PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE SOLAR ENERGY WATER WELLS IN THE GAMBIA

Water is a staff of life and a prerequisite for a healthy life

Water is like the blood every human being needs in the body because without it, life can’t go on, yet Africa faces the biggest challenge of water crisis yearly, which often leads to poor sanitation, diseases, and other health hazards.

Like a lazy-moving snail, Africa’s development has been very slow, affecting its infrastructure, including buildings, sanitation, schools, health, and water. Poverty is so severe that many villages have no access to electricity or water.

The water crisis in developing Africa and other continents called for ‘World Water Day’ -Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by the United Nations on March 22, 1992, on the theme ‘Water For Life.’

In the year 2013, on holiday in the Gambia, one of the tourist attraction countries embedded into Senegal, in West Africa, Loes Koenen, a Dutch woman working in the health sector, had a change of mind after visiting the rural parts of the country.

WellHalo’s water project in The Gambia

“I saw with my own eyes how poor the Gambian people are. I was devastated by the misery and especially the poverty, and I needed a few days to recover. 

That’s why I decided to go back to the Gambia in February 2014, to do something about it. I couldn’t live with myself, living in Holland with all the luxury, while people there are suffering,” says Loes Koen.

Like the Polish writer, Ryszard Kapuscinski, sharing his experience of his visit to Africa, including Ghana, Loes said, in the Gambia, it was like I was living in a documentary of National Geographic, but with the bitter reality. 

We were in the land of nowhere, dry land, dry bushes, with dirt roads, and the only green I saw were Baobab trees, the only trees that bear fruit.

Without wasting any time, the ‘WellHalo Foundation’ embarked on the construction of sustainable water wells powered by solar energy in the villages. Each project is relatively expensive, about 7500 Euros, but it will last a very long time.

WellHalo Foundation finds those projects very necessary because of the lack of clean water generates infectious diseases such as malaria since mosquitoes lay their eggs in the water.

 

During my first visit, I was faced with these tough questions: how do these people cope? And how do they survive? The questions were finally answered when we began the projects.

The need to help Africa is very necessary. We can’t pretend we don’t know what is going on. Giving Africa clean water is like saving the entire continent, and putting a street child in the classroom is like saving an entire nation. Know more about predicaments in Africa. 

You are invited to join the ‘WellHalo Foundation’ and together let’s help Africa.

Official website of ‘WellHalo Foundation’: http://www.wellhalo.com

For The Discerning Reader In Love With Diversity Of Culture

Once a journalist asked Chinua Achebe, one of Africa's greatest and internationally known writers, the reason he hasn't written any book about Europe and America. Achebe responded by saying that a lot has already been written about those two continents.

Yes, there are thousands of European and American writers, but only a few write about Africa. The reason my articles and books reflect on my culture as an African, that living in Europe for many years.

I know that there are thousands of readers interested in the non-fiction genre of books; thus, one of my goals is to share my non-fiction books through the diversity of culture. My utterly compelling collections are destined to capture the reader's attention and interest, to learn about other people's culture and heritage.

My books are in the categories of travel, immigration, health, and entertainment. The personal account of the stories reflects on the places I visited in Africa, such as Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, and The Gambia. And in Europe, it's about life in Barcelona, Spain, Aarhus, Denmark, England, Amsterdam, Holland, Rome, Italy, and Antwerp, Belgium.

The African stories act like a guide to European and American tourists. The books will teach you how to avoid being a victim of thieves, armed robbers, and immigration crooks, who prey on nationals and foreigners, while the European stories teach Africans how to survive in Europe, without papers and crime.

Many ask the reason some of my books have sad titles. Each title reflects on the story, but the books have their humorous part too. Explore the humane, captivating, and emotional account of Joel Savage's books, which will keep you turning the pages late into the night. 

Wishing everyone, including readers, authors, and writers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

YAHYA JAMMEH OF GAMBIA: WHY THE WEST AND AMERICA HATE HIM?

Yahya Jammeh of Gambia


Many African leaders think they have had enough of colonial masters and wouldn't like to do anything with them. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Yahya Jammeh of Gambia are two of them. 


They suddenly became enemies because of their views on homosexuality and the fact that the West finds it hard to deal with them.  In fact, the West and America pray to see an immediate end to the governments of Mugabe and Jammeh.

The Western media quickly find fault with the two African leaders for human rights violations and muzzling of the press, but gross human rights violations are more often witnessed in Advanced Countries than in Africa. 

Due to poverty, Advanced Countries use aid as a weapon against Africa, as they threaten leaders to accept homosexuality and all their immoralities, which have destroyed their community. 

Any strong African leader is seen as a threat, and the only way they think could subdue them is to dominate the leaders with unfriendly political issues.

Mugabe is on the list as one of the most hated leaders in Africa, followed by Yahya Jammeh. In 2008, Jammeh gave an ultimatum to gays and lesbians to leave his country, saying he would "cut off the head" of any homosexual found in the nation. 

Two years later, the European Union canceled €22 million (HK$236 million) of aid because of concerns over human rights and governance issues. Financial aid to Africa is a granted loan to pay back, so why this bluff?

The big question: Whenever any epidemic breaks out, how many people go to Africa to deal with the situation? (Thanks to those who have sacrificed their lives to help Ebola victims in Africa) Africa is a continent that has suffered a great deal. 

World leaders should understand the reason African leaders don’t trust them any longer. No one listens to the voice of an African leader; the West, therefore, shouldn’t expect African leaders to listen to whatever they say.

“What brought Britain to the Gambia in the first place? The trade in ivory because the Gambia had a lot of elephants, they ended up wiping out the elephants, and turned around and started selling Africans. The British instituted slavery. 

The only thing they left us, unfortunately, is the English language,” said Jammeh. The reason he wants to drop English as an official language in his country is.

The Gambia, as a member of former British colonies, shocked the Commonwealth by withdrawing from the 54-nation bloc, calling it ‘An extension of colonialism.’ People aren't sincere and far from the truth. 

African leaders have seen their betrayal and underestimation and wouldn't like to drive us like puppets on a string. Many believe money is what is going to solve the problems in this world, not at all. We need to love ourselves, meaning taking the plight of others into consideration to give them the love and care they deserve.