{"id":32005,"date":"2024-02-20T10:12:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T10:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhelpafrica.org\/ie\/?p=32005"},"modified":"2025-06-05T12:14:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:14:53","slug":"gambia-workers-team-with-waitrose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhelpafrica.org\/ie\/gambia-workers-team-with-waitrose\/","title":{"rendered":"Gambia’s Farm Workers Team With Waitrose"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gambia farm staff work with Waitrose to transform their communities<\/span><\/h2>
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Off a main road in The Gambia, hundreds of children in crisp green uniforms file through the gates of their school.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The three-storey building was built in 2016 on land donated by Radville Farm \u2013 one of the country\u2019s largest fruit and vegetable exporters \u2013 as part of an ongoing partnership with the Waitrose Foundation.<\/p>\n

Before the land donation, thousands of children in the local area were forced to travel long distances to other districts to gain an education.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"At the start, there were fewer than 1,000 pupils but now we have more than 3,000\"
<\/span><\/em>Ismail, teacher<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div>

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Ismail is a PE teacher at a school in The Gambia that is supported by Radville Farm and the Waitrose Foundation.<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cThe school population is growing rapidly,\u201d said Ismaila, the school\u2019s PE teacher. \u201cAt the start, there were fewer than 1,000 pupils but now we have more than 3,000. Attendance is good. We operate two shifts \u2013 half of the pupils attend in the morning and the rest in the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life in The Gambia is hard. The country remains one of the world\u2019s poorest - languishing 174th of 190 on the Human Development Index \u2013 and almost half of young people are not in education, employment, or training.<\/p>\n

While school attendance is improving, the quality of education and school facilities varies.<\/p>\n

Self Help Africa\/United Purpose works with Radville Farm and three other farms across neighbouring Senegal, supporting the community-led projects funded by Waitrose Foundation. When customers buy fresh produce from Waitrose that has been sourced from these farms, two percent of the sale value is reinvested in projects that address challenges within their workers\u2019 communities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Freshly picked green beans are brought for weighing by workers in the fields at Radville Farm, The Gambia<\/em><\/p><\/div>

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Sofie, a Radville Farm worker harvests green beans to support her six children.<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div>

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Freshly picked green beans are brought for weighing by workers in the fields at Radville Farm, The Gambia<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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These challenges are identified by the farm workers themselves, who are predominantly women, through \u2018workers voice\u2019 committees. The farm workers then suggest and co-design projects with Self Help Africa\/United Purpose to tackle those challenges.<\/p>\n

One priority identified was establishing a school in an urban area of The Gambia. Today, Radville Farm\u2019s partnership with the Waitrose Foundation ensures pupils have daily access to clean, safe water, sanitation and electricity. A school garden allows pupils to take science lessons and learn about climate-smart agricultural practices, while a recently constructed multi-sports court, also funded by the Foundation, will soon have basketball, football and volleyball nets.<\/p>\n

Pupil Hafeez said: \u201c[Now that we have this school and these facilities], we can learn more than we did before. We could become a professional footballer, an artist, or even the president and help other people. We can come to the new playground and play before we go to our classroom and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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School is nice and it gives us knowledge. I like all of my subjects. I want to study hard so I can pass my exams and become an architect. I'd like to build big houses.<\/div>