The Gambia Country Fund

Description

Contributions to the Gambia Country Fund support community-driven Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) projects in our rural areas. These projects include strengthening literacy, early childhood development service delivery, women/girls/youth empowerment, behavior change for a healthy lifestyle, and food security. Please read more about our sectors below:

Agriculture

Peace Corps Gambia works in close partnership with the Ministry of Agricultural Services and other partners to place Volunteers as Agriculture and Forestry extension agents throughout The Gambia, to focus on strengthening the capacity of Gambian communities to facilitate participatory food and nutrition security and natural resources management activities. Household food and nutrition security is a priority for the Gambian government and a niche for Peace Corps to contribute to, by placing Volunteers at the grassroots in rural communities where the issue is more prevalent. Peace Corps Volunteers identify ways to reduce poverty by improving agriculture productivity, promote sustainable natural resource management, and encourage agricultural diversification. Agriculture Volunteers recommend the improved agricultural practices adapted for the local climate, available resources and culture they serve in. They help farmers learn to manage their fields and forests in a sustainable manner, and support community Counterparts that take leadership roles, with the goal that these people will continue the improvements after the Volunteer’s term of service. Volunteers facilitate the teaching of perm gardening and composting techniques, encourage improved chicken management, and the development of beekeeping projects. They also work with community members to address some of The Gambia’s pressing environmental concerns, such as erosion, deforestation and environmental adaptation and resilience with the development of tree nurseries and reforestation. While working in local communities Volunteers help generate income, encourage healthy eating habits, cultivate environmentally friendly habits, and improve the overall quality of life.

Education

Peace Corps Gambia works in close partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to place Volunteers as teacher trainers throughout The Gambia, to focus on building the capacity of Gambian teachers. Volunteers work in rural schools to promote improved teaching methods, concentrating on English language proficiency and literacy. The new project plan 2020-2027, Volunteers will be supporting the improvement of early numeracy development in additional to the literacy work as was ascribed in the previous project plan as unfinished business at the end of the last project plan cycle. Volunteers work with teachers to observe and evaluate Gambian lessons plans, demonstrate new teaching methods and lesson plans, advise teachers how to create student-centered classrooms, encourage and establish teacher community of practice for the sharing of best practices for others to emulate and learn from and encourage positive classroom management skills. Volunteers also partner with teachers to develop teaching and learning aids, assist in the organization and use of libraries, encourage the use of resource centers to acquire technological resources, and help organize extracurricular clubs for balanced child development. Volunteers organize and arrange for educators to attend workshops and trainings throughout the country, increasing their ability to provide a comprehensive educational environment to all students that eventually support the improvement of literacy and numeracy within The Gambian Education System.

Health

Peace Corps Gambia collaborates with the Ministry of Health to strengthen the capacity of Gambian communities and to aid them in the adoption of healthy behaviors and practices. Volunteers partner with healthcare providers, hospitals, rural community members, peer health groups and local community organizations to educate communities about how they can create healthier lifestyles. Educational techniques include the construction of fuel-efficient cook stoves, introducing improved vegetable varieties, and conducting cooking demonstrations with nutrient dense ingredients. Collaborating with local health posts is a primary way that Volunteers help to address maternal and child health. Volunteers will assist at clinics by weighing babies and updating vaccination records and discussing with mothers how to prevent malnutrition in children. The clinics also serve as a space for Volunteers to hold workshops on topics such as exclusive breastfeeding, birth spacing, and family planning.