SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR NEMA FULA VILLAGE. THE GAMBIA

Construct Borehole,
provide Water Tank, Pump powered by Solar Panel and 3 lines with Taps
to supply safe and clean water for the community

Clean water is key for environmental health and overall health of people

We live in a country where water supply is not an issue. It is taken for granted that every time we flush a toilet, 5 litres of water goes down the drains.

Now imagine having to bring up that water from a well in amounts of 3 to 5 litres at a time via a bucket-pulley-system. There is no water distribution system and no electricity. People are living in clay huts with straw roofs or similar material. And then the water frequently is not drinkable - it is contaminated by debris that fell into the well, sand, faeces from farming animals, or the water is spoilt in the raining season.
People cannot afford to boil water and therefore risk infections that can ultimately lead to death, especially amongst children.

In the majority of areas around the Gambia there is enough water, the problem is accessibility. The water distribution system normally only runs through urban areas and digging wells in remote areas where people need these the most is usually too expensive. There is commonly only one well for the whole community without proper protection – wells are sometimes covered with corrugated metal sheets or straw.
Water in those wells gets easily contaminated leading to infections. Those kinds of infections due to contaminated water are responsible for 20% of deaths among children age 5 and younger.

Why Nema Fula (a village in the Central River Region, near Wassu with their famous stone circles):
I had the pleasure of meeting a young man, Amadou, from this village, who left the village to find a job, earn money and support his family, whose only income is harvesting peanuts or corn.
All his life Amadou has been suffering from stomach problems until kind-hearted people from the UK provided for a medical examination.
The suspected cause: Helicobacter Pylori. (Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) is a type of bacteria. These germs can enter your body and live in your digestive tract. After many years, they can cause sores, called ulcers, in the lining of your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine. For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer.)
Many people suffer form stomach issues in these villages, but they usually do not have the funds to get examined or obtain medication.
And Amadou suspects that the root cause of these problems is the quality of the drinking water, which is most likely the source for far more health issues in his village.
When we went to visit the village recently to see for ourselves we saw 3 wells, 2 of which provided clean looking water, another was already spoilt due to debris falling into the well. Now image 100 people having to depend on these 3 sources for water with no means of cleaning the water or making it safe to drink.

And Amadou is so eager to help his village he even started to put D500 of his salary every month into this fund (about €8 - about 20% of an average salary in The Gambia).
It is rare to see someone so comitted here and providing their own money for such a project.

That is why my friends Charlie and Clinton from the UK, who run a guest house in The Gambia, and I have decided to start a campaign to raise this money for Amadou's village.
My UK friends and myself will be contributing a certain amount of our own money as well.
And you may see Charlie's fund raising campaign in other places, so don't get suspicious - we are working together here as a team....

I am counting on you and look forward with anticipation and hope that we can all support Amadou in making a huge difference to the lives of his family and the village of Nema Fula.

And remember - every Euro counts! - no amount is too small...

We all want to thank you for interest and for your help and support.