The Gambia Leads The Way

On Saturday 11th March 2006 a New and Free Internet Café for the Blind and Visually Impaired was opened at Fajara, by Secretary of State for Communication, Information and Technology.

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This ground breaking project was initiated and funded by Simon Wezel and Kingfisher Trust U.K. making The Gambia a leading light in Africa, with this technology by allowing free and total access to surf the net send and receive emails and for students to enhance their studies with the aid of this pioneering software. No more do they need to rely on a third party to read to them newspapers, magazines, books, letters and world wide information.

This is a landmark achievement, for The Gambia, as the Secretaries of State for Education and Health, witness the opening of the First and Totally Free Internet Cafe for the Blind and Visually Impaired, showing that The Gambia is leading the way in having the First and Only Internet Cafe of this kind in the whole of Africa. This gives the blind and visually impaired people independence to read and send personal correspondence and accessibility to systems previously denied to them allowing the world to be placed at their fingertips. They can participate in topics and conversations around the world and broaden their horizons without disability.

But how did this all come about???

Simon Wezel, a Dutchman who has lived in the U.K. for 40 years, first came to The Gambia in 1984. He started small by assisting Bakary Jobarteh to get a job in Action Aid, he then became the legal guardian of an orphaned boy Sissawo Jobarteh and took him to the UK to educate him and he is at University in the UK.

Simon went on to become the Founder of Kingfisher Trust and became a permanent resident in The Gambia when he retired from his place of work in the U.K. Through the organisation he arranged to raise funds, via an English newspaper, to assist a little 6 year old girl to have an operation, so that she could hear, this was very successful.

The Kingfisher Trust has also contributed a lot to The Gambian people namely :-

Bansang Hospital and many schools in the URD.

Niamina Dankunko Dairy.

Horse cart ambulance for Jessidi

Maintenance tools for Gambian Civil Aviation.

Electric sewing machines to all Army Barracks

Ventilators to the Intensive care Unit Royal Victoria Hospital

and much more besides.

The President of Kingfisher Trust, Capt Lamin Saine, who is blind was introduced to a software programme in December 2005, by the founder of the Trust, that enabled him to access his own emails and write and send personal correspondence for the first time. This was so successful that he wished that all blind and visually impaired people could have access to this software so the idea of the Internet Cafe was born.

Andrew May & Symantec, (Anti Virus, etc)

Andrew did a sponsored Cycle ride and raised over £500 and his company would double his effort, which started the idea of an Internet Cafe for the Blind.

In late December 2005 work started on this building and today, 11 March 2006, just 8 weeks later, we celebrate the opening.

The Internet Café will have an extensive library of books in Braille and wall maps, games , typewriter and versapoint braille machine all accessible for the Blind and Visually Impaired to use.

Thanks were given, by Capt. Lamin Saine, to the Honourable Secretary of State for Communication, Information & Technology for the opening ceremony, who was accompanied by the Secretaries of State for Health and Education, deputizing for H.E The Vice President, and the Gambia Government for its Support.

He also thanked the builders G&S Furniture, Quantum Net, SoftwareExpress,

Keith and Lorna Robinson (Kingfisher Trust UK), Simon Wezel (GamWeb) Francis & Wilma v.d. Boogaart , Saihou Demba (Leybato) , Andrew May, Radio Westcoast, and distinguished Guests and the many kind sponsors

Kingfisher Trust - The Gambia gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the R.A.O.B. in England