GambiaHELP Boosts Kerewan Community Nursery School
We are pleased to have received this notice in one of Gambia’s major newspapers
HELP boosts Kerewan Community School
By Alhagie Babau Jallow
The Health Education Liaison Project, The Gambia (HELP), a charitable organization based in Seattle, USA, recently donated learning materials worth over D979,390 to Kerewan Community Nursery School. This was done at a handing over ceremony held in Kerewan, North Bank Region.
The move is meant to enhance effective learning at the said school.
Among the donated items were teaching materials, materials for vegetable production, refurbishment of classrooms and poultry keeping, sports, as well as books and bicycles.
The national coordinator of HELP, Ensa Camara, affirmed that the charity attaches great importance to the empowerment of women and children by providing educational materials, funding and health / medical supplies to fight poverty in the rural areas.
Camara thanked the Kerewan Kambengo Kafo for their foresight in enhancing early childhood development at the community while calling for transparency and accountability of project funds.
Also speaking, Momodou Ceesayof Kerewan, Kambengo Kafo, thanked the US based charity for supporting the community of Kerewan in promoting early childhood education. He acknowledged that community participation in the implementation of educational and income generation activities would go a long way in supplementing nutritional status of children.
Bakary Makutu Ceesay, head teacher of Kerewan Community Nursery School, expressed delight over the sound partnership for efforts to strengthen learning and teaching for improving standard and performance in the area.
Lamin S. Jawara, of education directorate, Region 3, applauded the donors for complementing the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education’s efforts in providing quality education. The materials, he went on, would enhance and develop the kids’ mind set to be innovative and creative in learning.
Kemo Jalisira Ceesay, chairperson of Kerewan Village Development Committee; Bai Jawara, secretary to VCD and Dembo Makalo, all assured of the community’s support and cooperation at all times.
Medical Supplies Desperately Needed in The Gambia
Here is the list. This is stuff we always need. The stethoscopes and BP cuffs we desperately need all that we had are not functional anymore. Anything you can help us with would be fantastic. I leave it to you to pick and choose.
- 4×4’s sterile
- 2×2’s sterile
- 4×4’s not sterile
- 2×2’s not sterile
- Paper tape, 1”
- Paper tape, 3”
- Roller gauze, conformable 2”
- Roller gauze, conformable 4”
- Kling (or similar) 2”
- Kling (or similar 4”
- Wide Band-Aids (cloth)
- Silver Sulfadiazine cream
- Ampicillin/Cloxicillin 250 mg. Pediatric suspension
- Ampicillin/Cloxicillin 250 mg. or 500 mg. capsules
- Tetracycline Capsules 250mg or 500 mg.
- Coartem (or other malaria curative)
- Stethoscope (with bell and disc) x 2
- BP cuffs (with table top gauge) X 2
- Oto/ophthalmic scope With Batteries
- Wash cloths, disposable (we use a lot of these daily to clean wounds)
- Thermometers with batteries
- Platform Scale (like folks have in their bathrooms) with batteries
- Scissors, Bandage
- Scissors, Mayo
- Benadryl capseal for allergies
- Fungal powder (athletes foot)
- Basins, Plastic (medium size)
- Kidney basins, (paper or plastic)
- Scrubs, blue, Medium
- Scrubs, Blue, 3X
- Lidocaine topical gel
- Lidocaine Spray
- Lidocaine, viscous
- Metoprolol BP meds, 50mg.
- Masa Harina
- New Mexico red chili powder (Med. Hot)
GiveBIG 2015 – Seattle Foundation
GiveBIG – 2015 TODAY’S THE DAY!
Donate to GambiaHELP between
midnight and midnight
TODAY Tuesday, May 5th
Click Here to donate thru the Foundation’s Website
then click on the Donate Now Button
Your dollars will be stretched by
The Seattle Foundation!
GambiaHELP is participating in The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG event for the fourth
year! GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our world a healthier and more vital place to live.
GambiaHELP Director Shelby Tarutis reports that the most urgent project GambiaHELP volunteers are working on is developing a poultry farm in Kerewan, one of the most nutritionally disadvantaged areas in The Gambia. The poultry farm will provide protein for the children, jobs for villagers, and sustainable funding to the school.
In addition to this project, GambiaHELP provides educational funds, books, and medical supplies, and helps organize locally practical, sustainable projects such as community rice milling machines and making soaps, mosquito nets, and decorative fabrics. These small businesses are then managed and expanded by local women, and benefit their whole communities.
We are delighted that The Seattle Foundation is again including GambiaHELP on its list of nonprofits worth supporting. The “GiveBIG” event is for 24-hours only on Tuesday, May 5th. All donations made through The Seattle Foundation website on that day will be STRETCHED. We will send an email reminder that morning.
Meanwhile, tell your friends about The Seattle Foundation’s excellent “GiveBIG” program, and tell them about Shelby’s life project of bringing help and hope to The Gambia!
GambiaHELP is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) charitable/educational organization, so your contributions are tax-deductible. 95% of all donations go directly to projects in The Gambia.
VideoGriot – Educational Videos for The Gambian People
VideoGriot was started by Hannah Michelle Grossman, a former Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia.
