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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Jan 2006 : 09:15:38
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Sister Omega
I agree..the best thing (well one of many) about The Gambia is the very peaceful way people from different groups coexist. The rest of the world could learn alot from that!
I also agree 100% that poverty mostly definately doesnt mean spiritual poverty. INFACT I think it is almost the opposite. The richer materially a nation becomes, the more spiritually impoverished it becomes.
In village life in the Gambia people help each other with their child care and look after their elderly. I once tried to explain the concept of old peoples homes...... in the village were horrified that their families didnt want them. I have a great respect for Gambian culture and way of life..it has many many positives.
I was talking to a health care worker in the village about depression, which is endemic here. He said it was very rare because of the sense of community. In Britain loneliness causes alot of sadness.
When we are all trying to press for economic improvements for Gambia we need to be very careful not to destroy these excellent qualities as the country 'progesses' because otherwise the progress will be at too high a price. |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2006 : 09:27:22
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Sister Omega can you clarify 'supporting' and 'helping'. The group I go to Gambia with follow the Action Aid model of helping people help themselves.The village makes the decisions about what the need. We dont impose our will.
The individuals I help on a private personal level I help with education or starting small businesses. My philosophy is to give people a chance, a leg up as we say....then it is up to them to sink or swim.... I keep in touch by letter, email text and phone and try to offer encouragement. The relationship I have with the people and their families is like an 'auntie'...... As far as I am concerned my friendship with these families is for life.
It is important to me that Gambian people think this is a good thing to do. Over the past few weeks I have been questioning whether I have got it all wrong and should pull out and leave it to the governments to deal with. The postings on this site seem so negative about western help it is making me question everything. |
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Tairema
24 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 16:25:00
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| Gambiabev, are you really that thick that you can not read the real meaning of postings or are you just seeking attention to fill your lonely life? The help is needed and really so much appreciated but not at the cost of our dignity. So if you want and expect to have groveling blacks at your feet, kissing them while singing your praise because you sent money to our poor families then keep your money and we will keep our dignity. But if you help because you feel it in your heart to help other human beings who are the same as you are but only have worse living conditions than yours and your help is intended to help and not as a self-glorifying mission statement to prove to others how good you are, then may all your days be filled with blessings and goodness and we can truely call you a true friend to the African people. You are the one that can answer this questiom, not us! |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 17:28:29
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 You seem very angry with me. You insult me. I am not asking for gratitude or grovelling. My satisfaction comes from seeing people develop and improve.
The people I have helped I consider genuine friends. What concerns me is do they feel the same as you underneath? Do they hate me really because in accepting my help they loose dignity? I THINK we are friends, but is it just fake? a means to an end???? |
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Tairema
24 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2006 : 10:05:16
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" The help is needed and really so much appreciated.....
But if you help because you feel it in your heart to help other human beings who are the same as you are but only have worse living conditions than yours .....then may all your days be filled with blessings and goodness and we can truely call you a true friend to the African people. "
I have broken my posting down for you in clear portionised sizes (see above) this might be easier for you to read what I am actually saying instead of making something else (again) of my postings. Please read carefully before you are calling me an angry African. Read. woman, read! |
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AbeCham
United Kingdom
19 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2006 : 17:49:46
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Hi all
I have been following the evangelical debate with interest and found it quiet disturbing that some of us can be so intolerant. This evangelicals no matter what there motives are meant well and i think it's a good thing we have people from different religious spectrums encouraging debate and soul searching in our communities which after all can increase our understanding of faith |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2006 : 08:55:03
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There are several people on this forum that make accusations very freely. In Britain if such a thing was printed in the press and then found to be untrue they would be prosecuted. Do any such laws apply to the net???
If people are making serious accusations I think they should have evidence and be prepared to hand over such evidence to the administrator of the site.
In the case of ncompasstraining I have stated that I think aid should be freely given and not tied to any 'bribary' to christianity.
We have heard nothing more from ncompasstraining. I would like him to defend his position and clarify what his group is about and if it has links to the Scottish group mentioned previously.
We shouldnt be judge and jury till we have the facts! |
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ncompasstraining
12 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 02:57:05
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Whoa....Whoa....Whoa.....
I have just come back from working away and I return to a backlash about something I am nothing to do with!
What the hell is everyone going on about. I am nothing to do with any religious group, in fact I am a bloody staunch aetheist. I didn't come on here for an argument, I genuinely came to ask for some advice because I am worried that some of the government officials who are representing the village we are working in appear to be threatening passing lorry drivers to drop off supplies for the school we are helping to fund, and I was looking for some advice on the approach to deal with that situation.
Thanks for jumping to conclusions - I am sorry I bothered.
If you feel like I need to justify myself, then these are my reasons for working in the Gambia, and I apologise if this sounds tetchy but I am getting angrier by the minute:
1) I feel that I have quite a nice life here in the UK, and I just wanted to do something for others.
2) I am a youth and community work consultant, and so the links with young people is great because we can work with them to provide volunteering opportunities overseas,
And as for me being a 'religious fanatic' as I think was quoted by one person, you would not believe how far from the truth that is. If you must know, I have lived 'in sin' for eight years, had a child 'out of wedlock' with a lapsed catholic whom I will not marry because I am unwilling to have a church ceremony that I feel is hypocritical.
