The new website is up and running for full details on our project.

First Aid 4 Gambia Website

Apologies for not updating sooner.

We are updating regularly on our Facebook Group page. You dont have to be registered on Facebook to see this page but it might be worth signing up (it costs nowt) and join the group.

Fiona flew out on 22nd Oct and had a hectic few weeks finding a house for us to use as a base for our project. The First Aid supplies we shipped out through Redcoat Shipping arrived in Banjul safely and were cleared through customs with only a small amount of duty paid. Fiona did have a bit of running around to do when we discovered at the last minute that we needed to be registered with the Gambian Revenue Authority before anything could be cleared.

We now have a 3 bedroomed house for our volunteers to stay in and enough supplies to kit out 24 schools in Gambia.

The school twinning project is starting to build momentum.
Many thanks to the staff of Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool who got together to raise £250 which will be used to supply Pa Ansumana Badjie Memorial Islamic School in Banjonkoto.
Last sunday the George Hotel, Inveraray hosted a curry/quiz night which raised £273. This will be used to supply the London Corner nursery school which is funded by the good work of the congregation of St Augustine’s church in Dumbarton. This nursery is in one of the poorest areas of Gambia and I am assured that there will be ongoing fundraisers to make sure that their First Aid needs will be covered every year.
Two local schools have also decided to get involved and will start fundraising in the new year.

It is heart warming that various people have started to organise fundraisers for next year including a sponsored parachute jump, walking the West Highland Way, running a marathon and a sponsored abseil.

We are now able to accept online donations through Virgin Money Giving .

We can also set up a page for anyone doing a fundraiser for us so that your sponsors can donate securely online. We also have sponsor forms etc. which we can email.

I fly out on 28th Nov and Fiona has arranged 6 schools to visit to deliver supplies and training while I am there. Feeling quite excited about it and a wee bit nervous. We will be fine tuning our training program as we go.

Just had a text from Fiona : she has a meeting with the Minister of Education and the Secretary of State on Monday so hopefully it will be productive.

On one of our First Aid courses John Patrick offered to create our website. The draft pages look great and hopefully this will also be up and running in the next few days.

Fiona and I will be updating our progress on Facebook and Twitter .

We are also pleased to announce that Her Grace, the Duchess of Argyll has agreed to be the Patron for our charity.

Saturday night we had a send off party where family, friends and helpers gathered for a few drinks and a curry. We all had a good night . It was good to see Fiona’s “eldest son” at it after being rushed in to hospital with appendicitis earlier in the week.

Suddenly everything is fallng in to place and time is disappearing very quickly.

First aid supplies are with our shipping agents and go on the boat today to arrive in Banjul on 6th November.

On Wednesday Fiona heads for Manchester to fly out early Thursday morning – suitcases are packed, weighed and all set to go.

Thanks to some good friends in Gambia house hunting has been making progress and there are a few places to view when Fiona gets there.

Our twinning program is building momentum and I will post more details soon on this.

We will soon have our website up and running. I had a meeting with John on Thursday where he showed me the details of the proposed site.

It looks amazing ! Thanks John.

Could you be our next sponsor?

Would you like to run a small fundraising event to sponsor Pa Ansumana Badjie Memorial Islamic School in Banjonkoto?
A coffee morning would take care of their First Aid supplies !!

A friend contacted us to say ” I visited this school with a Gambian friend last March. They dont get many visitors. can you find them a sponsor for first aid? ”

There are 4 classrooms and approx 200 children and 4 teachers. they have absolutely no First Aid supplies. (something we take for granted in UK schools).

If you can sponsor this school or another school/nursery please contact us at firstaid4gambia@googlemail.com .

We really need your help to make this project work.

We are very lucky, if we suffer an injury we can get immediate first aid to deal with it – even if all it needs is a sticky plaster from the bathroom cabinet. Or if it requires further attention we have the benefit of getting further treatment from doctors, ambulance personnel or hospitals.

Unfortunately there are many people in the world who do not have access to such services. Many children in the Gambia who need basic first aid do not receive it and their situation worsens. Often infection and lack of basic supplies to deal with minor wounds causes the situation to deteriorate. This can lead to needing hospital treatment which can be a great distance away and very costly.

First Aid 4 Gambia has been set up to try and help Gambian communities by delivering appropriate first aid training and necessary equpment.

Our main aim is to deliver this aid to teachers, parent helpers, and other youth workers to enable training and access to supplies to spread out through local communities.

This aim can only be achieved with YOUR generous support.

Any donations of money, time or First Aid supplies will be greatly appreciated.

The Gambians are wonderful warm natured and happy people, even when the odds are stacked against them. No wonder the nick name for their country is very appropriately ” The Smiling Coast “

Our  charity has been set up to raise money for First Aid supplies and to provide First Aid training in  Gambia.

We will be focussing on working with schools in order to improve the lives and health of children.

By encouraging schools, communities and businesses in the UK to sponsor schools and nurseries in Gambia we aim to forge links between the two countries

We will post in this blog to keep everyone up to date while our website is being built.