"Thanks to the Manx from Africa"- Manx flags are flying high once again in two border villages of The Gambia after Mannin Africa recently completed the construction of two boreholes and four toilets using funding from the Isle of Man International Development Committee.
Located near the southern border with Senegal, Mansabang and Sarabirani villages have faced serious health and economic problems due to the lack of access to clean water. The two new boreholes will allow them to begin growing more of their own food as well as produce to sell to help fund their children’s education.
Each village has two toilets, one for men and one for women, and they are designed to last for 15-20 years as the materials used can be moved to new sites once existing ones fill up.
Mannin Africa’s Fams Camara, who lives in Kirk Michael and is originally from The Gambia himself, went out to the villages to oversee the construction work. “The toilets solved a lot of safety concerns as well as health issues - and they go hand-in-hand with clean water,” he said.
Fams was able to visit a village where he had previously installed a borehole and saw it had brought many positive changes. “There were lots of vegetable gardens growing and the villagers told me there had been an increase in the number of bees nests, which means honey for the villagers, as well as the appearance of more species of birds. The villagers had no summer-time related stomach problems last year and, above all, the borehole has become the centre of life around the village.”
Villagers from both Mansabang and Sarabirani have written to the Isle of Man International Development Committee to give their thanks and both enjoyed celebrating their new facilities at ceremonies attended by the local mayor and village headmen.
Mannin Africa hopes to continue its work and supply a further borehole in the region next year.
Appeal for Ebrima
A chance encounter Fams had with 10-year-old Ebrima Jobe on his latest visit to The Gambia could result in an amazing improvement to the boy’s quality of life after Fams has launched an appeal to fund a motorised wheelchair.
Fams came across Ebrima whilst he was staying in the village to oversee the borehole project. The boy, who is disabled and has been unable to walk or talk since birth, has been cared for by his family and spent all of his life indoors.
“I saw Ebrima crawling trying to join other kids who were playing outside but he ended up crying out of frustration as he cannot keep up with them or go out in the street with them. I took him on my shoulder into the street to watch the other kids play and when I took him home, his family told me this was the first time he had been out beyond his parent’s house.
“I realised that Ebrima has learning difficulties although he can understand verbal instructions and use his hands well. As someone who has worked with people with learning difficulties for many years, I could see what a difference a wheelchair would make to Ebrima’s life.”
On his return to the Island, Fams ,who works at Eastcliffe Resource Centre, was able to obtain an unwanted manual wheelchair which he hopes will give Ebrima immediate improvement to his mobility.
“However, I realised that even with this chair Ebrima will be reliant on others to push him when they are available and with the rough, uneven terrain they will be limited where he could travel,” says Fams. “So I have now started an appeal for an all-terrain wheelchair that would be more suited to the village and give Ebrima the mobility that would make such a massive change to his life.” A solar-powered electricity supply in the village will allow the wheelchair battery to be recharged.
The all-terrain wheelchair will cost ?3,000 and a further ?500 will be required for delivery to The Gambia. Fams is hoping that others on the Isle of Man will be inspired to help raise money to help Ebrima and anyone interested in making a donation should contact him at camarafams@gmail.com or by calling 401400. There is also a facebook page Mannin Africa Charity.
Photo- Fams with villages