Hannah is working to provide high quality videos about such skills as agriculture techniques, small business ideas, and health information for villagers in The Gambia. The videos will be short (8-15 min), narratives from skilled practitioners showing how to do the skill being taught. They will be created in English and over-dubbed in the local languages (first Mandinka but also likely Fula). Once a set of videos has been created, they will be distributed to villages using microSD technology. Here’s some information from Hannah:
In the Gambia, I was an agroforestry volunteer. I worked closely with farmers and helped bring them access to new skills to improve their quality of life. Since my return from the Gambia, I have kept close ties with my community. I see rural farmers struggling to make make due with lower crop yields and worse economic conditions. I want to help improve their quality of life. I know that one way to do this is to give them access to learning new skills in agriculture and other economic sectors. I feel that video is a good media for this sort of education as it makes the information available to low literacy groups in ways that can work with farmers’ schedules.
Most Gambian phones do not come with internal memory. Instead, people go to the market and buy microSD cards. By placing the videos on microSD cards, they can easily be transported and played in many different locations. To make the videos more accessible to a greater number of people, they also plan distribution of Raspberry Pi microSD video players which will connect to CRT televisions. This way villagers will be able to watch the videos together around the CRT televisions already available in many villages.
More from Hannah:
When I returned from the Peace Corps in 2002, I became an educator. I was a public school teacher for 6 years and then returned back to school to work on my PhD in Education. I am currently in my 5th year at UCSB. I am interested in helping experts share their areas of expertise with other people and in how cultural perspectives shape learning. In addition to the VideoGriot project, I am conducting my dissertation research while there. This research will look at the thinking processes used in learning from video and trying to optimize video creation for the audience, in this case rural Gambians.
GambiaHELP feels this is a very worthwhile project and will help many villagers in The Gambia. While VideoGriot works to get their own 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, GambiaHELP has agreed to be their Fiscal Sponsor. The budget for the VideoGriot project is $20,000. Please help her with this important project.
Donate to VideoGriot thru GambiaHELP:
Volunteer Opportunity!
GAMBIAHELP is seeking volunteers to help host a festive celebration of West African music, dance, food and culture at Town Hall Seattle on Friday, November 21 at 6pm.
“West Africa LIVE 2014” will feature internationally renowned performers on the Main Stage, West African dinner and desserts, a marketplace of handicrafts from Gambian women and girls, and a children’s area for stuffing backpacks with school supplies and writing letters to Gambian penpals. GambiaHELP is a Seattle-based nonprofit that seeds health, education and small-business projects in The Gambia. (see GambiaHELP.org)
Assistance is needed in the following areas. Please indicate top 3 choices if you’d like to participate:
□ Basic Set-Up: Set up tables, directional signs and marketplace items. ( 8-10 needed)
□ Decorating: Help create “African Village” feel with paintings, fabrics, photos, etc (10 needed)
□ Ticket Takers: Accept pre-purchased tickets at entry and facilitate express check-in (4 needed)
□ Ticket Sales: Sell tickets at entry. Requires training with credit card reader. (6 needed)
□ Ushers: Direct guests to activities, food, restrooms, make sure no food goes into auditorium. (8 needed)
□ Food Servers: Dish out desserts. Must have food handler’s permit.(5 needed)
With prior approval, GambiaHELP will reimburse $10 fee for brief-and-easy on-line licensing course.
http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/FoodWorkerandIndustry/FoodWorkerCard
□ Bussers: Help keep dining area clean and ready for new guests. (4 needed)
□ Bar Tenders: Serve wine and beer. Must have MAST Server’s Permit. (3 needed)
With prior approval, GambiaHELP will reimburse $20 for student to obtain licensing.
http://www.1alert.com/training/mod/page/view.php?id=527
□Non-Alcoholic Beverage Servers: Serve ginger and hibiscus drinks. (4 needed)
□ Bar Cashiers: Accept cash and credit card payments at bar. (2 needed)
□ Marketplace Cashiers & Assistants: Assist people with purchases and answer questions. Requires training with credit card reader. (10 needed)
□ Children’s Activities Assistant: Help children with letters and drawings for Gambian pen pals. Help kids stuff backpacks with school supplies for Gambian children. (6 needed)
□ Performer Assistants: Serve as host to musicians and make sure they have what they need – food, beverages, place to relax before playing, etc. (downstairs room reserved for performers) (3 needed)
□ Clean-Up: Help pack up and clean up at end of evening. (10 needed)
Contact Volunteer Coordinator Ann Fasano abfasano@gmail.com if you’d like to join the fun!
AWIS – Global Empowerment of Women Through STEM. Oct 15, 2014
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014, 6:00pm
Association for Women in Science – Seattle (AWIS)
Global Empowerment of Women through STEM
Featuring:
- Lillian Baer – Chairperson, Board of Directors, The Grandmother Project
Shelby Tarutis – Director and Founder, GambiaHELP
- Ginna Brelsford, Executive Directory, Ayni Education International
Schedule:
- 6:00pm – Networking and Refreshments
- 6:30pm – Introductions and Presentation
- 7:30pm – Networking
Location
- Pelton Auditorium, Weintraub Building
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- 1100 Fairview Ave N.
