Clean, safe drinking water for Nema Fulla village
Donation protected
CLEAN, SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR NEMA FULLA VILLAGE. THE GAMBIA
For those of you that know me personally it may come as a surprise to know that I am having difficulty in finding the right words and a way to express myself. Funny huh? I think that I am struggling because I am asking for your help. But here goes… Please help us raise £4000. Phew! I did it.
(Above... Every drop of water is collected like this)
We can’t fix the world but we will try our hardest to fix a little piece of it. With your help it is possible.
(Above... Together we can improve the health of this young lad)
We are Clinton and Charlie Oldham who first met Amadou about 8 years ago in The Gambia. He had left his village of Nema Fulla situated in the central river region to seek employment in the tourist area. His aim was to be able to financially help his village by sending money back to them. To cut a long story short, we employed him. It proved to be one of the best decisions that we ever made.
(Above... Amadou on a recent visit to Nema Fulla)
All those years ago we talked about his aspirations. We asked what do you want to be? What do you want to do? His answer was simple he told us that he had moved far away from his loved ones in order to better himself and therefore be able to contribute a small amount each month to help support his family village. In essence the answer to the first question… I want to be a son who helps his mother. The answer to the second question… I want to work hard and learn new things so that my family can benefit and be proud of my achievements.
Over the years Amadou worked with us and still does to this day. Early days we noticed that, intermittently, probably about every 2 months or so he would show up but was suffering from acute stomach pain. He didn’t complain and still put in a full day’s work but it was hard for us to see.
Amadou explained that he had suffered this way since he was about 16 years old. He said that he had saved his money to have a scan but it was money wasted as it did not highlight a problem so he had resorted to taking anti acid when the pain occurred.
Together we set about finding a solution. To be fair it took us years to finally get to the root of the problem. The health care system here, is slow and, in most cases, inefficient and also comes at a cost and in the end, we felt that it could not help him.
After much personal research we concluded that it was a real possibility that Amadou was suffering from 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.7 Dec 2020)
We bit the bullet and he started a three-month course of anti-biotics. We didn’t dare hope or celebrate that we had found a cure until 1 year after he started the anti-biotics. Glad to report that Amadou has be not suffered from these debilitating symptoms for 3 years now.
There is very little doubt that Amadou contracted HP when a teenager, from drinking the only available water from the open wells in his village. Indeed, many of his family members and others residents of Nema Fulla suffer the same symptoms as I write.
Can you help us raise £4000, which is about half the amount that we need to get clean safe drinking water to these fine and dignified folks of Nema Fulla?
We can’t fix the world but we will try our hardest to fix a little piece of it. With your help it is possible.
(Above... Together we can improve the health of this young lad)We are Clinton and Charlie Oldham who first met Amadou about 8 years ago in The Gambia. He had left his village of Nema Fulla situated in the central river region to seek employment in the tourist area. His aim was to be able to financially help his village by sending money back to them. To cut a long story short, we employed him. It proved to be one of the best decisions that we ever made.
(Above... Amadou on a recent visit to Nema Fulla)All those years ago we talked about his aspirations. We asked what do you want to be? What do you want to do? His answer was simple he told us that he had moved far away from his loved ones in order to better himself and therefore be able to contribute a small amount each month to help support his family village. In essence the answer to the first question… I want to be a son who helps his mother. The answer to the second question… I want to work hard and learn new things so that my family can benefit and be proud of my achievements.
Over the years Amadou worked with us and still does to this day. Early days we noticed that, intermittently, probably about every 2 months or so he would show up but was suffering from acute stomach pain. He didn’t complain and still put in a full day’s work but it was hard for us to see.
Amadou explained that he had suffered this way since he was about 16 years old. He said that he had saved his money to have a scan but it was money wasted as it did not highlight a problem so he had resorted to taking anti acid when the pain occurred.
Together we set about finding a solution. To be fair it took us years to finally get to the root of the problem. The health care system here, is slow and, in most cases, inefficient and also comes at a cost and in the end, we felt that it could not help him.
After much personal research we concluded that it was a real possibility that Amadou was suffering from 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.7 Dec 2020)
We bit the bullet and he started a three-month course of anti-biotics. We didn’t dare hope or celebrate that we had found a cure until 1 year after he started the anti-biotics. Glad to report that Amadou has be not suffered from these debilitating symptoms for 3 years now.
There is very little doubt that Amadou contracted HP when a teenager, from drinking the only available water from the open wells in his village. Indeed, many of his family members and others residents of Nema Fulla suffer the same symptoms as I write.
Can you help us raise £4000, which is about half the amount that we need to get clean safe drinking water to these fine and dignified folks of Nema Fulla?
As there is no electricity supply to the village not even a generator, we have decided that solar is the best option.
We have teamed up with our German friend Rob who intends to raise £5000 for the same project. We are aware that a project like this could be done cheaper but after research, it appears that the quality of the equipment and installation and expertise in drilling until the water is of safe drinking quality is of paramount importance for it to be sustainable and worthwhile.
Clinton and I will start off the fund raising by putting in £100. We also have some ideas like holding a charity gig with our band. Prickly heat.
Amadou has asked that we take D500 (£7.70) from his wages each month for the fund.
Some ideas on how you might help.
Match Amadou’s monthly contribution.
Sell that new piece of clothing that you have never worn and is sitting at the back of your wardrobe on a selling site.
Raise money as a group at your workplace.
Involve your children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews and their schools.
Supervised kids bob a job in your local community.
Sponsored walk/fun run.
Influence the company that you work for a donation.
Have a yard sale. Double whammy. A good clear out and raising funds.
Cash in the penny jar.
Share the pants out of this fund raiser.
We 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 Fulla.
Thank you.
Organizer
Charlie Oldham
Organizer
England