Baby Georgia!

So, yesterday we got up at 4.30 am to get on the ferry to go to musas village (Aljamdu). When we got to the north bank we visted the maternity sections of two health centers for the Gambian Maternity Foundation. We talked with people working at these places about the constraints on the maternity. They are lacking consistent power (often carrying out delieveries with only candle light or torches), they are lacking proper delievery beds and many essential drugs. Really eye opening to see these places as i was already in shock after seeing the Edward Frances Teaching Hodpital but the small health centres have so little resources in comparison. 

After this we went to Musas village... I HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME! I took sweets  for the kids and loads of toys (skipping ropes, yoyos, chalk, pencils and bouncy balls). They went crazy for it! We had a lovely lunch and i caught up with some friends who have been around musas house. 

Afterwards we went to a naming cermony which was mental. It had most of the women and babies in the village there. There was a plastic container and two sticks used for a drum and some women had whistles which they used with the drumming. There were two women who seemed to be leading the event. They stood in a circle and a handful of women would dance in the middle. They loved to drag me in and get me to dance (and i loved to dance with them!). They just seemed so happy and let themselves go. I have never seen anything like it. They also put on a skirt that had beads and bottle tops on it so it jingled when you danced and a wooden hat with beads that had the same effect. Great fun!! 

After this I was told that the village leader was naming their daughter after me!!! What an honour!! Her name is Georgia Jammeh and she is beauitful! This was the mothers first baby to survive child birth (shes had 8 babies die in childbirth). After visting the health centres that is closest by and seeing how far away it is and the state of the 'road' (i use that word loosely). I'm almost certain this mother could of had less babies die if the facilities were better and easier to get to. I pray that the work of the Gambian Maternity Foundation and other charitable organisations will help so that there is less infant mortalities. Right now the situation is not good enough and Gambian babies and mothers are dying when simple improvements could help so much.

I had such an amazing time in Aljamdu. I will be back to see everyone again and to see the precious baby Georgia! 

Here are some of the poloriods i got yesterday :) 

Baby georgia, her mother and I. 

One of the huts in the village. 

Will post soon!

Where,when and why.

Hello there!!! 

It is nearly Christmas and not long till my first plane out of the UK. I'm so excited and have started to pack!

So, what exactly will I be doing? 

For my first trip I'll be off to Colorado for ten days for some skiing during the new year! This is a family trip and it's going to be good. I love skiing!!

I then have less then 24 hours to get from Edinburgh airport to Manchester airport to get a flight to The Gambia. Which is the "Smiling Coast of Africa." This is with a charity called Affecting Real Change.

Check them out! 

http://www.affectingrealchange.org/

I love what this charity does and feel proud to be working with them. While in The Gambia I'm staying with a brilliant man called Musa and his family. While I'm there I will be working in Lower Bakau Basic school. I will be assisting with English classes here! Musa has also found a local church to go to and I'm really excited to get involved with that. 

After three months in The Gambia I'm going to the Scripture Union Snowports holiday in Austria. This is an amazing trip which I've been going to since 2012. It is lead by amazing people who have been brilliant to me over the years and helped me through some tough times. While away I'm hoping to get baptised. This is something that means a lot to me and is going to be so cute to get baptised in a place that means so much to me.

Soon after that I'm planning on buying a interrailing ticket and bounce around Europe for a while!! Plans still to be confirmed. 

I will then go back to Austria as I've been accepted onto a great program in Austria called a Summer of Service. Check out the programs website! 

http://castlesos.com

Finally, my last trip is to Southern India for a month to work in Moparru Orphanage I've being sent here by the charity Affecting Real Change who I'm going to The Gambia with as well. Here I will be helping with the day to day running of the Orphanage and staying in the Orphanage. This is going to be really full on work but I'm excited (I love kids and they seem to like me). 

So, why am I doing this? 

I'm going to do law at university in September 2016 (either Edinburgh or Dundee - still to be confirmed). I could of gone to uni earlier but decided I wanted a break from exams, deadlines and stress (plus be 18 for freshers week). I love travelling and it's been a dream of mine to go and see some of the world. Since I've left school I have been working at Morrisons as a sales assistant, must-fill champion and a cashier (cause one role would be boring and not enough work...right?) to pay for these trips (not going to lie I'm going to miss my supermarket family probably as much as my actual family). 

That's it! That's what I'm doing! Hope you follow me on my travels around the world! If you want to contribute in a financial way here is my fundraising page but I'd just love people just to follow my story around the world. 

https://www.gofundme.com/xxaxg84