Development in The Gambia
As a volunteer spending a lengthy period of time in The Gambia (anywhere from several weeks to several years or more), you will likely be far more involved with development here than a tourist that spends only a week or so would. It is therefore essential to understand some of the more pertinent issues affecting development in The Gambia:
Some Gambians have admitted that they are "imitators rather than innovators". They see someone running a fairly successful business and they copy it, rather than creating a new idea and finding new market niches. This way of thinking stems from the Gambian educational structure where students are taught in the "repeat after me" style rather than being encouraged individual and original thinking.
This is a serious issue in The Gambia as many Gambians find themselves unemployed and without desirable skills as they have had too many unsuccessful attempts at working in jobs that have far too much competition or not enough marketability for that matter.
At times Gambian culture seems to not support the idea of thinking ahead and planning for the future. Instead, many live day to day and do not save for unfortunate and unforeseen events that may occur. As it is, many Gambians live off of less than US$1 a day so saving any funds is already a challenge on its own.
Gambians in these situations find themselves without money to pay for much needed medical treatment (anti-malarial medication for example), their home may be in need of major repair for the upcoming rainy season or they cannot afford the new school year fees for their children. All of these examples in turn cause further complications.
Work ethic is very different in The Gambia, from a western point of view. Those that have worked in places in Europe or North America for example are well acquainted with the standard 9-5 working hours, and the enormous pressures on punctuality, performance, and commitment one must endure and oblige to if one wishes to stay employed.
In The Gambia punctuality does not really exist, performance is barely gauged, and what are commitments again? Add a lack of motivation and resources, power outages, a hot climate, and the priority list which has work at the very bottom, and you have an idea of what a typical Gambian work environment looks like.
For a volunteer coming to work in The Gambia it can therefore be much more of a challenge than they expected.
Consider the following facts:
The Gambia ranks 154th out of 170 countries on the United Nations Human Development index (UN, 2010).
69% of the population is living below the poverty line (UNDP, 2005).
60% of the population cannot read or write.
47% of the population does not have access to adequate sanitation facilities (UNICEF, 2004).
100+ NGO's and numerous registered charities exist in The Gambia.
Why does it seem as though the humble attempts of the NGO's are not necessarily contributing to a positive change in The Gambia? Is it because much of their funding is going towards the purchases of brand new SUVs or the latest computer technology?
To give NGO's the benefit of the doubt, relative comfort is essential to attracting qualified workers, especially when these worker's salaries are far less than what they could expect back at home in Europe or North America.
Still, from a Gambian point of view it must be difficult to understand when he or she does not see improvements at the grass roots level, but instead sees an increase in foreigners driving sparkling new vehicles with slightly familiar decals slapped on all sides.
Funding, therefore, should be carefully allocated and volunteers should think twice about asking for the latest software at their host workplace and perhaps research as to where the funding could be better spent.
Mostly Cloudy 25 oC