We believe that no child’s life should be threatened by the impacts of poverty. We believe that every child has the right to a happy, healthy childhood, free from the burdens of financial responsibility, the pain of preventable illness and the trauma of abuse or neglect.

We are helping Gambian children to lift themselves out of poverty, by giving them the safety and security they need to grow and flourish. Our work is comprehensive and sustainable for each child’s long-term needs – as well as providing them with the means to survive, we also provide them with everything they need to strive for the future. We are empowering Gambian children to open up the world for themselves, through reducing the impact of poverty, building their confidence, and supporting their education and wellbeing. We want every Gambian child to have the childhood they deserve, and gain the skills they need to become whoever they want to be.

The objectives of Child Aid Gambia’s mission can be outlined in six points:

1. To provide impoverished Gambian children and their families with aid for their basic needs: food, water and sanitation, as well as freedom from disease and poor health.
2. To provide impoverished Gambian children the opportunity to go to school and advocating their education, through holistic sponsorships that remove all barriers and obstacles a child may face between them and their learning and development.
3. To protect and advocate for Gambian girls and young women, safeguarding them from the difficulties they may face because of their gender – to prioritise their education, thus preventing early marriage, FGM and sexual exploitation, and ensuring that they receive equal opportunities to learn skills and live independently as their male peers.
4. To protect and advocate for disabled Gambian children, with both physical and cognitive disabilities – to ensure that they are safe from all forms of abuse and neglect, and to support their growth and development through the provision of specialist care wherever possible.
5. To support and uplift Gambian communities as a whole, by encouraging families to take positive steps to improve the livelihoods of themselves and their children.
6. To provide faith-based support to marginalised Christian communities in The Gambia, and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in showing unconditional love to every child we support, regardless of their faith, abilities or background.

Child Aid Gambia promises to walk with every child we support, regardless of their age. From newborn babies to young adults, we have worked with and supported Gambian and Senegalese communities diligently and compassionately since 2011. We never turn a child away, regardless of their religion, race, culture, gender or disability. We believe that liberating children from poverty is not simply ensuring the absence of ill health, hunger or disease, but securing their complete emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

We believe strongly in the power of faith as a motivating force for good. We do not simply believe in ‘thoughts and prayers’ as a method of alleviating suffering around the world – we believe that we have a duty to be the answer to a prayer, offering our actions as well as our words to further God’s kingdom. As Jesus was sent to walk the Earth as a human, and lived His life among impoverished, marginalised people, so we at Child Aid Gambia will continue to serve the children in our care with humility, empathy and dedication.