Container loading

Yesterday was the big day, the container arrived and got loaded. Meanwhile it is already on the way to Hamburg / Germany and on the 25 December the ship will go to Banjul / The Gambia.

Just before completing the loading the delivery of the blackboards arrived. That was close!

Now keep your fingers crossed, that everything runs smoothly!

Thanks again to all the supporters!

Arrival of the blackboards / Ankunft der Schultafeln
Arrival of the blackboards / Ankunft der Schultafeln
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The Mediterranean Sea arrived at the Smiling Coast of Africa

The container is going to be unloaded within the next days.

 


 

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Everything arrived in The Gambia!

After two entire weeks of endless red tape and official channels, we got the container out of the habor. It took multiple visits at the Ministery of Education, of Finance, the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), the Gambia Port Authority (GPA), the clearing and forwarding agent, Delmas Gambia, customs at the port (inspecting the cargo and so on) etc.; umpsteen letters, stamps, guarantees, signatures...

But finally we also received a duty waiver and an exemption from the demurrage that had meanwhile arisen from the delay.

The day before loading, the truck, the ministry of education intended to provide, broke down. We had already wasted two days waiting for it and now this! Repairing it would have taken some days and because of the upcoming weekend (which starts Friday) and the preparations for the 50th Independence Day celebrations, we would have had further delays. To avoid this, we had to go and find a truck for the next morning. We found a friendly driver and quite a good truck at a rather reasonable price at Jimpex area. Later the driver said, if he had known before how stressful, chaotic and exhausting the procedures at the port were, he wouldn't have made the deal with us. And added: If somebody asked him again to pick up donations from the habor, he would refuse the deal. It was his first (and obviously last) time there.

After the port staff finally lifted our container to the ground for the second time (the first was the custom's inspection a couple of days ago), we hired some guys to help us loading our truck. We were literally human forklifts, heaving up everything onto the truck manually. Some packages weighed more than 180 kg. Only the copy paper we had to remove from the two pallets and load the packets individually, since we couldn't lift the more than 750 kg, that each weighed.

After that, our truck had to be X-rayed by the port authorities, driving an X-ray-vehicle around our truck, (presumably) also  distributing the radiation liberally to the people standing nearby.

Because of some more or less bizarre, time-killing events (e.g. suddenly we found our papers locked away in an office and the only owner of the key had gone to a funeral. But without these papers we were not allowed to leave the habor...), we just managed to get out of the port before closing time at 6 pm. With us, all the eagerly awaited donations...

 

(rough) Cargo List:

  • Chairs and office chairs
  • Footballs, ball pumps
  • First aid supplies, 2 sick beds, sphygmomanometers, clinical thermometers etc.
  • Tools, electric installation supplies (power sockets, light switches, cable etc)
  • LED tubes and sockets
  • Gardening tools, watering cans
  • Computers, keyboards, computer mice, screens, cables, printers, D-Link Sys, Scanner, Laptops etc.
  • 1 fan
  • Stationery (notebooks, exercise books etc)
  • 2 pallets Mondi copy paper
  • World maps
  • Various Toys
  • 1 mattress, sheets and pillows (for reading corner)
  • Books
  • 1 book shelf
  • 5 black boards
  • Chalk
  • Clothing, shoes, bags, bed sheets, curtains, towels, blankets, pillows etc.
  • 2 sewing machines
  • 85 Solar powered desk lamps
  • Clocks
  • Rechargeable batteries, charger (spare batteries for solar lamps, clocks etc.)
  • School materials (hundreds of pencils and crayons, watercolours, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, pencil cases, etc.)
  • Several hundred little deko-dustbins as pencil holders
  • Stuffed animals

 

Some items were new, some in mint condition.

 

Ministry of Education
Delmas
Inside the Delmas office
My container
Banjul port
My container being lifted.
Breaking the seal.
My container waiting for custom's inspection.
Unhappy truck
Heavy load
Unloading the container
Loading the truck
The 150 kg all-in-one printer being heaved in the truck.
The port authorities' X-ray truck.
Our truck finally left the port (after an all-day delay)
Banjul port
Leaving Banjul, on the way to Wassu...
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Distribution at the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School

The Gambia River at Janjanbureh
The Gambia River at Janjanbureh

The truck arrived 3 am in the morning in Janjanbureh (former: Georgetown). On the way one of the tires had a puncture. Since the truck was already using its spare tires, there was no choice but to continue the journey with a flat tire. However, we're in Gambia and the situation was laid-back as usual: The other wheels carried the broken one anyway.

