30 May 2008
In an attempt to develop sustainable emergency team efforts, the charity Caring for Life is to send a team of volunteers to the remotest parts of rural Gambia.
The non governmental organisation wants to prevent unnecessary health complications among villagers by organising First Aid training sessions for families in all Gambian villages.
President of the organisation Mr Musa Colley told The Daily Observer that such project "is important [because] emergencies occur anywhere and anytime and without First Aid knowledge, nothing could be done".
The group first started its operations in 2004 and currently counts about 8,000 registered volunteers, all First Aid certified.
The Gambia is situated in Western Africa, surrounded by Senegal, and is home to some 1.5 million inhabitants. The country is mainly rural with only one in 30 people living in capital Banjul.
The Gambian society is composed of seven main ethnic groups, including the Mandinka, the Fula, the Wolof, the Jola and the Serahuli.