I AM A CURIOUS CHILD

A mother of three wonderful children will join us for voluntary work in Gambia. Irena Zgank proves there are no obstacles for this kind of journey! Modest acts, from her or from the people she has met in her life, is what makes her happy. Read to see why she is traveling to Africa…

"I'm a curious child who explores life in a body of a middle-aged woman. There is only 30 days more and my journey to Africa will begin. From the awaiting experience, from the people I'm going to meet. During my travels, I have always liked to be with simple people, to help in the kitchen when trekking, among porters; how many children have to unload lots of kilograms just so they can attend school. A boy with a full basket of luggage offered me the only piece of candy he had. He didn't have much, but he would give that too. To me, who was taking photographs of the beautiful nature. These kinds of gestures touch you deeply. I didn't take the candy, I didn't offend him. We met every day on the way, both glad to see each other. You can always look simple people in the eyes, into their soul. They have nothing to hide, no reason to pretend. They are simple.

I don't know what called me to Gambia. A call. We are more connected than we can imagine. Children elsewhere don’t concern us? We are all inhabitants of planet Earth and every thought, help and cooperation is welcome. I'm going to Gambia to learn, but I'm also continuing my studies and volunteering. I like to exercise outdoors, explore, help heal and spread light. The more of ourselves we can give to others, the richer we become.

I, myself, am a mother of three wonderful children: Anja, Anže and Gaja They have always supported me like my partner Matjaž. Before I met him, I took care of Anja and Anže as a single mother, so I know more sides of life. On our honeymoon in Egypt we gave away toys and clothes which we had brought with us. My schoolmate and friend Jelka brought me today shirts, backpacks and pendants for children. I'm looking forward to seeing sparkles in their eyes." Irena Zgank

SAY NO TO IVORY! SPEAK UP, SIGN PETITION NOW!

INTERNATIONAL MARCH FOR ELEPHANTS! 

Why March?
The ivory trade is an international problem and one which must be recognized by Governments worldwide if we are to see any changes.
Join your local city March and stand in solidarity with elephants. 


http://www.iworry.org/

iWorry is a campaign created byThe David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT)

The DSWT is a front-line organisation working every day in the field to protect Africa’s wildlife and habitats. We are not traditionally a campaigning organisation, but the severity of the danger caused by the escalating ivory trade will only be countered if we all stand up for elephants together.

As long as there is a market for ivory, elephants will be cruelly killed for their tusks.

The DSWT iWorry campaign aims to raise awareness of the illicit ivory trade and it's devastating impact on elephant populations. Demand for ivory has grown significantly in recent years. Presently, one kilo of ivory can be worth up to USD $2,000. The increasing value of ivory, frequently referred to as white gold has attracted the attention of organised criminal networks and ivory has even been used to fund terrorist organisations. It is estimated that up to 36,000 elephants are being killed annually to satisfy this growing demand.

Read how you can get involved! 
If you would love to get involved on Friday 4th October but can't attend one of the marches listed there are many other ways to stand up for elephants: http://www.iworry.org/get-involved/

Sign your name and stand up for elephants by saying NO
to ivory! We will be are grateful to you for adding your name to the list of people worldwide who cannot imagine a world without elephants. 

By signing up online petition to say NO to the ivory trade, you will help them to show international governments that there MUST be a permanent ban in ivory trade if we are to see elephants in our lifetime.

Pure Afro Travels Tanzania
Travel as Volunteer to Tanzania 

CHILDREN IN GAMBIA ARE NOT DYING OF STARVATION!

If we claimed that children on Gambia’s streets are dying of starvation it would be a lie. However, if we told you that the rice the girl in the picture is eating might be her only meal of the day, we would confront you with the truth!

In September we are travelling as volunteers to The Gambia again. Our program Travel as a Volunteer continues in February 2014. We would like to make the families happy with a bag of rice. Our sponsors generously donate every month, ensuring the children a meal in school, school supplies, medicine in case the children become sick. But we would like to give them more. They don't need presents, computers, sweets or toys. The most important thing they need is food. RICE!


LET'S JOIN FORCES!
If you would like and are able to help, we kindly ask for a donation for rice to our association’s account. 50 kg of rice costs approx. 35€ and feeds a family for almost a month.

