Updated
August 18, 2007

Since deciding to run a gap year in the Gambia, we have looked at the costs and can offer the best value for money gaps going, but with none of the support removed

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Working holiday pair Emma and Jo on either side of Reds mother who is nursing 'Babymay' named after May Rooney

Emma and Jo spent 6 months in Gambia helping at a school in Sukuta.

Emma on The Gambia

May went to Gambia during her final year at Leeds and returned after she graduated to set up the country's first recycling paper mill.

Now resident there, May is keen that gap year students really benefit from the experience and hopes that some might return to help after they have qualified.

You can contact May in Gambia by Email

Since 2003 we have had 21 volunteers staying with us in Gambia to help in a variety of ways.


Alice and Rachel at School

Most have helped in one of our schools, over half have been adults taking working breaks but each year we have had a one or two students in their year between School and University.

Adam, one of my 3 sons has worked in Gambia since 2003 when he came to do a late gap year after qualifying in Hotel and Catering Management at Crewe College.

India my daughter has spent two 6 week stays in Gambia, while at University in Manchester, now qualified she is doing a TEFL course and spending much of 2008 in Gambia, helping with the Teacher Training at GTS and in the Bar & Restaurant.

In March 2006 I married a Gambian, Filly and I now live for most of the year in Gambia, where we run the GTS Kololi Members Accommodation, this is where we offer volunteers accommodation as well as rooms, a house and a flat for members.

Filly my wife, an excellent cook and great character

Our volunteers now have the added benefit of being in a home from home environment among local Gambians and surrounded by Gambian culture, but with many European comforts like running water for showers and loos, electricity, spring mattresses and plenty of English speakers to share your thoughts & any problems with.

The Kololi Compound

Contacting home is no problem either, GTS/GETS has email, and mobile phones (unlocked and with an African SIM card) allow you to send texts from about 10p and recieve texts free, making voice to voice calls in Gambia to the UK is expensive, but having the UK call you, is around 5p a minute, (using telediscount or other access numbers).

If you think you would benefit from volunteering in Gambia and have something to offer please contact Francis by email, I look forward to hearing from you.

After opening our gap pages on the site we have had many enquiries. We've had so much interest, that we now have two accommodation units available all year round at our Kololi Accommodation lodge.

If you want a place as a GTS gap student - please email me NOW

We can offer such good value because we are not trying to make money by running a sort of specialised holiday, you will be helping with the work we already do in The Gambia at cost prices.

From a cost point of view a gap to Gambia with GTS really is excellent value.

• Joining charges - with GTS just £15.00 for GTS membership
• Placement costs - GTS 3 mths £600 - pro rata prices for shorter or longer stays.

There are other costs not included, but for everything GTS estimates that a 12 week gap will cost around £1500 and a 24 week gap will cost less than £2500 including Flights and spending money. Shorter stays will cost a little less but much of the cost is flights and insurance which are fairly fixed however long you stay.

Medical costs.
There are pre visit medical considerations, which you may already have if you have travelled abroad, participants will need to have documentation for us that they have had the following vaccinations
Tetnus - Free or c £7
Yellow Fever - c £15
Hepititus A - c £12
None are essential for The Gambia but are generally recommended.
Anti Malarials are essential, there are only three really suitable for Gambia, Larium, Doxycycline and Malerone, you must obtain medical advice on this.
The costs vary greatly, Doxycycline is the cheapest, then larium and finally Malerone, but soem medical practises give anti-malarials FREE
Contact GTS if Doxycycline is recommended by your doctor as we can get this for about £15 a month.

Flight costs
The cheapest flight I have ever had was £99, but these come along by luck and cannot be guaranteed. Some people get a discount flight out and then buy a full price one way ticket back
BUT we recommend that you book your return flight in advance through The Gambia Experience,
3 month duration costs £550
6 month duration costs £650
Singles both ways can be more expensive, but give you greater flexibility in terms of departure dates. Shorter stays are a little cheaper

Insurance
You must have travel insurance, there are basically two types
Fully comprehensive for 6 months to Gambia around £200
No baggage - but all other cover - again 6 months around £140
The charges are less for 3 months, but nothing like half.
We would recommend that you do not take valuable items with you and go for the cheaper 'no baggage policy'.

Those are more or less fixed cost beyond our control.

• There is abundant work in all the schools in The Gambia, not only helping in the class rooms and improving the teachers English, but also giving extra tuition to children after school, you will get very close to such families and GTS will provide you with support for this.
• At the GTS compound, you can learn local skills and generally help around the place, getting to know the Gambian staff who will also teach you some local language, go out shopping locally with them & visit their home compounds.
• You will have the opportunity to work in the GTS/GETS office or the restaurant for one day a week for a Free Tubab meal or the normal Gambian salary of £1
• During your first few weeks you will probably want to spend much of your time doing different tasks. After you have tried a few you might like to concentrate in one area or with GTS support investigate and carry out some work of your own
• Clinics & hospitals also need helpers for a wide variety of tasks.

Alice & Julie (now GETS Secretary) Michael & Lynette, the GTS Restaurant at night

• The Gambia presents no more risks than living elsewhere, providing you follow the GTS guidelines on health care and behavior.
• You are certainly less likely to be robbed or attacked than almost anywhere in the UK.
• GTS cannot be responsible for your personal behavior, we will give strong advice and will not condone or tolerate behavior that will bring you or GTS into disrepute, but as a young adult over 18, we are not in a position to act as legal guardians, although we will help in anyway possible where appropriate.
  We reserve the right to turn down anyone we consider not suitable, without giving reasons.

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