Charitable Trust No 1106650
www.gafsip.org

SUMMER 2006 UPDATE

Cllr Terry Walker, Chair of Avon Fire Authority receives Diplomatic Ensign from The Acting High Commissioner of The Gambia, Mr Tamsir Jallow

The acting high commissioner of The Gambia Mr Tamsir Jallow visited 03 Yate to pay tribute to sponsors and volunteers of GAFSIP

To mark the 15 years of the partnership between Avon Fire and Rescue and The Gambia Fire and Ambulance Services he presented Cllr Terry Walker Chair of Avon Fire Authority with The Gambia Diplomatic Ensign.

There was also a personal presentation to Terry Walker in order to recognise his personal commitment and stoic support of the partnership from its inception.

Presentations were also made to other organisations that have supported this unique project, namely SerCo, Great Western Ambulance Service, South Wales and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Services, British Red Cross, personnel of 03 Yate, Brigade Workshops, Gambia Experience, Cross Hands Winterbourne Down, John Need and St Michael’s School.

In Mr Jallow’s speech, he stated that what started out as a unique partnership between two Fire Services, was now reaching virtually every community in The Gambia and the benefits to his communities were immense.

The new provincial Fire Stations provided far more than a fire service. They provide humanitarian services - from the provision of water to health care and advice.

He stated that words failed him in adequately expressing the meaning and appreciation of GAFSIP to the communities in The Gambia.

He stressed the value of the education support by investing in their future - their children.

His Government were able to invest in the provision of new fire stations and health clinics in partnership with GAFSIP, as this in turn supports their own objectives in capacity building and sustainable self sufficiency within the community.

He made special thanks to The Elected Members of The Fire Authority for their vision and continued support and prayed that we continue to work together in the future. He concluded that many will never be able to comprehend what this friendship means to one of the world’s smallest and poorest countries.

GAFSIP adds a new dimension to recycling

The City of Bristol College is the latest supporter in the provision of redundant school furniture.

On the 21st July, a 40ft container filled with chairs, desks and bookshelves left for The Gambia.

This type of goods is desperately needed and if they were not donated to GAFSIP it would cost the local tax payer £515 per ton to destroy and landfill. This figure does not include the labour cost for dismantling the furniture.

Filton Infants and Sandford Primary School are also supporting projects for The Gambia.

Southmead, Frenchay and The Nuffield Hospital in Cheltenham have started donating all manner of redundant medical supplies; to date there has been operating theatre tools and equipment, dressings, blood bags, sutures, colostomy sets and catheterisation sets and IV high protein feeds.

All of these types of goods are desperately needed in the Hospital in Banjul.

We personally witnessed our colleague Fire-fighter with 30% burns suffer whilst in intensive care due to the lack of health care goods and drugs.

We would not accept it here so why should we there, when there is something we can do to help.

British Red Cross have made significant donations of all manner of medical support goods in addition to the three ambulances. The president of Red Cross International has taken GAFSIP to heart and is impressed with the achievements and the voluntary work.

Bristol Rovers Football Team with some of the GAFSIP volunteers and Yvette Gate at the Rovers Fun Day

Yvette Gate

Yvette Gate is a young Gambian girl who has lived in Bristol all of her life. She suffers from Aplastic Anaemia. In order to save her life she needs a bone marrow transplant which can only be described as a lottery to find a suitable donor. The most likely source will be a relative.

Alhagie Mboob, a Gambia Fire Brigade Nurse who has recently completed 3 months training with us, will, through The Gambia Fire Service Clinics and The Royal Victoria Hospital, help in taking blood samples and locating family members. They hope to find a suitable donor in order to save her life.

Let us hope and pray they are successful for Yvette’s sake.

What has been sent this year.

1 Water Tender (AFRS)
1 Water Tender (SerCo/Airbus)
Chemical Incident Unit (AFRS)
3Ambulances (British Red Cross)
(all these vehicles were filly loaded with health and educational materials)
1 40’ container Febrary 6th
1 40’ contaner 19th July
1 40’ container  21st July

The cost of shipping these vehicles is over £20,000 and our funds are now severely depleted. Our priority now is fund raising for the next shippments, so please - any help, ideas, always welcomed.

Benefactors in The Gambia

The benefiting schools have been identified and will be:

• Kundam Lower Basic school in Tomani which is at one of the farthest most provinces in The Gambia and is one of the poorest. Families there exist on subsistence farming.
• Completion of Bansang Senior Secondary School IT suite - a project started in 2005.
• Further enhancement of St Peters Senior Secondary in Banjul with the donation of computers and books.

Mr Tamsir Jallow commented during his visit that so much negative media sadly surrounds Africa. The GAFSIP project was an example of how real and sustainable support can provide so much benefit to total communities. He added that it was also worthy of note that, at a time where the press is continually reporting on the secular problems between Muslim and Christian across the world, in this part of Africa these communities live in complete harmony. Families cross the boundaries of religion by marriage and friendship.

For the majority in The Gambia their priority is food, water and somewhere to live as this means survival.

Fund Raising

Sean and Simon – intrepid travellers or just mad? The route

Fire fighter Sean Heighton of Red Watch Brislington with Simon Vann - Jones, a friend, have a place in the Plymouth/ Banjul challenge - a 4,000+ mile journey which includes driving across the Sahara desert, leaving just before Christmas this year (an alternative to turkey and tinsel?). The pair are to raise funds for GAFSIP. We were fortunately able to help with the provision of a Land rover kindly donated by SerCo/Airbus to GAFSIP and they have agreed that our two keen supporters can deliver the vehicle by road.

Sponsorship Forms will shortly be circulated for the challenge.

If you want more information about GAFSIP, or want to help in any way, call Claire or Dave Hutchings on 01454 772529 or e-mail us at info@gafsip.org