Day 23 — Visiting NGO Projects in The Gambia: Healthcare, Education, and Last Preparations

A Calm Start Before an Important Day

Today started at a much gentler pace. We didn’t need to set an alarm, as the meeting for the project visits was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. That allowed us to sleep a little longer and enjoy a relaxed morning. Breakfast at the resort was excellent — a small luxury after the demanding days of driving and desert stages. Slowing down felt good.

After breakfast, we met up with the other rally teams and representatives from the NGO, ready for a day focused on the true purpose of this journey.

Pooh and Viator posing by a sunlit turquoise pool, framed by tall palm trees and white resort buildings with umbrellas and loungers in the background.

Heading South Through The Gambia

The drive took us about 50 kilometres south, almost back toward the border with Senegal. The Gambia is small and almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, so distances are short, but travel still takes time due to road conditions.

Three white cows walk along a dusty red dirt road beneath a clear blue sky, with modest houses and overhead power lines in the background.

Our first stop was in a medium‑sized village Gunjur, where we visited the Kundembo Health Center which is supported by the NGO.

A Health Centre Driven by Dedication

The health centre is a deeply moving project. It is run by the incredibly dedicated doctor Faburama Jambang, officially already retired, who stepped in after his colleague Dr. Sol — the former head of the centre — passed away recently. Together with nurses and other helping hands, he ensures that medical care remains available to the local population.

Patients pay a flat fee of 100 Dalasi for treatment — roughly €1.50. This symbolic amount covers everything: consultations, medication, follow‑up care, and even transport to larger hospitals if needed. Naturally, this fee does not come close to covering real costs, which is why the remaining expenses are funded by the NGO.

A particularly important aspect of this centre is its educational outreach. Topics such as sexual health and disease prevention are extremely sensitive in this region and cannot be addressed directly. Instead, the staff works creatively:

  • Women’s sewing workshops, where health education is gently integrated
  • Football teams for boys, using sport as an entry point to discuss important topics

This careful, respectful approach makes all the difference. The atmosphere at the centre was intense and vibrant — surrounded by members of the local community, especially children. Relief supplies were distributed, and we had to be careful that eager little hands didn’t disappear with boxes unintentionally. Still, the interactions were warm, joyful, and sincere.

A diverse group gathers under a large tree in bright outdoor light; several people wear gray shirts labeled STAFF, while others sit nearby and listen attentively.
Back of a person in a turquoise shirt with bold black lettering reading YUNDEMBO HEALTH CENTER STAFF, at a dusty outdoor event with people in the background.
Workshop room with sewing stations, white garments pinned to fabric on the walls, vintage sewing machines, and a blue tiled floor, conveying a hands-on craft space
Examination chair centered in a small room with beige walls, tiled lower walls, and a white ceiling fan; side tables hold medical equipment.
A group of volunteers wearing black shirts with patches hands a large cardboard box to another person inside a shaded hallway with green window frames, children standing nearby and a patterned tile floor.
Group of children and adults on a dusty road with parked cars beneath a large tree, a woman in a white shirt taking photos, sunny day during a road trip scene.
A diverse group outdoors under a lush leafy tree, listening to a man in a white lab coat as onlookers watch, chat, and capture moments nearby.
Colorful STOP TB infographic poster on a wooden door with a lungs icon, diverse illustrated people, and symptoms panels in red and orange sections.
Poster explaining malaria parasite species with illustrations of Plasmodium falciparum, vivax, ovale, malariae, and knowlesi; lab imagery and labeled diagrams.
Group of children gathered indoors around a man in a cap; a girl in a light blue dress stands beside a boy in a blue shirt while others observe, all on tan tile flooring.
Man (Viator) wearing a tan cap kneels and chats with a group of children in a crowded setting, surrounded by colorful fabrics and clothing, creating a lively scene.
Group of people in a small clinic room with a white dental chair, overhead light, wooden beam ceiling, tiled floor and cabinets.
Two adults mingle with a large group of children under a shaded concrete overhang, colorful clothing, and a lime-green lower wall.
Bold black line illustration of reproductive anatomy painted on a white wall, with two windows and a row of tables beneath, creating a classroom-like setting.
interior room features three yellow silhouettes of pregnant women on the wall, a round yellow table, and a blue tiled floor beneath a copper patterned ceiling
A woman (Pooh) wearing a beige wide-brim hat and a colorful patterned shirt stands by a green wall, handling a light blue cooler bag near a red KAHN tote and assorted packs.
Clinical examination desk with a life-size anatomical mannequin, stethoscope, medical supplies, shelves with bottles, and safety posters in a clinic room.
Crowd of diverse people reaching toward a white van with an orange stripe under a blue sky in a sunny outdoor road trip scene, conveying a lively humanitarian moment
Two boys lean against a green column in a sunny outdoor area; one wears a lime-green graphic shirt and brown shorts, the other a camouflage jacket with jeans.
White van with orange stripes and a Mercedes emblem beside a leafy tree on a sunny dirt road, with people nearby and a tiled-roof house in the background.
Team Aachener Wüstenfüchse volunteers pose with blankets and boxes in a shelter, smiling beside stacked supplies and a green-trimmed window during a support mission.
Group of diverse volunteers in Team Aachener Wüstenfüchse shirts stand beside stacked boxes and blankets inside a sunlit room; a child in the foreground and others smile, showing teamwork and aid effort.
Group of children gathered around a red cooler box and plastic container, wearing colorful shirts, watching with curious, attentive expressions in warm daylight.
Vibrant scene of a crowd in colorful fabrics at a busy outdoor gathering, with a woman holding a baby while children cluster nearby, sunlit and lively—community event.
Smiling woman (pooh) in a floral-patterned shirt greets children at a busy station under beige arches with green columns, a van in the background, and a sunny sky above.
A vibrant scene outside a white van with orange stripes, where a diverse crowd in colorful clothing gathers, while someone records with a smartphone.

