We are currently focusing on the goal of purchasing a donkey and a cart. This is the most urgent goal, though building a house is second priority.

The Kurumang family dreams of the same thing any family does: their basic needs met and the happiness and success of their children. This family of four lives in The Gambia, a country with high poverty rates and corrupt systems that keep most poor people in the cycle of poverty. With your help, we can change the lives of this beautiful family by raising funds to buy supplies for the building of a home. TLDR below.

Background

Hello! My name is Cristina, and I’m an 18-year-old from the United States. About a year ago, a boy reached out to me on Instagram named Yamadou Kurumang. Yamadou is a 19-year-old boy from The Gambia who reached out to try and raise money for his family. At the time, his mother, who is his only parent after his father tragically passed away 9 years ago, was in the hospital. Yamadou and his older brother Kawsu were desperately trying to collect money to feed themselves and their 7-year-old sister, Fatou, and also to pay for the necessary treatment for their mother. Since then, with the help of myself and a few other donors, his mother has made a full recovery and is now back with her family.

The Gambia has high poverty levels due to systemic structures that keep families in the cycle of poverty. Things like high food costs, pay rates which don’t match inflation, and expensive schooling fees combine to make it hard to find income and harder to build wealth. Yamadou’s mother never went to school because she could not afford schooling fees, but she worked chopping and selling wood in order to put Yamadou and his older brother through school for 11 years. Their mother now cares for Fatou full-time while the boys make money for the household. Kawsu and Yamadou have spent long hours cutting trees to sell wood, which is their primary source of income and doesn’t always sell well. On a normal day, they make anywhere from $0-$11 for a full day of work. They also recently made a trip to Senegal, a neighboring country, in search of work. After two days of searching, they only found one job, tough physical labor, that paid only $20 after a week of work. This low rate along with the job being far from home made it an unsustainable option.

The Problem

Because they have no steady source of income, this family struggles with food insecurity and currently relies on a neighbor in order to eat. The place they live in is an uncompleted building which lost part of its roof after a bad storm and also has no windows. Yamadou says they have trouble sleeping at night due to mosquitoes constantly pestering them. This living space is unsuitable for any adult, and much more so for a young child like Fatou.

Our Solution

Yamadou now hopes to save up enough to buy a donkey and a cart in order to work for himself, transporting goods for money. With the money he makes from this, he hopes to support his family. He also wants to build a house for his family, though this is a more expensive goal. This is where you come in. With your donation, we will be one step closer to making the dream of a comfortable and suitable home become a reality. We hope to raise a total of $9,000.

Yamadou is an extremely intelligent and hardworking young man who’s done everything in his power to help his family survive. He’s innovated ways to support his family, like using his second language of English to connect with people on the internet in hopes of finding someone to share his story. Yamadou has become a friend who I talk to regularly, and the more I've gotten to know him, I see that he’s just a teenager like me who wants the best for his family and himself, like anyone does. 7-year-old Fatou deserves a happy and healthy childhood, and her family deserves the opportunity to give that to her. This can be achieved by having a safe and comfortable place to live. I know that we can help Yamadou’s family to not only survive but to thrive.

Quick Recap/ TLDR:

Who?

Yamadou, 19, Kawsu, 21, Fatou, 7, and Banna, 35

What will funds be used for?

To buy supplies needed to build a house. If extra money is raised, it will go towards the purchase of a donkey and a cart.

Why do they need funds?

The family’s primary source of income, selling wood, doesn’t allow them to save this kind of money for themselves. They are currently food and housing insecure, living in an unfinished building and relying on neighbors to help with buying food.

How am I connected to the cause?

Yamadou is my friend. He reached out to me on Instagram while trying to raise funds for his family to eat and for medical expenses for his mother, who was sick at the time. We talk regularly and the more I get to know him, I’ve learned he’s a teenager just like me who’s just been dealt a much more difficult hand. I believe all people deserve the financial stability to lead peaceful lives where their needs are met.