After an eye-opening trip to The Gambia last month, local service club delegates hope to continue their collaboration, as well as their new friendships.
Fate played a role in making the journey to the small west African country a reality, according to Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise’s Glenn Smith, past-president and current treasurer.
Fate played a role in making the journey to the small west African country a reality, according to Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise’s Glenn Smith, past-president and current treasurer.
Mayor Darrin Canniff and municipal chief administrator Michael Duben were at an international mayors’ conference in Orlando, Fla., and struck up a friendship with Mayor Saihou Jawara of the Kuntaur region in central The Gambia.
“It’s a pretty large area, just over 340 communities and 103 schools,” Smith told The Daily News Saturday.
“The Kuntaur region is a very poor area … They have medical centres, but no hospitals. They have really wonderful people, they just don’t have any money (or) much of an economy.”
The Gambia, on Africa’s west coast, is the continent’s smallest mainland country.
During the trip, the Chatham-Kent delegation of 14 people visited Kerr Demba Gambu School, meeting with teachers, students, local government officials and village elders.
The group brought in, or had shipped, various supports for the school and village, including 30 water filtration units, 60 bicycles, 60 school desks, 160 backpacks and teaching aids. They also provided monetary support for the future drilling of a bore hole for a fresh water well.
“We’re going to formulate plans to continue to help them,” Smith said. “There’s so many things that we can do to make a big impact.”
During the years, he has travelled “quite a bit,” but this was his first time in Africa.
“My takeaways were (the Gambia) feels like a forgotten country in Africa,” he said. “The people are wonderful. They’re called ‘the smiling coast.’
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“Everyone is happy. They’re well-fed, even though they don’t have much of an economy. They have a barter economy. So, people have goats and chickens, and they go to the weekly market … people can do their shopping.”
He said resort areas within the country have more modern amenities compared to rural communities further inland.
Self-sufficient and innovative, the people build their own homes, fences and whatever else they might need.
“It does look like the Serengeti, just like you would imagine Africa to look like,” Smith said. “But you don’t see giraffes and lions, you see horses and goats, and chickens and cows.”
Canniff, who travelled with his wife, Christine, at their own expense, called it a worthwhile trip for the bonds the delegation made in the country.
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“On a personal level, this volunteer experience was deeply meaningful. The connections we made with residents, local officials, and especially the children, were genuine and lasting,” he said in an email.
“It was a powerful reminder of how much impact can be made through direct engagement, listening, and showing up with both humility and purpose. It really struck me that, for so many reasons, we’re all truly privileged to call Chatham-Kent our home.”
Canniff thanked the local businesses that helped sponsor and support the initiative, including Winmar, Schinkels’ Gourmet Meats, and Krunal Patel from Shoppers Drug Mart.
Smith said their delegation was the largest ever to tour the country and didn’t go unnoticed.
“We were national news. We visited with the vice-president at his residence,” he said.
The trip also underlined for the visitors how fortunate Canadians are.
“We have everything here. We absolutely have everything,” Smith said. “And people still find reason to complain … which is wrong when you see what people really don’t have.
“You shouldn’t take things for granted. Like, access to health care is really remarkable, what we have here. We’re so fortunate.”
Smith said the delegation looks forward to staying in close contact with those they met.
“We loved them and they loved us,” he said.
The Shatham Daily News
