Help Matarr and his Family toward a New Beginning,

Hello - my name is Geoff Adams and I am asking for your help to save Matarr Jallow and his family from an uncertain fate. A fate that we can't even imagine in our world. I have been assisting Matarr and his family now for the past 3 1/2 years. Covid dealt this family a very hard blow. Matarr, the only bread winner, lost his job. He hasn't been able to work since. They are a very poor family who are just making ends meet even with my assistance in Serrekunda, The Gambia. I have been a mentor to Matarr and a father figure/life-guide to him however I can be from this distance across the Atlantic (one of the good things that came out of the pandemic) for the past 3 plus years.

Over the past months though the unimaginable has happened. Matarr was picked up and charged after being caught with another young man, his friend, in a private home simply for being in an intimate liasson. Yes - in The Gambia it is illegal to be gay and anyone can spend up to 10 years in prison if the police chose to prosecute to the highest extent. It is an attrocity that we cannot fathom here and we should not ever accept no matter where in the world we live. Love is Love!!!

We have though managed to cross this particular hurdle and we have resolved this issue. Matarr was very lucky. His partner at the time luckily had an Italian family who assisted him and he is now in Italy with them.

Despite the fact that he is now out of jail and we have gotten him legal cousel to get his car washing equipment back that they took from him in the arrest (I set him up with a small business with some of my CERB money a year and a half ago), Matarr was not so lucky. During the time after he was released he was attacked and beaten by a group of young men one night, their home was broken into and his sister wounded trying to protect the kids. Alot of their things were stolen. The attack on Matarr though has resulted in a subsequent health problem that has resulted in him developing a hernia in his groin area resulting in a situation whereby he cannot walk and he is in continuous pain. The only recourse is surgery. But this is not free in The Gambia. This particular surgery is going to cost 100,000 GMD which is equivalent to $2 300 CDN.

But last Monday (February 12th) the unimaginable happened. amidst all these trials. Their house caught fire and burnt out entirely inside. They lost everything. Clothing, bedding, what little furniture they possessed, school books and uniforms and all their cooking equipment. But worst of all Ida, his sister and they youngest of the nieces, Janaiba, are in hospital from injuries sustained from the fire. But the hospital won;t do anything more for them until we pay $350 to continue treatment.

I am currently working with different organizations on the ground there to try and get the ball moving to bring him over here to Canada. The plan is to get him here to work here so that he can support his family back in the Gambia. - his sister, Ida and his nieces, Awa, Asa, Oumie and Janaiba. I am doing this on my own at the moment but I am wanting to help him as much as I can and any assistance you can donate would be greatly appreciated. He is only 24 years old ("he thinks" though I think he is younger) and has his whole life ahead of him. Let's not let this corrupt environment he lives within destroy his chances in life.

Please contribute whatever you can to help them get over these recent hurdles. He needs his health if he is to care for his family and to secure a place for them to live to help them to rebuild. It is essential at this time. To hear the desperation in his voice when we talk is heart-wrenching and helping him start off in life will put him on the right path.

I have been exploring sending items to help them rebuild but the cost of transporting/shipping it to them is exhorbitant unless someone knows of an option please let me know. Even $5 amongst my immediate friends list will help dramatically. So imagine what shares amongst your own people can accomplish. We may be able to bring him to Canada and to Newfoundland quicker than we think.

Please help where you can.

PHOTOS of the Fire and the Fire Chief's report

The Fire Cheif's Report