Senegambiagroup

The aim of the project 'Humanitarian Aid - Sukuta Health Centre - The Gambia' is threefold:

• humanitarian aid (making the Maternity Unit of the Sukuta Health Centre operational);
• performance of the project by about ten young Europeans (Belgians) with fewer opportunities, and an equal number of young Gambians;
• working within an entirely different cultural and social environment will sensitize these young people about the need of humanitarian aid to the South.

The different tasks to make the maternity unit operational are consisting of working on electricity (lighting, outlet, etc), sanitary (plumber work, etc), joinery (labo furniture, etc.) and painting, all components that lie in the training of the volunteers who will be recruited in a vocational school, situated in the (northern) region of the City of Antwerp (Koninklijk Atheneum - Schoten/Schilde - Royal High School).
This secondary school, with a total number of more than 1.200 students, has approximately 200 students in the vocational department. 10 of them are selected to perform the project. 3 teachers/technical advisors and the co-ordinator of the 'Vrienden van Sukuta' will support them.

A secondary - but equally important - aim is to develop every form of aid and fully involving local people so that they are capable of managing it and assuming responsibility for it the future.
Also intense collaboration between the volunteers and the young locals involved in the project will, beyond any doubt, have a very positive impact on both groups, who will exchange experiences, their respective ways of doing things and even personal items as well. Besides working together, the volunteers will have the opportunity to visit local people in their own home situation, which will be a confrontation of about ten Flemish youngsters with an entirely different cultural and social environment and the need for humanitarian aid for the South (and the huge contrast with their own European comfort).