What little I know about The Gambia....

Before planning this trip I didn't know where The Gambia was.  I actually thought I was going to Zambia!  On the west coast of Africa, tiny, anglofile Gambia is completely embedded in francofile Senegal .   My grandson pointed out that Gambia resembles a finger being poked into Senegal. For some reason, it's The Gambia, not Gambia, but for the sake of easy reading, I'm acknowledging the "the" and omitting it. The area has a long history of nomadic people, great empires, and a thriving local slave trade that morphed into the Portuguese, French, English and American slave trade.  The boundaries of the African countries were defined far from Africa by the Europeans in 1845.  England apparently didn't want Gambia since it was just a small strip of riverbank along the Gambia River, far removed from other British colonies and had no resources to easily exploit, but no else wanted it either so it remained a British colony until it's independence in 1962.  The Gambia has had the usual political, social and economic upheavals shaking off colonial rule to become an independent county.  Today, it has a stable, but oppressive government and is one of the poorest countries in Africa in spite of  thriving resort cities on an idyllic looking white sand coast.

Trip Preparation.

As I sit down to write this, it's chilly and snowing outside so the thought of 85 degrees and white sand beaches is sounding pretty good right now-even if it's a working trip to Africa.  Preparation started several months ago, and like most long trips, there's a lot to do before leaving.  Tony and Ann (T&A),  with Mercy Corp have been doing most of the organizing.  It's like being on a tour with someone else taking care of the details.  They send long email telling me what to do, what to pack and what to print out to take with me. I have letters from Mercy Corps stating that I'm  part of a team working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Banjul, the Gambia Immigration Department with an entry Clearance, a Letter of Acknowledgement from the Gambian Ministry for Health and Social Services welcoming me to Gambia and thanking me for providing humanitarian support to the people of Gambia.

Also needed was a trip to the travel clinic for immunizations required and recommended for Gambia, in addition to antibiotics for a plethora of bugs that are common in Africa as well as the usual flu and respiratory infections that we can get anywhere.  Gambia is Sub-Saharan Africa so I needed shots for yellow fever and  typhoid, in addition to having polio, tetanus, DPT and hepatitis A & B  up to date.  I will be taking doxycycline for malaria prophylaxis while I'm there and for awhile after getting back. I didn't elect to be immunized against were meningitis and even though there is a cholera outbreak in that part of Africa, the immunization for cholera has not been approved by the USDA.  That would have meant a trip to Canada where it's readily available.

 T&A also made my reservation to fly to Banjul, Gambia from London, and provided me with the name of travel insurance for people doing humanitarian work that is much cheaper than anything I could buy and it has good evacuation insurance! They have also graciously answered some pretty stupid questions from me and  others.  

All the supplies and equipment for surgery are being brought by us, so Thomas Cook Airlines has given all participants permission to have an extra 20 kgs of "charity baggage".  Someone packs these bags in England and they are delivered to us at our hotels in London.  We need to look inside--there are people that feel the need to repack them-- so we can tell British airline agents that "yes, I packed all of my bags and know what is in them".  I'm also taking lots of stickers, coloring books, pens, pencils and writing tablet plus some outdated medical supplies from work.

So, I'm prepared and ready for this adventure!

The Gambia, Africa, 2011

I'm off to Africa for a 4 week stint at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Banjul, Gambia. I will be working with kids and adults in the cleft lip-cleft palate clinic.