My Trip to The Gambia

The objectives of the visit were as follows:

• To visit and inaugurate the new Sheikh Zayed Regional Eyecare Centre.
• To meet and build relationships with the Sheikh Zayed Foundation, with a view to encouraging a long term funding relationship.
• To visit some of the programme work in the Gambia (a limited amount though due to the administrative challenges with which the Country Office were grappling).To support the ongoing advocacy initiatives, particularly around the Health for Peace Initiative (HFPI).
• To meet the Country Office staff of The Gambia – who will also be supporting Senegal and Guinea Bissau programmes from this year onwards.

Originally it was intended that I would visit Senegal, to see the impact of the HFPI work there, and to meet those involved with our planned project in Louga (funded by Anglo American). However, the President of The Gambia’s office announced that the Inauguration should move from 18th to 16th at very short notice, and this made a visit to Senegal impossible. It also threw a significant spanner into the best laid plans of the Country Office and many visitors!

Note on Health for Peace Initiative
This is an initiative between a number of West African countries (initially Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau, recently extended to include Sierra Leone and Liberia), where they have agreed to cooperate on health matters to help preserve peace in the sub region. Each country is spearheading one or two aspects of health (eg HIV/Aids, immunisation, malaria), and The Gambia has chosen eye-care.