Girls' Education Charity in The Gambia

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below you can find answers to the most frequently asked questions around the vision, aims and objectives of Sponsor a Gambian girl and it's operation in campaigning and championing the cause of girls' right through education and sponsorship. 
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Click on the plus (+) sign to view and read the answer to each question.
Why sponsor a Gambian girl and not a child to include boys?
This is a girl's initiative, concentrating on empowering girls' through education.  Due to financial constraints, many families in the Gambia have to make a decision on which of their children to send to school and this opportunity is given to the boys.  The cultural and religious perceptions of girls is to prepare them for marriage at an early age.    As a result, this initiative is helping to advocate the right for girls to access education, supporting them financially to shape their future and help them become independent women and leaders.
How long will the sponsorship last?
​Research has shown that when a sponsor starts sponsoring a child at an early age, they are more likely to continue the sponsorship throughout the child’s education journey. At Sponsor a Gambian Girl, we envisage that a good relationship will develop between the sponsor and the recipient, and expect that the sponsorship would continue through high school and possibly beyond.
How often would sponsors receive updates?
Most families have access to community phones where they can send weekly or monthly updates about their daughter’s school performance and activities through WhatsApp to the sponsor. However, we do recognise that not all sponsors opt for direct communication with the families, in which case we will send updates twice a year.  By communicating directly with your child through a community phone, you are cutting down administrative work and ensuring that 100% of all sponsorship goes directly to the school.
How do you ensure that 100% of the sponsorship goes to the girl’s education?
We have 7 volunteers on the board of Trustees for the Foundation, and we have one administrator in The Gambia who is responsible for paying the fees directly to the schools and supplying all receipts. The administrator in The Gambia also purchases all educational materials and delivers them to the girl’s address. No sponsorship is ever given to the parents and the fact that most of the sponsors opt to receive updates directly from the families, considerably reduces administrative work. Finally, the Trustees pay wages of the administrator in The Gambia. As a foundation, our only aim is to pair up girls with sponsors to help them shape their future through education.
What is the criteria for sponsorship?
We target:
  • Girls who are orphans
  • Girls from communities that do not encourage girls’ education
  • Families with no girls in school
  • Girls that are brilliant/talented in school but lack financial support.​
In most cases girls in these circumstances end up dropping out of school and being married off at an early age. Due to lack of support from absent fathers and other family members, girls from single parent families are also vulnerable as there is insufficient funds to send them to school.
Is there an age limit for sponsorship eligibility?
Our aim is to get girls into school as early as possible; however, we do recognise that the need for support might arise at any point of a girl’s life. Hence, once a girl is in need of financial support to access nursery, primary, junior or secondary school we will endeavour to facilitate the support by pairing them with a sponsor.
What are the long-term visions for Sponsor a Gambian Girl?
​SAGG is a foundation that has only been running since November 2018 and so far we have managed to successfully pair 75 girls with sponsors, which is a huge achievement. At the same time, we are cognizant of that fact that the growth and development of girls should not be limited to the classroom. To compliment academic growth, we aim for girls to develop holistically as well.  In the longer term, the plan is to run summer confidence and career building programmes, mentorship and coaching schemes along with leadership and business ideation camps. These long-term initiatives will be financed from fundraising activities and not sponsorships.
What happens when someone stops sponsoring a girl?
Even though we envisage for the sponsorship relationship to last throughout the girl’s education journey, we recognise that the situation for the sponsor may change at any time. In that case, we will work with the sponsor to understand if it is a temporary or permanent decision. We can then develop a plan that would support the child for the long or short term.

Explore more about girls' education 

Importance of girls' education

Girls' education, translates to making their families, communities and countries stronger and more prosperous. Education empowers a girl

Girls' education in The Gambia

Access to education should be the right of every girl, read here about the situation of girl's education in The Gambia

Our purpose, to empower girls!

"If girls have so much to offer to the world, why not invest in their power" Annetta.

"I always question, why the disparity in opportunities for the female gender" - Lisa.