extended, with letters and
pictures collected from the children. This was just the beginning - the
Minister of Education was approached and the need for a more adequate
school facility in this area was recognised. There are now plans to
look for land to build a Mission School. Quite some commitment.
So what now? Back to the UK and normal life resumes? Not many people can go on a trip like this and not find their lives changed just a little bit. New construction projects are being planned and many people are keen to encourage and equip the Christians in Gambia as they carry out God's work day by day. So the next trip out is being thought out ... perhaps you would like to join the team?
As I walked through the market on Monday I shut my eyes, breathed in the smells and aromas and let all the different noises ring in my ears.
There was a strong smell of chicken cooking and a smell of fire mingled in with the pungent smell of African Men. I forget how strong this smell is while I’m away but it hits me like a 10 tonne truck as soon as I step foot in the door at Banjul Airport.
The Gambia is never silent. Not even at night.
Serrekunda market stays alive for most of the night with little cafes and larger night clubs giving people places to meet. Other small groups of people huddle around fires chatting till late into the night. Out of the more built up areas like the villages and down to the beach when the music eventually finishes and the drums stop banging there’s just an overwhelming sound of insects. Grasshoppers and crickets bring the night to life. I love listening to it. It’s so loud. Small lights flash in the grasslands and marshes, fireflies. I stop in the darkness, the only light given off by the moon. I could easily stand still in the darkness for hours, forgetting where I was. Forgetting the troubles of home, the stresses, the problems the orange glow of street lights!
Gambia is a place of life 24 hours a day. It never sleeps.
