The Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries. Beautiful beaches along the 50 mile coastline make the country a popular choice for British tourists and tourism gives work to many Gambians. The river which runs the length of this narrow country gives people fish both to eat and to sell to make a living. 

Inland in the eastern end of the country, where few tourists go, the river narrows. The area is home to many poor, unskilled people who have arrived from nearby Liberia and from Senegal, which surrounds The Gambia on all sides. There is poverty and hardship here, with poor medical care and this part of The Gambia is also seeing rising HIV/AIDS infection rates - it lacks hospitals and medical centres.

SOS Children works across Africa and the charity which supports over 23,000 people in The Gambia. The first SOS Children's Village in the country was opened in 1981 in Bakoteh near the tourist resorts of the capital, Banjul. In Bakoteh most children are already supported by child sponsors, often tourists who have seen the work being done there first hand.  The second SOS Children's Village, opened in 2007, was in Basse in the Upper River Region as the natural choice. The area has the highest number of children without parental care in the country. The lack of medical care leads to children orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth, and we are working to improve this.  

The SOS Children's Village brings hope to Basse. The Village is home to over 100 children and babies, has an ambitious community outreach programme, and runs one of the best schools in this part of the country. All together, our charity's work in Basse helps 6000 people.

We need your help to keep our work in Basse going, to make a lasting difference to the children and families of this community.

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