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Volunteer Work Gambia
Gambia, with its population of just 2.348 million (2019), is ranked in 174th place out of 191 countries and territories in 2021 in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country. Most of the Gambia's population live in poverty and there are few prospects for the future as oil drilling to boost the economy has proved fruitless and only one sixth of the country's landmass is suitable for growing food. Many volunteer work projects in Gambia focus on education. Unlike in many other African countries, secondary school education is free however primary education is not and most secondary schools will not accept children who have not had a primary education ~ the cost of which is beyond the reach of most families who live on or below the poverty line.
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As such only 39% of children attend secondary school and this is reflected in the country's literacy rate of just 50% (dropping to 40% for females.) Volunteer work projects in Gambia focus on installing wells and water pumps as well as providing mosquito nets and vaccinating children from infectious diseases such as malaria. Other volunteer work in Gambia includes working with older people, children, youths, medical services, administration, computers, sports, disability groups, women’s groups, environmental initiatives, arts, music, and more. There are also volunteer work opportunities in the many orphanages that are run in the country to cater for the 72,000 children who are without parents out of a child population of some 811,000.
Please note that many volunteer opportunities in Gambia were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic which led to the permanent closure of some volunteer opportunities and restrictions on others. Hopefully things are now beginning to return to normal. If you run or know of a volunteer work project in Gambia let us know by contacting us here. We look forward to hearing from you!
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