WannBefore you do volunteer work in The Gambia, you travel to the “Nord Bank” of the Gambia River. Our projects are based in a small village, namely Jammeh-Kunda.
The Gambia is located in the far west of Africa and is the smallest country in continental Africa. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean and has a coastline of 80 km with beautiful beaches, lagoons and fishing villages. Furthermore, The Gambia consists of a narrow strip of land and is completely enclosed by the only neighboring country Senegal, with which the Gambia shares a 749 km long border. The capital Banjul is located in the west, close to the ocean. The largest city, however, is Serekunda, which is also located in the west of the country.
The Gambia River provides a rich biodiversity: the country has almost 500 different bird species, hippos, crocodiles and monkeys. The Gambia has six national parks and reserves that together cover 3,7% of the Gambian territory. In the national parks and reserves you can - with a bit of luck - also spot larger mammals, such as giraffes, lions, buffalo and large antelopes. The delta of the Gambia River is quite swampy with mangrove vegetation. The north of the Gambia has a parklandsavannlandscape with long grasses, large shrubs and some trees. The bossav . begins south of the Gambia Riveranne, grassland with groups of trees. Furthermore, The Gambia is a very flat country. The highest points rise no more than 50 meters above sea level.
Jammeh Kunda is a small village with 700 inhabitants. It is about 1,5 hours from the capital Banjul by ferry and bus.
All the projects below take place within the same community. This means that the projects in The Gambia are extremely suitable for volunteers who want to perform volunteer work in a group but who have different backgrounds.
Being flexible is a good quality for a volunteer. You are there to serve the project and not the other way around. We expect you to participate where necessary, even if this is not in the project you thought you would help. Our local partner knows best where you can be deployed at that moment in the most efficient way. The volunteer's role is to participate in the development of the entire community.
In the village there is a village development committee and a school committee.
Staying at our projects in The Gambia is definitely something for the adventurous volunteers. There is no luxury of any kind, or at least not the luxury that you are used to. However, this does give you the opportunity to empathize with everyday life. You will stay in a room at the school, the school is only 200 meters from the village.
A maximum of 4 volunteers can work at the same time, so you share the space with a maximum of 3 other volunteers. The room has fans. The only luxury the school has are 4 solar panels on batteries. These are sufficient for the light, fans, fridge and a few sockets.
In the bathroom there is a shower and sink. There is no hot water, but that is no problem at all in The Gambia.
There is a western toilet 100 meters away from the sleeping place. At the end of 2019 there will be a toilet next to the bathroom.
Only lunch during school days is included. The other meals are not included. Cooking utensils, gas basins and gas are available.
The nicest thing is to cook your own pot in peace in the evening. .
You can buy the vegetables from our local people (seasonal). On the markThere is more available in the neighboring villages. The local reps will be happy to go shopping with you or for you.
There is a small shop in the village where you can buy basic things like pasta & rice. 10 km further there is also a larger shop with more products. If you are a real supermarkt want to visit, you have to drive to the ferry stop. there is a supermarkt, near the Nord bank, so you don't have to cross the border.
There are few activities to do in Jammeh Kunda. It is the perfect time if you want to immerse yourself in the daily life of the local population. For example, you can go fishing, make trips to the nearby villages if there is one markthat is, discovering the local nature, spotting birds, ...
However, The Gambia is not a large country, so everything is easy to reach. During the weekends you can go back to the South bank to visit the tourist attractions, the capital Banjul is only 75 km (about 2 hours). A trip to Senegal (border crossing at 75 km) is also worth considering. If you do go to the capital during the weekend, it is also the right time to stock up on various products that you will not find in Jammeh Kunda or the nearby villages.
What The Gambia is most known for are the beaches. It is ideal to rest in one of the resorts during the weekends.
The River Gambia National Park (also known as Baboon Island) is a complex of five islands (total area of 585 ha.). It is one of the last refuges for the highly endangered hippo in the Gambia. Since 1979, a Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project has been conducted in the Islands.
The park is located in Central River Division (CRD) about 300 km by road from Banjul. It is one of the last additionslucsanctuaries for the highly endangered hippopotamus in the Gambia. A Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project has been running on the islands since 1979, and about fifty chimpanzees currently live on 3 of the larger islands. The population is constantly increasing through births. In addition to reintroducing a native species to the country, the project's existence in the Gambia River National Park has helped to protect the forest and its resources from over-exploitation.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife Management works hard to protect the park and its environment.
Volunteering abroad comes at a cost and it is not the intention that the community you will help have to pay for it. If there were sufficient budgets to cover these costs, we would spend it on a local employee who knows the local culture and daily customs. If you want to know more about our transparent system, take a look at the transparency page.
These costs, which you pay on site, are specific to your stay, such as your accommodation and meals. Through payable locally you are also sure that your contribution will go directly to the person who organizes it and will not be left behind at various “intermediate stations”.
Note: these costs are only for individual volunteer work. For group projects, different prices apply depending on various factors
€ 70 per week
We want to ensure that there is sufficient influx of volunteers to keep each project viable. After all, many projects require continuity from volunteers in order for the project to succeed or to create sufficient impact. Unfortunately, marketing and raising volunteers costs a lot of money. The budgets that the participating organizations collect during recruitment campaigns are used to develop projects in the south for the benefit of the local population and we therefore do not want to address these funds for marketing campaigns.
The membership fee serves to cover the costs of our volunteer platform. We ask each participant for a one-time contribution of €130. This is only the first time volunteering and only after you have been accepted. After payment of this contribution, you can do unlimited volunteer work in the future at any project (if there is room and you meet the requirements of course).
As soon as you are a member, we will inform you as soon as new projects are added to our alliance.
What is your connection fee used for?
You can read all about the possible costs on our transparency page.
We will of course not let you leave without thorough preparation and guidance. With Volunteer Abroad Allliance we have developed a system that ensures that you can sleep soundly and leave with peace of mind for your volunteer work abroad. As soon as you have been accepted and everything has been arranged, you can count on the guidance of our experts.
Once you are registered and accepted for your project, your preparation can begin. You already get a lot to read on the website, but you can also prepare for your trip in other ways. Once you have arrived, you can also count on the guidance of our local team.
Volunteering will have an impact on you and on the local population. We think it is very important to create awareness for you as a volunteer, so that you can optimally prepare for what awaits you as a volunteer. That is why you will receive the login codes for the project page after acceptance as a volunteer. Here you will find information that is important to you as a volunteer for your preparation. You can read everything about your project, accommodation, instructions for a visa application, a packing list, cultural advice for your country and much more…
Our experienced mentor will contact you and will help you with advice and answers to the questions you have. Your mentor is a member of an organization that is part of our alliance and has been working with fundraising for the project you are traveling to for years, so you can speak of a real specialist. Our mentors are members of our alliance and have years of experience in the projects. This system ensures that you receive 100% expert guidance from VAA.
Mon-Fri: 9.00 – 17.00 CET – (Dutch & English)