Education as a Path to the Future

After the health centre visit, we headed back north toward the coast to see one of the NGO’s largest and most impressive education projects: The Kobisala school that has grown steadily over the years.

The land belongs to the school’s headmaster Mr. Buba Bojang, but the buildings, teachers, and school operations are financed by the NGO. Families normally pay a yearly school fee of about €50, which may seem modest but is unaffordable for many. Girls are often the first to be excluded from education due to traditional roles.

To counter this, the NGO supports families directly and offers educational sponsorships. As Team Insanire, we were proud to contribute funding ourselves, specifically to help children from low‑income families attend school.

The school provides:

  • One daily meal for students
  • Support for families in need
  • A growing curriculum that now reaches senior classes (high school level)

It all started 20 years ago with just about 20 students. Today, more than 320 children attend, and demand continues to grow. The headmaster dreams of expanding further — perhaps even creating a small university one day.

One highlight is the computer classroom, led by the German teacher Renata, giving students digital skills and new perspectives. School uniforms help reduce social differences and create a sense of equality.

This visit was deeply emotional — filled with curiosity, laughter, questions, and meaningful conversations with students and teachers alike.

Two travelers (Pooh & Viator) posing under a leafy tree; man wears a beige cap and white shirt with sunglasses tucked in, woman in a floral top smiles beside him on a sunny outdoor road trip setting.
Pink poster with bold blue handwritten classroom rules on a worn concrete wall, beside a smaller chart pinned to the surface, conveying strict in-class guidelines.
A line of children wearing green shirts sit along a curb outside a small building on a sunny day; a man in a light shirt sits at right, with a sponsor logo on the wall behind them.
Children in a bright classroom sit at desks beside a long green chalkboard, smiling and clapping, with educational posters on the walls and a corrugated metal roof overhead.
Two travelers (Pooh & Viator) posing for a selfie in front of the Kubisala Upper Basic School mural, featuring a shield emblem and vibrant wall art behind them, under bright sunlight.
Bright outdoor selfie of three travelers smiling under a clear sky in front of a beige building with a corrugated roof, featuring two men and a woman in casual travel attire
Vibrant mural on a school wall depicting a shield with a winged bird, pink, blue and green bands, flanked by brown-framed windows and the text Kubisala Upper Basic School.
Blue-stenciled text of the Gambia national anthem on a beige wall, with a colorfully painted crest and two brown monkey figures below, conveying a bold mural scene
Computer lab filled with rows of Dell desktops, keyboards, and monitors; people standing by desks, blue patterned ceiling tiles, and a bright overhead light.
Young student in a green short-sleeve Kobisala Lower Basic School shirt, wearing red-reflective sunglasses and a white cap, posing with a peace sign outdoors.
Group of travelers chat in a sunny village courtyard; a man in a light-blue shirt drinks while others record with smartphones near a 'Sponsored by Friends in Sweden' sign.
Colorful group of smiling children wearing red caps and green shirts with crest logos, gathered outdoors beside a wall that reads Sponsored by Friends in Sweden, capturing a lively community moment.
Children peek from a brown-framed window above a colorful mural featuring a river, boat and rainbow, with a green garment hanging on the sill.

Preparing for Auction Day

On the way back, we stopped in a small village to buy bananas and supplies for the next day. With more than 50 rally vehicles scheduled for auction, the event will likely last until late afternoon, making it essential to come prepared.

A man (Viator) in a white shirt and beige cap selects fruit from a roadside stand while local children watch, framed by a car window, trees, and a brick wall nearby.

The drive back to the resort took over an hour, reflecting once again how slow travel can be even over short distances in The Gambia.

When we arrived at the hotel, the gardener and one of his colleagues washed the car once more. He said that after todays trip, the vehicle really needed to look clean and presentable for the auction the next day. So it got another proper hand wash, along with a very nice and friendly conversation with the two of them.

Three men take a sunny outdoor selfie beside a red SUV with a roof rail and spare tire, palm trees in the background, wearing caps and casual shirts.
Man in a lime green shirt cleans a red SUV with a roof rack and spare tire under a clear blue sky; a white bucket and red crates sit on the ground beside a tall concrete wall.

A Quiet Evening Before Goodbye

Back at the hotel, we let the evening unfold calmly. Tomorrow will be significant — auction day.
It will be the moment we say goodbye to our beloved Land Rover Discovery, which carried us across continents, deserts, borders, and unforgettable memories.

It’s an emotional step — but one taken for a cause that truly matters.

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viator |
April 3, 2026 |
13:41 |
0

Categories:

Dresden-Dakar-BanjulGambia

Tags:

DBODresden-Dakar-BanjulGambiaKobisala schoolKundembo Health CenterNGO
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