Dear J&J

I personally cope and carry on for two main reasons -

Firstly, I have the wish to help the local Gambian people because I believe that this former colony of the UK, gained very little from our ruling presence and was left with too few advantages to make the transition from 3rd World without something being put back in to help. I am deeply opposed to racism in any form either from Europeans or Gambians.

Secondly, having been a tourist with a fairly sympathetic view of Gambia and its people. I hope that GTS will encourage positive support and funding for sustainable jobs and educational improvement BUT ALSO reduce the risk that bumsters will soak up the funding that could really help Gambia and have the negative affect of leaving kind and generous people like J&J saddened and disillusioned because they have been taken advantage of.

I call the process 'Being Lamined' - and if it is any consolation, neither you nor I are the first to have been 'taken' in by this process and sadly we will not be the last.

Each situation I hear of, has similar features:-
The charming young man, who seems hard working, honest, religious and trying to help his family.
A personal story that makes you admire and feel empathy for this person and their family, who if given a chance COULD make good of their difficult lives.
Sexual attraction - this adds further and far more complex layers to any form of business agreement.

The process is essentially a three part strategy

ONE - The technical term is grooming, though I'm sure no Gambian will be familiar with the term, it is a period of gaining the trust and faith of the intended victim. Gambians don't learn this in school or college but from friends who themselves have raised money in similar ways. It is part of the tourist industry and a major reason that so many young men from distant Gambia villages are drawn to the Combo area.

TWO - Giving, or voluntary submission or the hit. Once the situation is right, the victim 'you & I' almost always offer the money as a gift or a loan. The money is to set up a business, support for school or college fees, help with building works, etc etc. The possabilities and amounts of money range enormously. Often they are just gifts and this is the best way, but where they are intended to help someone start a business there are fundamental problems. People with no experience of business, view income as pure profit.

I have seen £50 CD players sold for a couple of hundred Dalasi about £5, This is simple not a way of conducting a viable & sustainable business.
One young man suggested to me that a good business, would be paper and stationery. The only way it could make an income selling it at Gambian prices was to keep all the money made from sales and view every shippment as FREE supplies. I explained:- that to be a business the income had to cover the costs of buying the materials and all the shipping and also provide an income.

His response was "But you could provide the stock as your contribution to our business"

The process of Grooming and Giving goes on for sometime depending on how often you visit Gambia and how active you are in trying to make sure that a viable business really is being created.

THREE - The final phase - the breakup, always seems to follow a false argument or disagreement - I think the aim is to finish the relationship by getting the benefactor to do the finishing.

The whole process is now complete, the bumster has the goods or money, without any further complications of an ongoing relationship, which you now realise was only formed to achieve the goal of obtaining goods or money.

When it has happened to me - I have always thought WHY ? and Why now rather than in 12 months when he could have had more.

There are a number of factors.
Bumsters always appear to have only YOU supporting them, this is part of the grooming, infact they have as many 'special friends' as they can handle.
An initial hit is much easier than a long term relationship, which demands time that is in short supply when you are busy grooming new benefactors.
It is much easier getting a new benefactor, than maintaining an existing one, who starts to ask questions and is intereseted in how the business is progressing.
The 'business' you have setup, becomes part of the bumsters CV of honest achievment, done all through his own hard work, this encourages new backers to make richer investments, either hoping to get good returns or as a way of rewarding a hard working individual.

The results - In the short term the bumster gets money in their pockets without any proper work being done. Others see the financial success of the operation and try the same for themselves. Gambia's social and economic structure is damaged as fewer youngsters remain in the real agricultural economy, preferring the lottery of the big tourist jackpot.

The bumster problem is not a Gambian problem it is a tourist problem, it is a problem of misplaced generosity - Gambia needs generous tourists but responsible tourists - I hope GTS can help to provide visitors with a way to be generous and achieve long lasting results.