{"id":323828,"date":"2026-09-21T14:55:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/degroenelinde.nl\/?p=323828"},"modified":"2026-09-22T09:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T07:14:14","slug":"the-gambia-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/degroenelinde.nl\/en\/the-gambia-update","title":{"rendered":"Update on The Gambia"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first consignment has arrived in The Gambia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have some great news about our Gambia project! The first consignment of clothes, shoes, toys and other donations has arrived safely in The Gambia. Curious to know how it went and where all the items are going? We\u2019d love to share the first update with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

48 boxes have arrived safely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first 48 boxes have now arrived safely in The Gambia. The Gambia for You Foundation organised the transport. Remarkably, the consignment arrived almost at the same time as Carolien. She returned to her husband Seabas and the community in The Gambia following her stay in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transport went very smoothly. That\u2019s particularly welcome during the rainy season. After all, transport and storage can pose extra challenges at this time of year. Fortunately, everything arrived dry and undamaged. Nothing was lost and all the items arrived in good condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great start to our fundraising campaign!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a banana box to a new owner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seabas, Carolien\u2019s husband, has temporarily stored all the boxes at their home. From there, the first items were quickly distributed to people who could really use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zo kreeg een gezin uit de buurt pyjama’s en knuffels voor hun kindje. Het zijn misschien kleine dingen, maar juist zulke praktische spullen kunnen veel betekenen voor een gezin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, all the boxes have been carefully selected and sorted. This enables us to put the items to use in various ways within the community. Some go directly to the people who need them. Others are sold at the local market. All the proceeds from these sales go towards projects within the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s already yielding some great results. The first day of sales brought in over 2,000 dalasi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proceeds will help to provide a water source<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2,000 dalasi may not seem like a huge amount, but in The Gambia it has a different value. When converted, it is roughly equivalent to half a month\u2019s salary for many people. We will add the proceeds from the sale to the budget for the construction of a water source. We still need around \u20ac500 for this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would you like to help us get closer to this goal? Any contribution is welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please support the Gambia project with a financial contribution.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second consignment is also on its way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following this first successful consignment, we have already moved on to the next stage. We have now delivered a further 28 boxes to the Gambia for You Foundation. This consignment is also on its way to The Gambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, we\u2019re also taking three boxes of glasses with us. We received these glasses from JIJ Eyewear & More in Zuidlaren<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The owners, Jeroen and G\u00e9raldine, have themselves been to The Gambia before. During their visit, they met Carolien and Seabas. Even back then, they were already distributing lots of pairs of glasses to people who often cannot afford eye care. When we heard that another batch of spectacles was available, we were allowed to collect them from them. This means these spectacles can also be sent to The Gambia with the next consignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wonderful example of how more and more people are getting involved in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fundraising campaign is going ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, our collection campaign doesn\u2019t stop with these two consignments. We\u2019ll continue to collect items throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday 9 September, for example, Marianne and I collected five boxes in Zutphen from someone who had read our appeal in the newsletter. In addition, new boxes are regularly delivered to our company in Heiloo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll soon be delivering another large consignment to the Gambia for You Foundation. These items can then be sent to The Gambia in the next container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donating items for The Gambia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any items at home that deserve a new lease of life? You can drop them off at De Groene Linde all year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, we collect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n