Thanks to a letter from the ministry of education, the truck was able to pass all the police and military check points on the way without further delay or disturbance and possible damage or loss of the donations.

The first ferry crossing the Gambia River at Janjanbureh to Lamin Koto went 8 am. It is able to carry up to 3 cars or one truck at a time. We took the first ferry with our little car, the truck had to wait for the second. From Lamin Koto it is only a rather short drive to Wassu, where the students were already eagerly waiting for us to arrive.

Some obligatory speeches were held. Afterwards the strongest boys of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary school started to offload the truck and arrange the donations in the school yard, from where they were carried in the various school rooms for the later distribution or installation.

 

Gambia River at Janjanbureh
flat tire
Waiting in the line for the ferry at Janjanbureh
Our truck on the ferry at Lamin Koto
Ferry at Lamin Koto
Students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School eagerly wainting
unloading the truck
unloading chairs
Unloading sickbeds
the boys of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School unloading the truck
The chairman and the principal with some supervising the unloading
unloading the truck
carrying the donations
unloading the donations
unloading the donations
Blackboards and other donations
donations
unloading the Mondi copy paper
Mondi copy paper donation
Mondi copy paper
unloading the Mondi copy paper donation
some donations
A fraction of the KORES donations
Cheering at the sight of all the TNT footballs
The sports teacher with a TNT football
TNT footballs
First Aid equipment
IKEA solar powered desk lamps
IKEA solar powered desk lamps
Principal Momodou Kanyi supervising the arrangement of the donations

For all photos and descriptions, please click here!

Die Schuler und Lehrer wissen die Unterstützung äußerst zu schätzen und versprachen die bestmögliche Verwendung der Spenden.

Die schiere Menge der Sachen hat sie umgeworfen. Diese werden definitive die Lern- und Lebensbedingungen verbessern.

Watch the video here.

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Donations for Ndoke

We were lucky to have a UN pick-up placed at our disposal. The logo on the car and the driver made it possible to get smoothly through all the police and military check points on the way to Ndoke, one of the neighboring villages of Wassu, but even more important later to Bansang. We provided Ndoke with gardening tools, fruit and vegetable seeds, clothing, stuffed animals, some footballs, solar powered desk lamps, etc.

Loading the UN Pick-up with the donations for Ndoke
Ndoke kids
Kids playing with card board and litter
IKEA stuffed panda
IKEA stuffed animals
IKEA stuffed Ninki Nanka
Schenker stuffed elephant
IKEA stuffed animals
IKEA "baby"-frog
IKEA stuffed "baby"-frog
IKEA stuffed animals
IKEA solar powerd desk lamps
no electricity
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Donations for Bansang

We took clothes, shoes, footballs, stuffed animals, solar powered lamps, cooking pots and other kitchenware, first aid materials, toys, school materials etc. to Bansang. As you can see, the children were "over-enjoying" [commonly used expression in The Gambia :o)] their toys. Videos can be found here.

inspecting the donation boxes
IKEA stuffed animals
happy with their new IKEA stuffed animals
proud new owners of IKEA stuffed animals
inspecting some of the donations
some new clothes and IKEA stuffed animals
new clothes and IKEA stuffed dog
IKEA stuffed animals and some of new clothes
IKEA stuffed animal and new clothes
new clothing
how to tie an IKEA stuffed deer around the waist
IKEA doll and new clothes
playing with the TNT compendium of games
on the way to Bansang
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The schools in Wassu: progress and news

The donations were distributed equitably among needy students, the computer lab was installed and the blackboards were mounted to the wall.

 

Video coming soon.

distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of donations to the students of Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
distribution of toys and games to the students of the Niani Lower Basic School
distribution of toys and games to the students of the Niani Lower Basic School
distribution of toys and games to the students of the Niani Lower Basic School
Installation of the new computer lab
Installation of the new computer lab
Mounting the blackboards
Mounting the blackboards
Mounting the blackboards
The new computer lab
The new computer lab

For further info and descriptions please open the photos here!

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IKEA Ninki Nanka


 Representing all the donated stuffed animals:

 

THE JOURNEY OF THE IKEA NINKI NANKA

The IKEA Ninki Nanka in the plane to The Gambia
IKEA Ninki Nanka munching everything edible in The Gambia
Beach time for the IKEA Ninki Nanka
New friends
Singing together
Relying on each other: The other one will stay awake to keep watch...