I am not going to bother going on - I can't believe that a simple question has caused so much commotion, and so many unfounded judgements and complete fabrications of the truth.
I was hoping to make links on this website that may have long term benefit to the very people that we are trying to work with in the Gambia, with guidance from those of you that I thought would have more experience and an objective viewpoint. I now realise this was a mistake.
As for that group in Scotland - I have never bloody heard of them, and I am not even going to justify giving them another hit on their website to check out what you mean.
Thanks to all of you who did not jump to conclusions.
Suryiah |
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ncompasstraining
12 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 03:09:48
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Oh, and by the way...For Sev and some others who may not know the geography of the UK:
Wales is no-where near Scotland, in fact I can travel to Gambia quicker than I can drive to Scotland, making that link even more tedious.
Suryiah |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 08:18:33
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Thanks for clarifying things. Some people on this site jump to conclusions very quickly as I have found out at my own expense. Try not to let it put you off looking at the site...there are some interesting discussions.......you learn who to avoid...who has the closed mind and the BIG chip on the shoulder! |
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Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 11:45:42
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quote:
Originally posted by ncompasstraining
And as for me being a 'religious fanatic' as I think was quoted by one person, you would not believe how far from the truth that is.
I believe you mean me? since I was talking about religious fanatics. I was talking about cults in general, not you. Just to make that clear. |
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ncompasstraining
12 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 13:03:47
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Babylon
The thread of the conversation, from the original posting, led to the implication that I am grouped among those people.
Most people concluded after reading Seb's posting about the mission statement of that Scottish group, that I must be some sort of 'religious fanatic', however the way I phrased my response was hasty due to my anger and I apologise for that.
Regards
Suryiah |
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ncompasstraining
12 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 13:18:58
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Gambiabev
Thank you for your response.
I AM concerned about staying on the site because I use my business email address, and now the name of my business is being quoted in emails as being linked to extremist thinking groups, and as I am contracted by some international charities, I am worried about who will read these postings and jump to the same unfounded conclusions that other people have.
Even if some people have the decency to apologise, the damage has sort of already been done, and until I converse with the site administrator I am not sure this is a risk I am willing to take.
Again, thank you for your kind words.
Suryiah
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Tairema
24 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 13:29:07
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Ncompass, this whole thread was a bit confusing in the beginning. Mentioning 5 different charities in one thread, of which 4 are doing a wonderful job and the fifth is dubious to say the least was a bit misleading.I am sure that the heavy debate was directed at these Scottish weirdo's and not at the great work that the other (and your) projects do.Aid is very much needed and greatly appreciated because it will help to make us more independant and selfsufficient like your project does however these zellous Scots are giving aid with the purpose to subdue us to their belief: to make it the only religion. And that is wrong. Religion is very personal and people should be free to make their own choice what they want to believe, so forcing a certain type of religion onto people under false pretences is very wrong. In The Gambia people of all kind of religion live in peace with eachother without forcing themselves upon others, that is why we al live in harmony with different types of religion.
That was the point I was making.
If you need help with your problem, why don't you put the whole story on the board and you can get some opinions on how to solve it, if possible? |
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ncompasstraining
12 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2006 : 15:19:19
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Hi Tairema
Thank you, I totally agree.
The reason why I did not want to post the whole problem in the beginning is because I am not sure who accesses the site, and I wanted to be politically sensitive in case it jeopardises our work in Gambia. Hence that is why I asked if someone would be willing to enter into a private conversation, so that I would feel freer in explaining the situation.
I will outline the problem without giving details of the village we are working in or those involved:
To put you in the picture, we have met regularly with the villagers and the project proposals have been developed in consultation with villagers, and the final proposal has been endorsed by those representing the village.
My concern is that the MP for the area is a very prominent government official, and he has appointed a 'gatekeeper' for liaison, who we have just found out has a chequered past in another country, a past which is very serious.
Whenever we ask the villagers questions, they answer us honestly and openly, for example how they have gained money for certain projects, but then the officials step in and give us another story, and get angry with the villagers if they speak to us.
We are committed to helping the people of the village to develop themselves, however we are increasingly worried that some of the tactics and 'fibs' being told to us by the officials are hindering progress - for example a new building was put up next to the school last time we visited, and we were told by officials that the money was raised from sponsorship, however the villagers told us that they were told to stop lorries coming through the village and 'ask for donations' for the building.
The chief does not speak English, and everything is translated through the officials - and i can tell by watching their discussions that he does not agree with some of the things that are said by officials, but when we brought in an independent translator to help us translate, it was met with hostility by the MP and liaison person. The village welcomed him warmly. The translator warned us that things are not what they seem, but was then spoken to by the government official, and did not give any further information.
I suppose I just wanted a picture of the political situation in Gambia - I get mixed messages about the government and it is starting to get more confusing. I also wanted to contact other people who run projects and share their experience and advice.
Two of the trustees are scheduled for a further visit in March to meet a container, and I am not going back until April - it is difficult when we are so far away to get a handle on the situation.
I am sorry I cannot be more explicit, but I am sure that you understand that I am trying to be very careful.
Regards
Suryiah
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