Updated
November 20, 2007

GTS and GETS Member accommodation.
An ensuite double room from £80 a week, a two double bedroomed family house with private sun roof from £160

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All room prices are charged at £80 in UK Currency on arrival in Gambia.

GTS Kololi has it's own rooftop water tanks meaning there is always water, but guests are advised to drink bottle water and use the tank water for cooking & toiletry purposes.

Booking should be made with a deposit

** Deposit Terms**
When availability is confirmed, your full bookings will ONLY be confirmed when the 50% deposit is paid to the GTS membership secretary in the UK
Cheque to ' Gambia Tourist Support Fund'
- until that time the accommodation remains available for booking.

Should a booking need to be changed or cancelled a % of the deposit will be retained depending on the notice you give.

Retained

25% before 90 days
50% 90 to 60 days
75% 60 to 30 days
100% within 30 days

Paying for your stay

On your arrival you should pay the FULL cost of your accommodation in £'s £20 or £50 notes NOT TRAVELLERS CHEQUES.

Returning your UK deposit

During your holiday an account of expenditure on trips, shopping extras will be kept in Gambia and when you leave, any damage or breakages will added to this account, the total will be deducted from the UK Deposit you made to confirm your booking and the balance agreed with you in Gambia will be refunded to you on your return.

Typical or what

'GTS Kololi' is a fairly typical urban compound, surrounded by a mix of housing, but within the local community, local corner shops etc, our maid Iou and her daughter Mariamma live with us and you will see them pounding and preparing food in the typical local way - but GTS Kololi is not the sort of compound that most Gambians live in.

If you would like to spend a day of part of a day in a typical local Gambian compound, GTS has 'Family Visit' trips to the families of our Staff, where you can get a much better idea of how the larger extended Gambian families live.

Please read the IMPORTANT NOTICE in the main body of this page.

From time to time over our 10 years of operating, there have been allegations made that I am using Gambia as a way of benefitting financially.

From day one the principal behind GTS and now GETS is that charity is charity - all UK volunteers including Adam and myself pay our own way and received no wages while we are working in Gambia.

This principal has now been broken from August 2006 when both Adam and I (who work full time in Gambia) will, when possible and only while we are in Gambia get paid a Gambian level wage each month - out of income earned in Gambia.

Comments to GTS

GTS was set up by Francis Glynn (myself) back in 1997. GTS has always been a charitable organisation and all the money raised is used in Gambia to provide employment, development or educational support, via GETS

In late 2004 early 2005 - I purchased a compound in Kololi, that we had previously been renting. After spending my own resources to refurbish and rebuild, there are now 3 houses in the compound, where there were just 2, these now provide :-
3 double ensuite rooms,
a two, double bedroomed house (full self catering)
& a two, double bedroomed flat (full self catering)
(Each room is £80 a week - for single occupancy of the house or flat £140)
NOTE
DEPOSIT CHEQUES Payable to 'Gambia Tourist Support Fund'
see side margin Deposit Terms
(**For volunteer rates please contact me)

We are able to provide breakfasts and evening meals but only by prior arrangement with at least 24 hours notice.
Well behaved children are welcome, but any damages will be charged.

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Living Room in the Flat - Double Bedroom Ensuite
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Ensuite in Double rooms - All tiled exterior

The house provides a self contained unit for letting, it has two double bedrooms, a rooftop sunning or star gazing area and a sitting room with verhanda as well as a galley kitchen with large fridge, microwave full gas cooker etc. The rooms have fans, nets and emergency power for the fans and lights. There is a shower with good pressure from our roof top tanks. Single occupancy ie Just one Bedroom occupied is £140.

Our Flat has two Double Bedrooms, a sitting room with optional Air Conditioning ( at a charge of £25 per week ) The flat has a good sized well equipped kitchen a seperated lavatory and wash room and a shower with optional hot water charged by the hour at 50p (enough for 2 long showers or 4 shorter ones) The flat has its own private sitting area outside and a netted and covered verhanda area outside the sitting room.

All our double rooms have double bed sprung mattresses, but we can provide single beds instead of the doubles if booked in advance. (Subject to availability). Each bedroom has a powerful fan - each double room is equipped with a fridge, an electric kettle and cups, glasses, plates etc for guests to make light meals.

In the house and flat there are fans in the sitting rooms.

Each of the double rooms has its own separate sitting area, and teh compound itself has outside thatched over tables for guests wishing to be outside.

All accommodation is cleaned daily during your stay, the house towels, and sheets are changed regulary, and there is ashopping and cooking, service that can be arranged.- at an agreed price depending on what you require.

GTS offers all members a FREE on 'arrival transfer service' from the airport, those staying in the GTS house also get this return service FREE.

Non GTS members, the Kololi accommodation is only available to GTS and GETSuk members. Membership is currently £15 p/year p/person
NOTE
MEMBERSHIP CHEQUES payable to "Gambia Tourist Support Fund"

All guest are requested to provide a copy of their passport with the original as verification before moving into GTS member accommodation.

Your local guests are of course allowed to visit the compound up to 11pm, but cannot stay overnight unless a previous arrangement has been made and agreed in writing. This is for your security and the security of others staying in the Compound

The compound has 24 hour security, with a live in house-keeper & night watchman service, we have a constant water supply and good electrics, but a back up power supply to run a light and the fan in each room.

The outside of the compound is fully tiled so it is always clean and we have added a very small dip pool, (this is currently awaiting its pump and filter which is coming from the UK) there are three grass topped tables for residents to relax.

During 2008 we are setting up the GTS and GETS members club, at GTS Kololi, where meals and drinks will be available, a cool room & a roof top patio area, we plan a mini local art area and postcard sales, there will be the chance to watch films from our large DVD collection and enjoy local entertainment.

3 additional single rooms will be added for members who do not require the larger double rooms - or for charity volunteers.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

I would like to make it clear that the house in Kololi is owned by me and not by GTS or GETS, which have no fixed capital assets in The Gambia.
The money earned by renting the rooms at such a low price to members and volunteers is used to pay the compound staff wages, it also covers service charges (water, electric, sewage and rubbish disposal as well as running expenses, replacement of breakages, refurbishments and repairs to the accommodation, its fixtures and fittings.)

50% of ALL the profits after these expenses are covered are used for the purposes of the charity - for employment and educational support and training.

In August 2006, I retired from my full time employment in the UK and now live in Gambia from September to June, returning at my own expense to the UK on GETSuk charity business and to visit family.

When GTS income from earnings in Gambia allows it, I will take a Gambian level of salary, this will be in line with the wages of the staff employed within GTS.

Adam who has now worked as a self funding volunteer since 2004, will take expenses, from the earnings of the GTS Bar and Restaurant, which he has made so successful since taking over its management.

Expenses incurred in Gambia connected with the running of GTS like government taxes, business transport, business calls etc will be charged against income earned in Gambia.

(At present our highest paid member of GTS staff earns around 5000 D a month, approx £100 a month.

Contact us by phone in Gambia 00220 4462476 (office hours)
or Email: - Francis@GETSuk.org

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