*Ninki-Nanka:


A Ninki Nanka is a legendary creature in West African folklore. Descriptions of the creature vary, but most contend that the animal is reptilian and possibly dragon-like.

According to tradition, the Ninki Nanka lives in the swamps of West Africa. The animal is said to be extremely large and very dangerous. It is said that when children get too confident and feel they can disobey their parents and go into the swamp they will be taken by the Ninki Nanka. This creature's tales were never recorded in any sort of non-modern text but the story of it has spread from tribe to tribe all over Africa. There is a song called "Ninki Nanka" on the album Casamance au clair de lune (1984) by the Senegalese music group Touré Kunda.

A group of "dragon hunters" from the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) went to Gambia in the summer of 2006 to investigate the Ninki Nanka and take testimony from those who have claimed to have seen the mythical creature. One interviewee who claimed to have had an encounter with a Ninki Nanka said it looked similar to an image of a Chinese dragon. The expedition, known as the "J. T. Downes Memorial Gambia Expedition 2006", received a fair amount of media attention, including coverage in a BBC Online article.


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Big up to all the donors

Thank you again to all the donors:

 

 

 

  • KORES http://www.kores.com/
    school materials like crayons, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, glue, scissors etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  transport of the container up to Banjul and transport of Mondi copy paper to our storage

 

 

  • Depot Lager- & Handels GmbH  
    free storage space, container loading, sickbeds, tools, chairs and office chairs

 

  • Central National Europe
    purchase of 1000 Christmas cards, mobiles, laptops, computers, D-Link network switch ports and other hardware

 

  • net informationstechnologie gmbh http://www.netit.at
    computers, laptops, all-in-one printer, screens, mice, keyboards, cables etc.

 

  • Dr. David Penney, University of Manchester, UK
    "Field Guide to Wildlife of The Gambia", "Common Spiders and Other Arachnids of the Gambia" and "Field Guide to the Butterflies of The Gambia" for the school library

 

 

 

 

  • American International School http://www.ais.at
    secondhand books for the school library 

 

  • E. M. Fletzberger  fashionable clothing and shoes (in mint condition)

 

  • Zoe F. clothes + shoes for children, soccerballs

 

  • Punzet Familie/Family 
    clothing for children and support to donation handling of the elementary school in St. Georgen.

 

  • Elfriede Kafka, Heidi Kofler + Team  
    Major donations of clothing, bed sheets, toys and shoes

 

  

  • Martina Kutscha printer and a variety of cables and plugs plus ideas/contacts etc.
  • Elina Karlsson Printer

 

  • Ida und Leo Koller
    support and contacts

 

  • Heinrich und Simone Schuster
    free van for donation's transport and support

 

  • and many others, that don't want to be mentioned here but made it possible to purchase the first aid materials, black boards, chalk, tools, light switches, power sockets, cables and everything for electric wiring, LED-tubes and bulbs, gardening equipment like watering cans, rakes,  educational materials, books, bookshelf, 35 extra solar powered desk lamps etc.

 

  • My own family for support and hard work over many months, donations like sewing machines, mattress for the reading corner, clothing, shoes, towels and many, many other things. And last but not least for our Peugeot 206CC which we took from Austria to the Gambia for getting around; small but sturdy and reliable.

 

 

 

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Some art for all the donors by the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School

Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School
Thanks a lot to all the donors from the students of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School and the Niani Lower Basic School

They would like to thank all the donors with some drawings they made. To see all of them - more than 80 - please click here.

 

Die Schüler der Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School möchten sich mit Zeichnungen bei den Spendern bedanken. Wer alle - mehr als 80 Bilder - sehen möchte, bitte hier klicken.

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Various Improvements

LED-lights for houses in Lamin and a variety of useful plants as well as vegetable and herb seeds for a couple of gardens in Lamin, Doke and Wassu.


LED light system
Fragaria × ananassa

 

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Video: Bansang's children rollicking

Conquering a children's play tent.
The tent survived the attack.

 

 

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First Aid Training

The first aid course will take place on the 23 and 24 of May 2015. Mr. Momodou Laineh of First Aid 4 Gambia is going to train the 20 teachers of the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary and the Niani Primary School in Wassu.

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned earlier (Dec 2014), each course is based on a 1 day (6 hours)/10 persons UK Emergency First Aid at Work course which covers

  1. Effective use of first aid equipment and hygiene
  2. Aims of FA
  3. Assessing situation
  4. Dealing with unconscious casualty  -  breathing
  5. Dealing with unconscious casualty  - non breathing - CPR with manikins adult and child
  6. Choking
  7. Burns
  8. Shock
  9. Wounds
  10. Sprains and strains.