When distributing the rice 5 volunteers from Slovenia are going to be present. Therefore there is no need to worry that the rice or financial support wouldn't reach the families. WE WORK DIFFERENTLY and we want to be known for this.

Information for donors in EUROPE:
Name of organization: DRUŠTVO ZA OTROKE SVETA (Kids Are The World)
Address: Klanc 89, 3204 Dobrna, Slovenija
Account number: SI 56 2900 0005 0687 692
SWIFT: BACXSI22
Purpose: RICE GAMBIA
REFERENCE: SI 99
Account at Uni Credit Bank


Information for donors from all over the WORLD:
CHARITY PEARL THE GAMBIA 
P.O. BOX 2902 
LATRIKUNDA GERMAN,SEREKUNDA 
THE GAMBIA, WEST AFRICA 

Account details:
GHANA INTERNATIONAL BANK LONDON
67 CHEAPSIDE, 1ST FLOOR, REGINA HOUSE
LONDON EC2 6AZ UK, TRUST BANK LIMITED
ACCOUNT NO: 112-26289801
SWIFT/BIC: TBLTGMGM

In Gambia people ALWAYS share the food they have. If they didn’t do this, we would have to publish pictures of starving kids and people. Fact is that the situation in Gambia is not like that. Still this doesn't mean that there is no hunger and malnutrition.

Children from the poorest families are going to school without having a meal, which means that the child didn't eat breakfast, neither a midday snack, nor lunch. The child's only meal is late lunch, when the whole family shares one bowl of rice. How can a hungry child study and how can this child be convinced to stay in school for as long as possible in order to learn a profession and get employed, when a hungry child is thinking only of ways to get some money and buy food. This is also connected with child labor which is »used« by parents to be able to feed their whole family.

No one gets their own plate! When the meal is ready the bowl is placed in the yard and everyone present eat together. Because they live in big communities and are very connected, the number of eaters is very high; women, men, children, relatives, neighbours, ... It is almost impossible to see only one person eating out of one bowl or to see a person with his or her own plate with rice. Therefore the death rate due to starvation is almost non-existent. There are only few such cases in the countryside and in villages, which are quite distant from society.

This fact may mislead those, who decide to help only after seeing horrific scenes from Africa. Hunger and malnutrition is an everyday problem of the poor in Gambia. A bag of rice that would feed a family for almost a month costs approx. 35€. Malnutrition affects the children’s physical and mental development and if we don’t take action, all efforts in the field of education won’t have the desired results either. Starvation can have a permanent effect on children, who were born in a country where apart from all other limitations their nutrition or cultivation of food for their own needs is additionally affected by the unfavorable climatic conditions.
 
If you would like to help and feed one family for a whole month you can do this by sending your donation for rice to our account.

For more details we are available at info@kidsaretheworld.com.

We would like to thank everyone who is going to donate for RICE!

HER DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE

Ines Kraljic, an animal lover, lover of nature and people, is going to join us as a volunteer in Gambia! Ines is going to arrive in Gambia in October and join our work in the local school. She briefly explained why she decided for this journey. Her dream finally came true!

I didn't particularly plan this journey but I wanted to do it since I can remember... I wanted it so much!

...The opportunity came in a good time and so I am going to Gambia in October to volunteer. They say it's a country of smiling people, even though they live in hard and difficult circumstances. I don't really comprehend it completely quite yet. The stories and pictures of the people are one thing, but the reality is something different. Nevertheless I am happy to be taking this unknown journey with the goal to help as much as I can – with the children and various other duties, as for example giving rice to the poor.

This is the beginning of the realization of my big dream.

Help and solidarity with people, animals and nature is a big gesture, and why not help when we can? Walking a dog from a shelter already means a lot, and you don't even need money for it.

In the picture is Ines with her friend from an animal shelter in Koper.

I was rather HUNGRY a few DAYS and gave FOOD to those who are hungry EVERY DAY ...

