Tourists And Development

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Sheriff Barry

15 June 2011

Tourism plays a key role in the economic advancement of any nation. In The Gambia, tourism is one of the sectors that contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the nation. This is certain as some tourists don’t only come to enjoy the weather, the sun, the beach, and the spices, among others, but have the ambition to contribute to the development of the nation in a wide range of areas, including education, health, sports, agriculture and a host of other developmental activities.

In this week’s edition of tourishpere, we bring to the limelight the activities of two exceptional tourists, namely Sia Jongeneel and her spouse Gert-Jan Bevers. The couple are from Luxemburg and have been visiting The Gambia for many years now. As part of their contribution to the development of this country, the couple established an Orphanage in Sinchu Alhagie in the Kombo North District of West Coast Region.

In an exclusive interview with this column at the Orphanage Centre in Sinchu Alhagie, Sia Jongeneel gave details of how the centre was conceptualised, addding that the name of their organisation is “Les Amie de Gambie”. She further stated that the organisation is non-profit making, with the donations received from philanthropists across Europe used in an effecient and responsible way. She added that their members are committed on a voluntary basis and cover their own travel and accommodation costs in The Gambia.

History

Madam Jongeneel revealed that she discovered The Gambia during a holiday and was struck by its beauty and the friendliness of her people but was as well concerned about the country’s economic poverty and limited access to education and health services. She stated that when she returned to her country, she decided to help children in The Gambia, a move which attracted so much help from friends and volunteers to the extent that a legal structure was needed to that effect. And so in 2002 the non-profit making organisation the ASBL “Les Amis de Gambie” was founded.

The Orphanage

According to her, the construction of an orphanage in Sinchu Alhagie started in 2005, with the help of many sponsors and volunteers. It was completed and finally inauguraed in January 2009. ‘We intend to give 40 children a carefree home so that they can grow into balanced adults with a positive vision for the future’, she stated, whilst noting that children can be in the orphanage untill they turn 18, after which they will try to guide them in futher education and finding their own home . She also adds that their intention is that the staff and children become one family. Managing an orphanage is very expensive. She said it does not only involve food, clothing, healthcare, and education costs, but also personnel transportation to schools and hospitals and maintenance of buildings and grounds and a lot of other activities.

Other school sponsorship activities

The founder of the orphanage revealed that before its opening, they initially started a school sponsorship programme,thus giving over 200 children from needy families the opportunity to go to school, thanks to “Les Amis de Gambie”. Each child, she added gets 50 Euros which covers the tuition (paid directly to the nursery school or primary school) with two school uniforms and a bag packed with books and necessary school materials.

Community projects

She said that the ASBL “Les Amis de Gambie” aims to contribute to improving the lives of people in the community. She added that in May 2010 they installed a borehole in the village for the purpose of providing clean water for the community. “This borehole gives over 700 people the opprtunity to have access to clean drinking water. As a result, the beneficiaries no longer need to walk long distance to fetch water and there is no cost attached to it,” she said. She finally said their altimate goal is to install five boreholes for the community of Sinchu Alhagie so that as many people can benefit from the project, eventually over 3.500 will have access to clean and healthy drinking water. She also said that they have constructed two soccer (football) fields both with a tiled suporter stand, adding that they strongly believe in sports as an outlet for the youths of The Gambia.

For his part, Gert-Jan Bevers spoke about the potentials of the country, particularly in the energy sector. According to him, there is massive amount of energy available for free out of sun, wind and water. He gave an example of a wind mill, noting that electricity can be produced out of wind; with the sun solar panels and solar cooker; and with water also you can get electricity. He said he is willing to give out his knowledge for free. He hinted that it is his intention to share his knowldge with people on some of the techniques he has on how to maintain a car, how to produce energy and how to produce clean water among others.

He said that Africa is one of the biggest continents in the world and the one with the highest sunshine and winds. He said that there are predictions that in 20-30 years to come, the oil in the gulf states will one day not be available and the world will start to rely on Africa as their source of energy through the natural sunshine and wind that Africa is blessed with. Bevers said Africa will then take the leading position in the supply of energy, giving an example of the sahara desert. He added that with our natural sun, wind and water we can get our source of energy without destroying our forest cover.

He showcased a solar cooker he made out of simple materials, glass, woods and iron ,which he said can last forever and cook very fast and can save your money from using a gas ,charcoal or firewood. He also made a wind mill that is giving electricity to the orphanage when the sun is down or during the rainy season at a time when the solar panels cannot produce enough energy for electricity. He further revealed that they have a borehole that provides water for the orphanage and a spare water tank that gives out clean water for 10,000 people who are living near the orphanage. The couple finally thanked the Gambian people for standing by them in achieving their objectives. They also thanked the Department of Social Welfare, and the government of The Gambia.

Awa Kebbeh, Ida Cham Secka and Isatou Sanyang who all spoke on behalf of the community of Sinchu Alagie jointly thanked the couple for providing them with clean water, noting that before the arrival of the couple, they often encountered difficulties in accessing clean water because there are no taps around their community.

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