Waste Valorization with Oyster Mushrooms in The Gambia

Introduction

My name is Elliot and I'm raising funds on behalf of myself and my brother Bubacarr to achieve a two-stage goal: the construction of a modest family compound in The Gambia, and the utilization of that compound for oyster mushroom cultivation.

Background

I met Bubacarr over six years ago, when he was just a teenager experiencing a period of financial hardship. Both his parents had passed away, and he was suffering from housing instability because he had little to no means to support himself. He was forced to gather firewood for a meager income, and could not finish his schooling. Through local and online fundraising efforts, we were able to both finance his primary schooling and, eventually, purchase tailoring equipment that would allow him to more adequately provide for himself and secure more permanent housing. Through my private support, he has even gone on to acquire certifications in technology and IT, opening the door to other professional opportunities such as working at local printing/computer offices and doing simple tech work. In this process, Bubacarr has become less like a friend to me and more like a brother.

Despite these victories, barriers to escaping poverty still exist.

Over the period that I've known Bubacarr and supported his development, many social, political, and economic disruptions have occurred. Between 2019 and 2021, there were widespread protests in The Gambia regarding the presidency of Adama Barrow, who—following his electoral victory as the head of the Coalition 2016 political coalition that had defeated the dictatorial incumbent Yahya Jammeh—reneged on promises to resign and hold new elections after three years. This protest movement faced political violence and repression from the Barrow government, and this caused a great deal of instability.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the globe. This caused The Gambia's tourist-centered economy to nearly collapse, as was the case globally.

These compounding economic and political problems have coalesced into a Gambia where prices, unemployment, and perceptions of political corruption are rapidly climbing while living standards, infrastructure development, and wages are not rising to meet them.

Although Bubacarr has been able to secure some modest housing in the cheaper units within larger compounds, the landlords of these compounds are often capricious and self-interested, and without a robust regulatory or judicial apparatus, they are able to charge exorbitant rents and exact horrible punishment on those who do not or cannot pay. Bubacarr has often fallen prey to such landlords, and is trapped in a vicious cycle where almost all the money he makes from tailoring or IT work is spent on ever-rising rents for ever-worsening conditions.

Adequate housing in The Gambia is built on a tall foundation several feet up to avoid the floodwater, whereas inadequate housing, such as Bubacarr's, is sunk several inches down into the ground to save on expensive foundation costs, thereby leading to seasonal flooding.

The Back Way

Given these conditions, many Gambian youth are driven to take "the back way", a euphemism for migrating to Europe or America in search of a better life and greater opportunity.

The back way is incredibly dangerous, with capsizing ships sometimes leading to scores of people, mostly young men, drowning off the West African coast. Even if their ships make it, migrants face cruelty and violence at the hands of immigration authorities along the way, only to be rewarded with low-paying and physically taxing work for Europeans who will never treat them as equals.

There is perhaps no greater tragedy today than the brain drain and labor drain of young people flooding away from their homes in search of greater opportunity, exploited for their labor in a manner and degree comparable to the greatest extremes of the North Atlantic slave trade. These young people don't want to leave their friends, family, and home behind; they want a reasonable living and a chance to provide for themselves.

Going the back way hangs like the sword of Damocles over nearly all youth in The Gambia, with many young people having made attempts or knowing someone who has. Indeed, Bubacarr and I know many people who have attempted to go the back way, and they're considered lucky if they make it back home. Still, the fantasy of European life is enticing, and some make several attempts. There isn't an alternative for them in The Gambia.

Our Mission

From February to May, 2026, I will be traveling to The Gambia for three months to work alongside my brother Bubacarr, his family, friends, and other members of their local community. Together, we will work on two urgent and interconnected projects:

We will Build a modest compound so Bubacarr can live with dignity, free from exploitation. Bubacarr has faced years of insecurity at the hands of landlords who raise rents or evict without notice. We are attempting to break the cycle by building a compound he can call his own. The land has already been secured thanks to the generosity of the local alkalo, who is like a traditional mayor/chief. All that's left is the building materials and labor, some of which has already been secured.

In time, Bubacarr's compound can be built up to include new structures and provide housing for other community members in need of shelter, or even a future family of his own.

We will attempt to launch a pilot project turning agricultural waste into oyster mushrooms, producing protein-rich food, youth employment, and a model for sustainable development through waste valorization.

There are massive agricultural waste dumps, particularly around peanut processing facilities, that represent incredible opportunity. The waste, in the form of peanut shells, can be used as mushroom substrate with minimal processing. This venture is in alignment with the circumstances faced by The Gambia today: nutrition insecurity, low capital, and peri-urban agricultural pollution.

While the compound construction addresses income loss through rent, the second component is aimed at increasing income. This represents a double-pronged approach to improving Bubacarr's quality of life and the local community at the same time—lifting the "floor" and raising the "ceiling" simultaneously.

In this way, this campaign can be seen as being about more than bricks and mushrooms. It’s about security, empowerment, and transformation.

Why This Matters

Housing stability is essential: a home is freedom from fear.

Waste valorization turns peanut shells and farm byproducts into food and income.

Mushroom cultivation has low demands for both capital and land, requiring minimal investment and little space.

Local empowerment means the project is led by Gambians, for Gambians.

By supporting, you’re not giving charity: you’re investing in the development of The Gambia and a new model for resilient and sustainable agriculture.

Our Goal

We aim to raise $12,000 to cover the following:

$7,000 → bricks, roofing sheets, cement, rebar, and labor for the compound.

$5,000 → equipment, inputs, and training for the pilot cultivation cycles.

Every $50 builds part of a wall.

Every $100 funds a full mushroom harvest.

Every $250 sets the foundation for lasting change.

Join Us

With your help, Bubacarr will gain the security of a home. With your help, a Gambian community will taste the promise of sustainable agriculture.