The Genieri Collection

_{Where it is and what it is.}

Just less than 6 comfortable hours south from Manchester and  you arrive in a land so fundamentally different that it is somethimes really quite difficult to comprehend.  Gone are all our norms, replaced by truly amazing beaches, the occasional crocodile patrolling footpaths, vultures eating in the streets and a bewildering array of transport,  with Porsche Cayennes alongside donkey and hand drawn carts.  Bizarre but very very true.  Second hand spectacles, clothing and food are sold alongside medicines and 2nd. hand lorry engines. Here many things we take for granted are simply not present,  and to name just a few - free health care, free education and any form of benefit system. There are no safety nets.

Moving East from the relative civilisation of Banjul and the tourist area of Kololi into the near hinterland and the picture quickly becomes even stranger to the western eye, with even more dilapidated vehicles and more animal drawn transport, more and more poverty but even broader smiles and welcomes.

What we've managed.

In 2012 during our first visit only 27 children attended the Day Care Centre, as the daily fee of about £0.01 was just too much for many of the families.  A whole family living on less than £1 per day was not uncommon, they were hungry and very poorly clad, and children generated more money working in the fields than going to school.

Since 2015 we've been able to help, and with donations received we now provide all Day Care Centre children with a cooked meal every day of the year, and a breakfast during their "Hungry Season" of July, August and September.  The daily meal, humble thought it is, costs the parents nothing and the daily school fee has been removed by another charity.  It costs us less than $4.00 PER MONTH to provide those 30 odd meals for a single child.  It's historically been about 26,000 cooked meals per annum, but exceeded 55,000 in 2020 - 2021 due to the Coronavirus emergency.

Now all 82 children attend, and attendance is a fairly solid 100%, barring the odd illness.  That's the entire relevant child population of the village, and they're all looking so much better with regular food.  Feeding has been stabilised and we're sure that's having a positive effect on general health.

What next?

 

With feeding stabilised (thanks to yourselves) we can now think of futures, and we'll be looking at several options.  Some projects come easily to mind, such as improving the effectiveness and security of the Ladies Gardens, bringing the real benefits of "garden greens" to the whole village diet.

 
If you're an existing donor I can assure you the children appreciate it a lot.

In the Village's own words:  “We are sending our New Year greeting to all that support you  for feeding of needed children. We wish you all long live and happiness.”

If not then we're still appealing to YOU,  for YOUR help.   Any donation,  large or small,  a single payment or a periodic committment,  no matter  -  all of it will be welcomed. 

Financial Achievement

In the year ending  March.2021 we managed to get over 99% of  money received actually "onto the ground", so your donations are going exactly where they are needed.

 

You can also donate via Paypal.

 

If you prefer other methods of donation just click HERE.