Valeria Krslin, founder of charity organization called “Last Hope” joined us as a volunteer to The Gambia in June 2013. A woman who puts all her efforts to help animals, children and people in need, has also changed the life of a family in the Gambia. It is said that one cannot change the world but still she has proven that an individual can change the world of at least one person. Valeria is a sponsor of Ramatoulie. She provides donations for her schooling, but as mentioned before, she has also changed the world of an entire family. She helps with funds for food, for medicines, clothing and footwear, educational costs ... She has shared some of her feelings after visiting the Gambia with us. Read how this trip has changed her life and her perception of the world.

Because I was rather HUNGRY a few DAYS and gave FOOD to those who are hungry EVERY DAY ...

"Living in the Gambia has taught me many things. Unfortunately or fortunately, I did not get to experience the country as a tourist, but as a volunteer in the Gambia. Seeing the misery of the children who suffer from deprivation, encountering starving people on the street, not to mention the animals and their miserable situation has definitely put a mark on me. This cannot be seen so closely if you travel as a tourist, from the 5 star hotel and other tourist-protected areas. Of course, just as in every African country, there are rich and poor, there are beautiful villas and also poor shacks. Let me state that there are not many rich people in the Gambia. The fact that separates the Gambia from other countries in the world is that the percentage of the poor is incredibly high. The poor are everywhere - in the cities as well as in the countryside. Tourists visiting the Gambia are usually staying in hotels with heavenly beaches or attend some excursions where they are shown the cultural and historical tourist sites, national parks and world of animals. It is a beautiful country to visit and amazing people to meet. We however, were sight-seeing the villages, meeting families and experiencing their way of life. We also visited local schools, where the conditions are not very promising. Basically, we were faced with the reality of the Gambians in this so-called country of smiling people.

Without any doubts I have returned back home a changed person with a different view of the world. In Slovenia, we are having some troubles in the past years when it comes to social as well as political matters. But let me tell you that we do not lack anything as long as we are healthy. I recommend everyone to go to the Gambia and you'll see what it means to struggle for each day feeding and living. A woman in a wheelchair was washing cars to feed her hungry children. In front of restaurants we met a handicapped man and a mother with her child who were waiting for the leftovers of restaurant guests! This cannot be witnessed in our country. It is true that some of us can not earn big amounts of money and some are having very hard life in Europe but still let me explain that in the Gambia there is no social security system. No social support, no health insurance, women give birth at home, many of them die, they do not have any maternity benefits, pensions, various cash benefits in the event of lost job, subsidized meals ... Nevertheless, these people do not complain, they have a smile on their face and they look for a way to make it through. When I gave my sandwich to a disabled person on the street who had a deformed hands and feet, he almost dropped it on the floor so severe deformity of time he had! Yet, he did not complain, quite the opposite – he was smiling ... I was standing beside him adn cried. I felt so helpless and useless.

We should appreciate that we live in the developed world. One cannot understand the situation in Africa unless you see it with your own eyes. In the Gambia, I lost a few pounds, because I was rather hungry for a few days and give food to those who are hungry every day. You get down from all this misery. Many of the animals died infront of my eyes, but it is not possible to provide veterinary aid to all of them and neither would it do a lot of help because the problem lies much deeper. Their attitude towards animals is quite different from ours. It is very difficult to convince hungry people to give the cats or dogs fresh water and food if they don’t have it for themselves.

With all this misery and mentally exhausting work in the Gambia I have also brought many beautiful, happy, memorable moments. Originally, I went to the Gambia in order to volunteer and to meet my little girl, my princess Ramatoulie. I will keep sending money for their food, clothing, school supplies... My wish of meeting my family has now fulfilled. I met the whole family, I hugged my princess and spent some memorable moments with her, with her sisters, brother and mother. It is impossible to describe these moments of happiness. The little girl is a real angel. Her mother and 6 amazing children live in a modest apartment but I know that they are living now much better. The whole family welcomed me. I brought them some nice gifts as well. It was precious to see the sparkle in their eyes. At the same time, I was worried with the thought of all the other children, which did not get the opportunity to go to school, who don’t get any kind of help ... And there are many...

I want to thank to all of you who will in any way help children in The Gambia, and those who have already become sponsors and paid school fees for the children. You can not imagine that with doing so, you have given the children a chance to have a better future. There are many more, waiting outside a school who want to attend, but their parents can’t even pay school fees for them.
Greetings to all,
Valeria Krslin  

AFRICA IS AFRICA....

