My trip with Jörg W. in Gambia
My trip to The Gambia with Jörg W. was something special.
Elke D. und Jörg W.
This year, my trip to The Gambia was something very special. On the one hand, it was my first trip without Kerstin Gebhardt, the chairwoman of the organisation, and on the other, another Rathenow resident accompanied me to The Gambia. Jörg Wartenberg, like many other people from Rathenow, donated orange trees for Kitty. Now he wants to see what has become of the little trees and whether our projects are really helping the local people.
After just a short time, Jörg realised that The Gambia is unlike any other country he has been to. The poverty is palpable in every village and at every door of every hut.
I had asked for ‘rice instead of flowers’ for my birthday this year. All my guests decided not to give me flowers and put the money in my rice tin instead. With this money, we were able to buy rice, oil, sugar and onions for many families in The Gambia. We were able to enable two children to see a doctor and help one family find a decent place to sleep.
Jörg also had to realise that this aid was used up after a few days. The ‘Hand in Hand’ gardens are of course much more sustainable. Jörg was able to marvel at Kitty's garden on the very first day. Of course, he didn't find his orange tree. But this forest of oranges, lemons, cassava and sweet potatoes growing underneath was impressive even for him. We were able to enjoy our days in The Gambia safe in the knowledge that his donation had also helped to establish this garden.
We were able to immerse ourselves in Gambian life, getting to know families and traditions. We bathed in the sea and enjoyed the friendliness of the people.
At this point, a big thank you to ‘Hand in Hand’ and Pa Malang Saidy (called Grandpa) who accompanied us to the garden in Kitty and to some families. In an emergency, we had the assurance that we could fall back on Grandpa and the club car, which was always ready and well-maintained. This made us feel safe on our adventures, big and small.
Our days in The Gambia were over far too quickly. Jörg was able to take some unique experiences back to Rathenow with him. It was a unique experience for him. I am already looking forward to my next visit to The Gambia and perhaps one day I will be accompanied by another Rathenow resident who would like to see for themselves how easy it would be to eliminate the causes of flight if only they wanted to.