Due to over fishing by foreign trawlers off the coast of West Africa the seas are almost devoid of fish. This is devastating for local Gambian fishermen and the knock on effect is grave shortages of fish throughout the Gambia, this situation is expected to get worse over the coming years. This is depriving both the Gambian people and the patients of the Bansang Hospital of fish protein which  is one of the main building blocks in aiding a patient’s recovery.

So to combat this ongoing shortage of fish protein we have commissioned an innovative and sustainable project a FISH FARM that is being constructed within the grounds of the hospital. This will be a first, dare I say it maybe a first in the world, presently I know of no other such initiative for a hospital.

The Fish Farm is so desperately needed as it will provide a sustainable source of protein for all the patients. I visited a project in January 2022 that was initiated 3 years ago at a school 30kms from the hospital, they harvest between 1200-1500kgs of fish every 6-9 months.  Mr Jammeh, initiated and project managed the installation of the fish farm at the school and has been monitoring every stage of the development at the hospital; he is an expert in this field.

Specially bred Talapia fingerlings will be supplied ensuring that no predators are introduced into the 3 ponds. Two of the hospital’s environmental team have been fully trained to oversee the day to day running of this facility and they will be responsible for manufacturing fish food and monitoring all aspects of the fish farm.

The installation of the fish farm includes a high perimeter fence around the deep ponds to ensure that only qualified people can enter the enclosure thus keeping children at a safe distance from the ponds. Safety of the staff’s children who live within the grounds of the hospital is paramount.

The total cost of this project is £19,500 and thanks to very generous donations of £14,500 to date we now need to raise the remaining  £5,000 to complete the project - All monies has now been raised, thankyou so much for your generosity.

Thank you to everyone that has supported this ground breaking initiative, I will update this page with pictures of the fish farm in action during my next visit in January 2023.

Anita

 

The following images display the enormous task this was to complete this project;