 

All candidates receive a certificate on successful completion of the course.

Courses are delivered by Mr. Laineh who is able to train in English, Mandinka and Wollof.

All courses are fully adapted for The Gambia.

First Aid 4 Gambia, a registered Scottish charity SCO40837, is going to train the teachers free of charge. GAMBIAid helped towards the costs for travelling and accomodation of the trainer.

 

Photos coming soon.

 

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First Aid Course with First Aid 4 Gambia

Momodou Laineh's (trainer of First Aid 4 Gambia) report about his trip to Wassu (quotation):


“Friday 22nd May Travelled to Wassu,although a long way drive but thank God I reached their safely around 5pm.

...

Saturday 23rd May,1st day training at the Niani Junior and Senior Secondary School, where the 1st set of their teachers received the training. It was 10 in number, they all did very well and went home with their certificates and some First aid gifts was also handed to the participants. It was a nice session with questions and answers at the end of the course. The School First Aid Supplies (donated by GAMBIAid) were also explained to them in order to have a know how of how to use the stuffs. The supplies available there were mainly bandages,antiseptic wash,swabs (compresses),wound dressings and thermometers.We have gone through all of them.

Sunday 24th May, was the second day of the training were 13 people attended the course. Mr Kanyi was on this set and his Deputy head was also on the session.Including Four students who were also on the course. This was also a very nice and interesting course, were it ends with questions and answer, especially epilepsy which they said its common among the girls students, snakes bites were discuss and how to handle them, nose bleeding etc.We have went through the First Aid Supplies Available with them, which is well understood by all of them. All the Participants received their certificates, some first aid gifts were also given to all of them to take home. They were very proud to received the training and promise to make best used of their skills and also commented that ,they will share their skills not at the schools alone but up to communities level.

Before I shoot back to the coast the same afternoon,the Principal gives a Wonderful thank you speech for the entire team of First Aid 4 Gambia and their supporters,and also to their sponsor (GAMBIAid) who facilitate the transport.

I drove back the same afternoon to the coast, where I arrived around 9pm in the evening, though hectic but everything went very successful.”

To see ALL photos, please click HERE!

First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course
First Aid Course

https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Aid-4-Gambia/163166470412979

http://www.firstaid4gambia.org/

 

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New Photos of some of the Donations to the Niani Schools

Below some photos of the school library, the new LED light system, the FMS world maps, printers and blackboards.

Library at the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
Library at the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
Library at the Niani Upper and Senior Secondary School
LED Light System
LED Light System
LED Light System
FMS World Maps
FMS World Maps
Printers
One of the new Blackboards
Principal Momodou Kanyi's office

 

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The Sphygmomanometer-Story

Let me share a story, about how a donation can improve lives.

 We bought simple sphygmomanometers (device for measuring the blood pressure) and took them to Gambia. One family in Bansang received one of them.

I heard, that meanwhile every morning the elderly people are queuing up in their frontyard to have their blood pressure measured.

They are little professionals already, coming early morning before breakfast, relaxing 15-20 minutes, so they can measure the resting heart rate, not saying a word and not moving, recording the results and adjusting their habits accordingly. They say, it really helps them to stay healthier, to have a general idea of the state of ther blood pressure and to keep track of it at no charge. In case they register health problems, they can immediately consult a doctor. They appreciate this device a lot.

 

 

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Printer Cartidges for the Niani Schools in Wassu

The principal received 20 printer cartidges for the Brother ink jet printer and a print head cleaner. Due to possible customs restrictions in Gambia, we couldn't risk to take more this time. Next time, we are going to bring along some more cartidges for the other printers.

 

 

Principal Momodou Kanyi is thanking the generous donors.

 

 

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Donations September/October 2015

In September and October, one of our association members travelled to Gambia and took some material with him:

 

  • First aid materials, medications such as pain killers, sphygmomanometers and other health care products
  • Printer cartidges for the schools
  • flood light with motion sensor (more safty at night)
  • clothes
  • etc.


and took little Sera to the ophthalmic clinic.

She seems to have an infection, which is going to be treated first. We have to clarify the general condition of her eyes as well, as they look different. If they can't treat her in Bansang, where she lives, we are going to take her to Kanifing, where a specialist is informed already.

If anyone has an idea or knows advice, please let me know.

 

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