- Seattle, WA 98109
Please enter through Thomas Building
Free Visitor Parking
West Africa Live! – Thanks to our Supporters
Thanks to all our supporters who attended West Africa Live!
 Young boy dancing in The Gambia It was a pleasure so see so many familiar faces and to meet new people as well. I was especially impressed with all the young people who attended both as volunteers and as participants. I’m grateful to both Ann Fasano and Lisa Stuebing for bringing these young people into our family. We sold a lot of backpacks at $75 each and so there will be a lot of happy students in The Gambia next year! As one of our supporters wrote:
Through your generosity we were able to make enough money for the Chicken Farm for the village of Kerewan. This is a Gambian village where the children have trouble learning because of poor nutrition. Along with the Garden which we funded last year, this will be a significant aid to the children of Kerewan. We still want to rebuild the school there. There always seem to be more worthwhile projects than we can fund. If you were unable to attend West Africa Live! and would like to make a tax deductible donation, please do so. DONATE NOW! Thanks again to all our supporters. Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday Season! Warmly, |
Thione Diop — Photo by Raman Chandrasekar
Performances included:
- Dancing, singing and drumming by Gansango Music & Dance Company
- JeConte & the Mali Allstars
- Thione Diop and his band Yeke Yeke
- The enchanting music of the 21-string Mandinka harp played by kora masters Kane Mathis & Sean Gaskell
- Hands-on activities for children
- Traditional West African dishes from Bantaba African Restaurant
- Wine, beer, and nonalcoholic ginger, hibiscus drinks and dessert available for purchase.
The Mali Allstars’ “soulful tunes merge West African rhythms, reggae, strains and Afropop grooves with seductive New Orleans blues and earthy California rock.”
Proceeds will benefit a village nursery school in The Gambia where children have difficulty learning because of poor nutrition. Last year we started a garden, now we need to rebuild the nursery school and start a poultry farm that will add much needed protein to the children’s diets.
GambiaHELP is a Seattle-based nonprofit that seeds health, education and small-business projects in The Gambia. We are looking for more volunteers and sponsors – call Shelby Tarutis at 206-253-6924.
Volunteer Meeting May 22, 2014 6:30-8pm
GambiaHELP VOLUNTEER MEETING
Join us in planning for an exciting year ahead!
GambiaHELP is having a VOLUNTEER MEETING on THURSDAY, May 22 from 6:30 – 8pm
at 3920 NE 38th Street, Seattle, WA 98103.
TOPICS to include: February, 2014 Trip to The Gambia, BigGIVE Results, Event Planning,
Outreach Opportunities and more!
Please RSVP by WEDNESDAY, May 21 so that we have beverages and food for everyone.
Bring Friends!! info@gambiahelp.org or call 206-523-6924.
SEE YOU SOON!!
2014 – May 6th, Tuesday, GiveBIG! – The Seattle Foundation
GiveBIG – 2014
Donate between midnight and midnight
TODAY – Tuesday, May 6th
Click here to give to GambieHELP
Scroll down to the red “Donate Now” button
GiveBIG is a community-wide day of giving hosted by The Seattle Foundation that will increase the size of your donation to us. Please take this opportunity to “stretch” your gift to GambiaHELP to enable girls to go to school and support our skills training programs for women.
- Mark your calendar! Donate to GambiaHELP between midnight and midnight on May 6th through our page in The Seattle Foundation’s Giving Center
- Rally your friends to support GambiaHELP on May 6th. Email, Facebook, Twitter (#GiveBIG), phone calls and even in-person conversations are great ways to spread the word and help us take advantage of GiveBIG. Be sure to share the link to the GambiaHELP profile on The Seattle Foundation’s website.
GiveBIG is a unique, one-day, online charitable giving event encouraging residents of King County to give locally. Through GiveBIG, King County residents are asked to give to a local nonprofits of their choosing through The Seattle Foundation’s online Giving Center. Contributions are partially matched by a “stretch pool” provided by The Seattle Foundation and GiveBIG sponsors. The goal of GiveBIG is to raise money for the community while introducing charitably minded people to hundreds of excellent and efficient nonprofits on The Seattle Foundation’s Giving Center that make our region a healthier and more vital place to live.
Thank you for your consideration,
For the Children,
Shelby C. Tarutis, GambiaHELP Executive Director
GambiaHELP is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) charitable/educational organization, so your contributions are tax-deductible. 95% of all donations go directly to projects in The Gambia
2014, Feb. 13-14 Payment of School Fees
A major component of our work in The Gambia is supporting children in school. We primarily support orphaned students – paying the school fees, the school badge cost, paying for 2 uniforms, 2 pairs of shoes, books, supplies and a daily lunch. Some of our program beneficiaries are below:
Sally Jallow
Today and yesterday we visited Banjulinding Primary and Upper Basic Schools to connect with the children we are supporting. At fundraising events in Seattle, donors have the opportunity to purchase a backpack full of school supplies for $75. Those backpacks were given out here.
Aja Jainaba Bah
Hadyjatou Badjie