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Licensed Local Tour Guides - 2010

Their Story

Tourists, particularly bird watchers, travel to Janjanbureh via various means.  Sometimes they bring their own guides from the coast who do not necessarily know the history and culture of the island. Some will walk with their guests and merely read out the information boards provided some years ago with information by the late Hon. Foday Manka. Little income for the community resulted from these visits.  It was for this reason that we aimed at training local youths to become
Licensed Local Tour Guides

Local Tour Guide Training
Planning a Tour
By the Freedom Tree Triangle
Trainers and Trainees
Meeting the needs to be a tour guide
Only one puncture on the way!
Relaxing After Achieving
Official Uniform
Showing the Full Charity Name
An Official Tour Guide Licence
  • December 2009  early discussions between Foday Manka and Jane Smith.

  • February 2010 They developed ideas with Tony Johnson working in Janjanbureh 

  • Summer 2010, Foday Manka, delivered training to some 20+ youths from local area in history and culture of the island

    • Tony Johnson in tour guiding techniques

    • Forestry Dept in flora and fauna

    • Sol Faal in bird guiding

  • With new regulations demanded, in Feb. 2013 Jane investigated official licencing through Gambian Tourism Board

  • December 2013 Training delivered in Janjanbureh. (Funded by production of photobook local  to Jane's home Malvern Common in Spring and Summer)

  • February 2014 Attempted to acquire licences

  • Finally achieved May 2014

  • Ebola severely affected tourism to all West African countries, even though  ebola free

  • 2015/2016 Season tourism increasing upriver

 

November 2017

Very exciting news!  YEP (Youth Empowerment Program) is currently training 14 youths as Tour Guides as part of a focus on developing Janjanbureh as the second destination for tourism in The Gambia .  

Read the blog entry here

October 2017

The worth of two of our guides was recognised my NCAC and travelled for training to be employed as the official guides and the Kankurand Cultural Centre on the island

Musa Foon 

Muhammed Kebbeh

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Read the blog entry here

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