Projects
The development programme started in 1990 in response to requests from the community. A variety of different projects were started.
Women's Livelihoods
Women are trained in technical and business skills. Since the project started in 1996 over 120 women have acquired skills in tie dye, baking, sowing, bee-keeping, fruit and vegetable preservation. 80 women (including 15 groups) are now active and producing income of over £500 a year.
Challenges - several of the groups trained have not been able to sustain their small businesses. The feasibility of the businesses needs to be more accurately assessed and marketing skills also need to be improved.
The microfinance project provides credit and savings opportunities to groups and individuals of mainly women. A total of 80 groups and individuals have credit of £3000. 50 groups are now saving with the scheme. Training is provided to manage savings and loan servicing.
Challenges - the project is working at a small scale and therefore the relative overhead costs are high. To be sustainable in the long term the project probably either needs to grow in size substantially or the work needs to be taken on by a more specialised organisation.
480 women have had training in literacy and numeracy since 1995 to enable them to count and read simple texts. They are trained by a group of 15 literacy part time literacy tutors in Mandinka. 10 editions of a newsletter called Tiloo (the Sun) have been produced over the past 3 years for the trainees and the wider community.
Challenges - literacy projects are difficult to sustain in the long term as the resources are often not available for training up to higher levels and there are few written materials in Mandinka. The project is therefore likely to focus "functional" literacy (literacy for a particular purpose) in the future.
120 women are involved in a community vegetable garden. Wells have been constructed and the women are being trained in irrigation and marketing.
Challenges - to avoid the tendency for gardens to produce too much of the same crops at the same time leading to gluts, marketing problems, and pest infestation.
Water and sanitation
- 44 open wells have been upgraded and protected. (Previously the wells were so exposed that children had fallen inside)
- Ongoing monitoring of water quality in wells
- Construction of school latrines for 4 schools in the community
- Low cost community latrine construction project
- Construction of 4 wells with pumps
- Funding of an engineering study for a reticulated water system in Gunjur
- Lobbying of the government of the Gambia for a piped water supply in Gunjur
- Production of a new town plan for Gunjur
Challenges - the water reticulation system for Gunjur will provide water for the majority of Gunjur. Environmental health infrastructure (solid waste disposal, drainage) will need to be looked at comprehensively to minimise health risks.
Health
- Development of various techniques for the dissemination of health messages using puppetry and theatre. The puppetry team have appeared on Gambian television.
- Conducting health education activities for improved hygiene, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, eye health, immunisation, reproductive health
- Promotion of activities to reduce malaria such as public works in the village to reduce breeding and subsidising the sale of bed nets.
Challenges - the measurement of behaviour change (in response to the health education messages) needs to be better documented so that health impact can be measured. This would lead to improved methods of health education and better health.
Early Childhood Development (ECD)
- Management of a preschool of 160 children since 1995 with 7 teaching staff
- New preschool buildings completed in 2002
Challenges - Preschool education is only available for a relatively small number of children in the village. More research is needed on the type of education that is best suited to the children of Gunjur and the impact of preschool education on the future development of children needs to be better documented. How can this education be made available without outside support?