Irena Zupanc is a sponsor to ten children in The Gambia, five of them are boys and five are girls. She decided to join our program Travel as a Volunteer to The Gambia together with some other volunteers. 

Read bellow the reasons for her decision and her feelings about our project in The Gambia.

''I've always loved to travel. I visited many countries, but there's nothing like Africa. I must say that living there and embracing the life of local people changes you. You see, feel and experience more than you can imagine, things you did not even know they exist, things which are unkown to our western world.
While visitng many world destinations, there is one special journey that will forever stay in my memory; visiting and meeting local people in one of the poorest villages in Zambia. It was a heart-breaking experience, a real trial for me. Seeing dozens of children anticipating with hope when seeing a boat with white people on board. When visiting the village I have seen simple houses made of clay, without electricity, running water, furniture, sanitaries. Instead of toilets they use a hole in the ground, covered with a lid.

You soon realise that we are living in a world of dreams and full of possibilities, compared to the majority of the world, compared to Africa. On the contrary, people are far more happy then we are. Modest, simple and selfless. In one of the homes I was offered bread toasted on coal. They were willing to host a complete stranger, even though they have nothing for themselves. I gave some money to the children and one girl was so thankful she started kissing my hands of gratefulness.

I feel the need to help. It makes me happy. I am happy if I make others happy. In the charity organization For the Children of the World I have encountered wonderful people who think alike. Unselfish people, ready to sacrifice and carrying a big heart. So, in September, I'm taking of with some other volunteers to Gambia.

Presently, we are working on fund raising for rice for families in The Gambia. It is a goal in which many people are involved, from friends, to other volunteers and members of the association. We are also in search of new sponsors for the children, in order to provide them an education and the basic needs.

I will visit ''my children'' and their families but also the families of my friends who have now also become sponsors. Our goal is to visit as many people as possible, give them rice and the letters from their sponsors in Europe.
Especially, I look forward seeing their smiley faces when they will receive food and presents. This kind of internal joy no money can buy.

I struggle with finding the right words to continue. Let me just add these sentence to finish off: All the good you do in life comes back to you. If one can help in any manner to anyone and not expect anything in return it is called charity, a good heart. It does not matter who you help. What matters is that you make a change and maybe tomorrow it might be you who will need help. Or me. And it is comforting to know that there are people out there who care.
I look forward to meet the kids of which I take the best possible care. I will make my best so they do not forget me, and to know they also have someone who cares about them, even if very far away.

I would like to appeal to all of good people to join us on our journey for making world a better place. 

Irena Zupanc"

TRAVEL AS A VOLUNTEER THE GAMBIA - TRAVELOGUE PART 3

As we conitnued our work and visiting our children, we also wanted them to make their day and sweeten a few moments with us so we bought some candies. What a joy it was for them and also for us! The children began to arrive from everywhere. In a few minutes we were surrounded by a huge number of smiling children. Every child from the village was relishing those lollipops. They were shouting "toubab", "toubab", which means white person. Let me explain that this word does not display racist acts, but a joy and respect!

Etka and Valerija went back home to Slovenia, I stayed and continued with the voluntary work. Before their departure we have spent the day with our friends - monkeys, at the Monkey Park. Of course this was one of the most entertaining mornings of our lives. Well, at least untill the point where they peed all over us and thus made us feel like we were sisters-at least by smell.

For the first time, when we were visting our children in Barra village, we took the ferry to reach other side. The drive took almost 3 hours in one direction, due to excessive cargo and low state of water. We shared the ferry with lots of people, plenty of cars, and also goats and motorcycles. To my question regarding the limitation of the number of the passengers and weight the reply was the following:  “ Yes, of course there is a limitation, but these rules no one follows.”
''Great'', I said to myself. ''I guess we'll see what happens.'' Luckily, we made it safe and sound to the village and back.



During my next visit to the village, I decided to take the adrenaline ride with a local, once a fishing boat. These boats have a long historical background, they are used now to transfer people, animals and cargo from the te capital of Gambia Banjul to rhe village of Barra.
From the village of Barra the roads lead to Senegal. What is fascinating about all of this is the fact that in the ports there are no pears. This means that in order to get to the boat, the boys, who work there, to bring food for their families, have to carry you on their shoulders to the boat, where with some additional help of the others you climb on the boat.

