Founding of GTS

The Formation of Gambia Tourist Support - GTS

As a result of a holiday in 1997 a small UK family established a unique charity in the Gambia. The simple aim was to create much needed employment and training opportunities for Gambian people,thus affording them the dignity of supporting their families.

GETS uk Trustees
& Advisors

Education
in Gambia

This was achieved gradually over the years via a variety of methods:- training Gambians as guides; establishing a restaurant/bar, appointing and training staff.
Driving lessons, so staff could collect charity members from the airport & accompany them on planned excursions, were introduced along with the availability of reasonably priced tourist accommodation.

Baobab tree

Only Gambian people manned all jobs created. All this alongside providing general support and advice to members and establishing a comprehensive web site.

GTS started at the Holiday Beach Club in 1998 at a small Telecentre shop. In 2000 GTS moved to the old Dardeema & refurbished it.

All of the above proved of great value to both tourists and Gambians alike and the income (with any shortfalls being met by the family) covered the wages and overheads and eventually led to small profits, which were immediately ploughed into educational projects. These included the purchase of materials for schools or allocating materials donated by tourists; managing and monitoring correct use of specific sponsorship monies on behalf of the sponsors or by funding it from charity funds for identified students.

In 2002 GTS built new kitchens along with a new Bar & Restaurant.

Eventually, working with a local community they were able to actually build a school, staff it with Gambian teachers and arrange the support of visiting volunteers. Encouragement and support to assist communities to be responsible for running their own schools was also implemented with close attention to monitoring correct use of the hard won funding

In late 2005 we encompassed the old Dardeema and redeveloped it to be combined with the existing GTS Garden Restaurant.

By January 2004 GTS had management and/or funding responsibilities for 3 nursery schools and had, (working alongside sponsors), built a community library, a nursery school, a sports centre and in addition purchased land for the future establishment of a Skills and Teacher Training Centre. It was also working on the development of an educational curriculum of UK standard designed to recognise and maintain the rich culture and traditions of the Gambian people.

Bakoteh
Community Library

We look forward to
seeing all our old and new members

Not surprisingly staff responsibilities were becoming blurred. The vital funds needed to maintain the on going educational projects (which were supporting some 600 children) were from necessity balanced against the vital need to organise tourist support via trips, catering, driving and accommodation responsibilities to earn the funds to maintain employment. Both aspects of the charity's work were in danger of being overloaded.