Other community work in Bakoteh, The Gambia

In 1982, an SOS Kindergarten was opened at Bakoteh. It consists of four classrooms, an infant day care room, a Montessori classroom, and additional rooms.

At about 15, youths from the SOS Children's Village move to one of the five SOS Youth Houses. For youngsters from the SOS Children's Villages, moving to an SOS Youth Facility is usually the first step towards an independent life. SOS mothers, educators and village directors prepare the youngsters very carefully for this important step in their lives. Young people usually stay at the SOS Youth Facility until they have finished their education or training and found a job. The SOS Youth Facility at Bakoteh also includes a small counselling centre with an office, a common room and library, a kitchen and dining hall, an administration area, and a sports field.

Due to the lack of schools in the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village, the construction of an SOS Children's Villages School (primary and secondary) became necessary. The school consists of 12 classrooms (6 for the primary and 6 for the two-stream secondary school), 4 classrooms for practical training, an administration area, and a canteen. More than 400 pupils attend the School.

The SOS Children's Villages Technical College, which was opened in 1990, is a higher secondary school. It gives youngsters from the SOS Children's Village and the local community the opportunity to pursue higher secondary education in accordance with the national curriculum (including practical training). The college has a capacity of 600 students.

The main aim of the SOS Vocational Training Centre in Bakoteh is to pass on knowledge and experience to young people that will enable them to run their own businesses and lead independent lives. All sections of the training centre (carpentry/woodwork, car mechanics, metalwork/toolmaking) receive orders from SOS co-workers and private individuals. Since the youngsters usually do their work extremely well and finish on time, the SOS Vocational Training Centre has acquired a very good reputation throughout the country. After finishing the theoretical and practical training, young people who graduate from the training centre receive a diploma and a letter of recommendation.

The SOS Medical Centre offers health care and medical services in the following areas: general health care, prenatal care, family planning, disease prevention, vaccination for children, first aid, and emergency treatment. Due to its modern equipment, well-trained staff, and high standard of medical treatment, the SOS Mother and Child Clinic has become one of the most important medical institutions in the country. More than 70 people from the SOS Children's Village and the local community are treated at the SOS Medical Centre each day.
 

The SOS Multipurpose Centre Bakoteh is a community initiative that addresses the need for a place that offers kindergarten education and skills training for the children and youths of the community, as well as functional literacy classes for women in particular. The Centre is composed of two kindergarten classrooms, two training classrooms, a multipurpose hall, a kitchen, a dining room, a cafeteria, an office, two store rooms and five toilet facilities. It also responds to the need for an adequate, central meeting place, with its multipurpose hall and cafeteria.
 

The SOS Family Strengthening Program in Bakoteh started in July 2005, with the aim of targeting 200 children. As of today, 337 children, 137 caregivers, and 137 older siblings - a total of 129 families - are supported by the program, which covers several areas of the Western Division (Bakoteh and surrounding areas). The program is implemented by one coordinator, who has received support in the field since July 2005, aiming to reach communities (child welfare committee, women's groups, community-based organization, volunteers).

The local partners (communities) are involved in identifying and selecting the beneficiaries, visiting families and monitoring their progress. The program offers support on various levels, upon the childrenfamily needs: Monthly nutrition supplement (rice, sugar, powder milk and oil) – for a maximum of 1 year unless exceptions, health support through the provision of mosquito nets for each beds of the household; hygiene support by giving second hand cloth; living conditions improvement by giving mattresses to families really in need (when children initially slept on the floor) and other small items upon cases; educational support by paying school fees, school materials and one uniform; psycho-social counselling is made by the program coordinator for children and parents in need; capacity building of identified care givers and communities (support the establishment of child welfare committees, build up the capacities of community based organisations and women's groups on child care issues and program monitoring); support to develop an Income Generation Activity or stable resources for the family (started in may 2006).

 

The SOS Girls home in Serrekunda/Bakoteh was officially opened on 2 February 2006. The Gambian Department of Social Welfare and SOS Children’s Village The Gambia put their hands together to offer a proper answer to the problems of young girls forced into commercial sex work due to economic hardship and who are as a result outcast from the society. SOS Children’s Villages The Gambia provided financing for the construction and basic equipment of this special home, while the Social Welfare Department proposed to manage and run the project.