This may seem somewhat acceptable if I didn't weigh more than 100 kg! I couldn't sleep all night out of fear how these boys will manage to carry me across the water to the boat! ''Those poor men'', I thought.
The other day I decided to face the facts. I went to the port with Musa Faal, where a real spectacle was to happen. Everyone wanted to carry me!!! In the end, I have chosen a boy with a nickname Rambo. I asked him what should I do. He just said: '' Spread your legs and stay balanced.'' ''Haha I can do that'', I said. I did my part with excellence, Rambo put his head between my legs and carried me to the boat. Another Rambo waited for me there, who pulled me up and I was on the boat in less than one minute. Surprisingly! I gave them my compliments, and they said I was far from being the heaviest. ''In africa'', they said, ''lots of women are bigger than you, so in comparison to them you are just the perfect size.'' “I love Africa”, I said.

The ride was fast and calm. We reached the village in less than 20 minutes. In comparison to the ferry ride it was far more comfortable and much faster. I must mention the fact that the locals were always in more or less direct contact with me. There is no such thing as personal space when travelling with public transportation in Africa! Therefore you must go with the flow and get used to the habits of the locals. It is almost unnecessary to stress that I was the only caucasian woman sharing te ride with around 100 of african men and 3 african women. Another adrenaline experience which I will never forget was the departure of the boat.When we reched the port, the locals rushed into the water. It's just a few steps...

They earn less than 0,25 EUR for each person that they carry to the land. It's crowded in front of the boat, the men wrestle to get a ''client''. Musa arranges another rambo for me to carry me across the water. I give my camera to Musa to capture this historical moment. I sit at the edge of the boat and wait. When my rambo comes near I ask him for instructions. ''Spread your legs and jump on me!'' I sneer and ask him if he's being serious.'' Of course I am serious. I am a strong man'', he replies. Lord help him! I do what he says, jump on his neck and he carries me to the land. When he puts me down he says: “Madame I need massage!” In laughter I promise him a massage and say goodbye while leaving him a nice tip. He definetely earned more than 10 dalasies for his good spirits and a great sense of humour. On the way back, the  story was similar! There were even more fun moments when the cousin of  Musa joined us. Herself also not being one of the skinniest african ladies. Even more, she doesn't know how to swim and is terrified by the sheer idea of the sea. The ride was fun and full of adrenalin rush!

This trip into the country where people always carry a smile filled us with incredible joy and love towards the children and warm, kind-hearted people. On the contrary, it has also shown us the cruel reality of the underprivileged people in Gambia.

On the one hand you can find expensive hotels, on the other hand, a mother with the child in her arms asking for left-overs, so that she could offer her child at least one meal a day. On the one hand, expensive cars, on the other hand handicapped people in a wheelchair cleaning a wealthy man's car to earn enough for a handful of rice.

Still, we are immensely pleased that we have experienced real, local, black Africa! About our work and adventures one could write much more. We met lots of new people, families and children whom we help, get familiar with their way of life; learn the concept of fighting for survival .

Due to difficult situations of single mothers, we want to find solutions to help them and their children in order to increase their standard of living. With these women, we have set new goals and projects to directly support them and their families.
Many studies have shown that women who earn even smallest amounts of money invest it in their family and children, while men spent it otherwise. We wish to seek employment opportunities for women in order for them to receive a decent salaries.

During our visit, we also carried out a variety of interviews with the local newspapers, which support our work and look forward to our new projects. The first articles about our work were at the time of our visit in Gambia issued in three local newspapers.

We are pleased that we can help and we hope that we will be joined by other volunteers, to help us in any possible way to make a difference in the lives of smiling children of Gambia.

It starts with me, it starts with you.


To finish up, just a reminder that in September, we are headed again to a voluntary project. In October, a few places are still available for those who would like to join us!


Ursa Rojnik
Co-founder of organization For Children of the World
info@kidsaretheworld.com
+386 31797869
www.kidsaretheworld.com
www.facebook.com/travelingandvolunteering