Training and resourcing libraries for communities in rural Gambia

Where is the Gambia?

-- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Where does Empower support in the Gambia?

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Daru is a small village just off the South Bank Road, 10km from Bansang the nearest large town

Agape Nursery, Lower and Upper Schools and Youth Forum Centre in Bansang

Samba Tako is also 10km from Bansang

Sara Kunda is 12km from Farafenni

Pakalinding Upper School is close to the river near Mansa Konko and Soma

Kalagi Nursery is on the South Bank Road

Kerawan is 15km from Bansang

What does Empower do in the Gambia?

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Empowers founder, Jo Heaven, has been taking groups out to the Gambia since 2008 and visits every year to support community projects, meet with elders, head teachers and community leaders to find out what help they need to improve the lives of women and children. Our projects include setting up 3 community libraries, linking with 8 schools (including their libraries), organic gardening training, resourcing a poultry project, sponsoring over 100 children, football training (including setting up girls teams), sponsoring bikes for health workers and bike training

We send out regular shipments to support the projects throughout the year and have link workers in the communities to assist in project planning. We fundraise in the UK to support these projects as well as apply for grants and link with businesses

How has Empower helped school libraries?

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

We have provided: •Pencils •Writing equipment •Posters •Books •Solar lamps •Radios •Clocks •Games •Jigsaws •Puzzles •Trained teachers and librarians in running library sessions as part of the school timetable

Installing solar lighting

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Empower has installed solar lighting in Sara Kunda Community library as well as 4 schools and provided solar lamps for our 2 other libraries. This allows children to study at night or for community meetings to be held in the libraries.

Sara Kunda Community Library

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

We have a sponsor for Ebrihma the librarian to run Sara Kunda Community Library. The village set up the library in January and in September 2014 we moved the library into a bigger space and added new shelving and storage donated by Homebase

Daru Community Library

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

We fund raised to build a new library at Daru and got a sponsor for Isatou the librarian. Oxford Brookes University donated all their shelving and Homebase gave us storage boxes. There was a big opening ceremony when we visited in September 2014 and everyone was very excited!

A big celebration to open the library!

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Kerawan Community Library Set up in 2016 with library shelving donated by Oxford Brookes, books donated by

supporters and Abass chosen by the community to run the library

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Our request for support from Book Relief UK

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia

Providing books for our 3 community and 8 school libraries - no cost • Dictionaries, atlases, encyclopaedias • Science, French, English, Maths text books • Carpentry, sewing, motor mechanics, animal husbandry

• African story books, travel stories, animal stories

• Football books

Financing the shipment of books and resources for our libraries - £10 per box

Covering the cost of tiling Kerawan library floor - £120

Sponsoring a librarian for a year - £240 (3 librarians need sponsoring = £720)

For more information check out our Facebook page EmpowertheGambia for all our projects in the Gambia

and fundraising events in the UK Charity Commission 1161200

HMRC EW02345

- training and resourcing communities in rural Gambia