Rice is the most important staple food in Gambia. Upstream, along the Gambia River, there are many opportunities to grow rice.

In the past, this was also done extensively. Today, rice production has fallen significantly. Foreign investors have left, rice varieties that are not adapted to the climate were used and there are often not the right or sufficient technologies and mechanizations available. Gambia now imports expensive rice, more than 80% of its consumption, and leaves a lot of potential for its own rice production untapped.

Together with a few young Gambian entrepreneurs, Gammol wants to investigate how we can increase local rice production.

Rijstvelden langs de Gambia rivier

This year we want to install a new school in Fufor. We provide 6 classrooms, a classroom for the teachers and sanitary facilities.

Fuffor is a village in the south of Gambia near the Senegalese border. Last year we installed a water installation. During a visit this year we were amazed at the approach and the dynamics in the village. And the village itself also took action to build the school. Preparing the site, making concrete blocks, digging foundations. This village wants to move forward!

In March, Dirk Depoorter, Dirk Fannes and Hedwig Theunis went on a mission to Gambia. Together with the Gammol team, they want to evaluate operations in Gambia, visit projects from the past year, prepare new projects, make agreements with local authorities and local suppliers. Dirk Depoorter made a travel report.

You can find a detailed report here: Gammol > How we work > Travel reports

We are finishing the water installation of Banyaka New Town. Two 4000 liter barrels, solar panels, 1500 m of pipes through the village, 15 taps, the tower painted. The village has clean water!

Also this year, two Flemish students will go on an internship in The Gambia for three months. Joke and Myrthe's first lesson is over. It is an English lesson about the different parts of the body.

You can follow them here: Blog Joke en Myrthe 

The tower in Banyaka New Town stands. We will complete the installation as soon as the trenches for the pipes have been dug. This is a job that the residents of the village do themselves.

 

Banyaka is located about ten kilometers north of Sanyang, our home base, and a little further east. It is a densely populated municipality with 9,000 inhabitants. Here we are installing two separate water installations: in Banyaka Gidda and Banyaka New Town. Both have a double tower with 2 tanks of 4000 liters, 15 taps and 1500 m of pipes.

 

 Banyaka Gidda

The Fuffor water installation is ready and will supply water to about 3,000 people.

After Jamwelly, our next large water installation will be located in Fuffor. Here too, there are two 4000 liter tanks on a 6.5 m high tower. The extra tower and water tank make the installation approximately 10% more expensive. We will have a lot of extra capacity for this.

We are installing our first larger water installation in Jamwelly. The double tower of 6.5 m will have two 4000 liter water tanks and 15 taps are spread throughout the village to distribute the water.

The water pump works with solar panels. After sunset the pump stops. The village then has to rely on the remaining water volume in the tanks. Due to the larger storage capacity, there is water for longer after sunset.

Painting of the water towers has started to better protect them against rust. Gammol provides the paint, young people from the villages paint.

 

We are putting the finishing touches to the new classrooms of the school in Faala.
The walls are plastered, painted and the floors tiled.

Work on the new school in Faala is progressing well. The rafters and windows are ready to install.
We hope to be ready by the start of the school year.

Thanks to Lotus Bakeries, Bolckmans and all other sponsors!