SOS-Gambia

Construction of a technical college - Tujereng, Gambia

What are we seeking fonds for?

We are constructing a technical college in Tujereng, Gambia.

Budget

We need a total of Gdalassi 3.mill. for this project. We have managed to raise

money for phase one.

Who is SOS-Gambia (School and Health project - Gambia)

The SOS-Gambia association was founded in late summer of 2012, but we

have been active in Gambia since 2004, when nurse Susanne Skov Petersen,

our present chairman, worked as a volunteer at Serekunda Health Center.

The association consists of exclusively voluntary workers, thus enabling us to

keep our expenses at an absolute minimum. We are a large group of about 30

voluntary workers, arranging flea markets, bingo games, lectures and quilt

markets and many other activities. We have approximately 260 paying

members. The main part of the paying members sponsor a youth pertaining to

a technical college, others pay a member’s fee, and support us in this fashion.

The project group

This group consists of the SOS-Gambia board in coorporation with the FONGAM

(Foundation for the needy Gambia) board, founded in 2008, Gambia. FONGAM

is our sister organization in Gambia and our extended arm in Gambia.

The aim of the project

We wish to construct a technical college with room for 100 students. We wish

to give the students a practical education as well as teach them more common

skills, such as writing and reading, within the first 3 years. It is our goal that

35 students graduate each year. The courses they will be able to sign up for

are tailoring, hotel management, IT and metal works, enabling the students

go directly from college into employment.

Voluntary work is alien to Gambian culture. We wish to show them the

benefits of this and we will demand of the students with sponsors, that they

participate in voluntary work, thus making them give something in return, not

to us, but to their local community.

Background

As we have been a part of lesser projects in Gambia for the last 9 years, we

have learned that it is imperative that we help especially girls and young

women who have not received any education or have dropped out of school, to

get an education. 40% of the population of Gambia are young people and

most of them are unemployed. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to

help the young, the unemployed and the uneducated, to an education, which

will benefit themselves, as well as their families and society as a whole.

Since we started the project in Gambia, approximately 300 students have

received an education. We still keep in touch with many of the graduated

students and we are pleased to see how they succeed on the job market. The

former students attended and the current students attend a school that we

rented. But as this school is decaying and as the sanitary conditions are

appalling, we risk that the government close the school, which is why we have

decided to build a new one.

We have already been given the site by the local authorities.

What have we achieved so far

Renovated health centers.

Connected a nursery school to the main water supply.

Constructed a technical college in a village.

Constructed abstraction wells with a solar system for irrigation and for

drinking water.

Connected the technical college to the internet.

Constructed a work shop for the technical college.

Shipped numerous containers with equipment to schools and health

centers.

Handed out numerous family packages containing clothes, rice and other

necessities to impoverished families.

Our 2010 graduates.

Target group

Young Gambians between the age of 14 and 21 who have not received an

education or who have been left behind by the educational authorities. 75 %

of the students must be female.

Approach

We have obtained construction estimates from local enterprises in Gambia and

we will only involve local business and enterprises in the construction process.

FONGAM will supervise the construction on a daily basis. Representatives from

SOS-Gambia will be present 2 x 2 weeks a year during the construction,

preferably more.

Schedule

We anticipate that the college will be finished in 2 years time. We expect to

star building autumn 2013 and we expect that we will finish autumn 2015.

SOS-Gambia's chairman Susanne Skov Petersen and the

chairman of Mr. Jagne, will place the foundation stone on the

new plot.

Sustainability

When the college is finished, it will be administered by FONGAM, with the

support Danish sponsors. during the last 9 years we have had approximately

160 annual sponsors, who as a minimum sponsor a child, which is the

equivalent of kr. 800 per year, possibly including an additional, voluntary

donation to the student's family, in terms of money for rice and the like.

There will also be established various projects in the college, which in turn will

make the college more independent, including cultivation of the adjoining

land, a bicycle repair shop and selling textiles.

SOS-Gambia has been able to raise kr. 175.000 for the project via various

activities.

The unique

What is very unique about this project is, that are target group is young

people, who have not earlier been given a chance in life. It is also unique that

we offer them vocational training and that we prioritize girls. Furthermore, we

will demand of the students that the give back to society in terms of voluntary

work. This might include establishing activities for the local children or the

like.

Plan

April 2013: Designs produced by a voluntary, local architect is to be

approved by FONGAM and SOS-Gambia.

May - august 2013: Budget is to be finalized and approved.

August 2013 - December 2013 we will apply foundations for fonds.

January 2014: Project start, our 2 containers will be moved to the plot and

they will function as a part of the workshops.

A well will be established.

The plot will be fenced off.

A security guard will be employed and a small guard house will be

constructed.

Evaluation

The project will be evaluated every 3 months at the board meetings.

Budget

See attached documents.

Contacts

Susanne Skov Petersen and Sussie Lund-Jensen

info@sos-gambia.dk

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