GAMBIA HEALTH EDUCATION LIAISON PROJECT (GambiaHELP)

Shelby Tarutis is commited, focused and totally dedicated to the people of Gambia, especially the women, children and families she helps each and every day with projects and programs funded by GambiaHELP. For almost two decades Shelby has worked to provide resources, education and motivation for people in small villages of this poor country. Her mission is to give a "hand up" to countless Gambians and to do her best to make these beautiful people self-sustaining and independent in their quest for a better life. Jamie Thomas

I enjoy volunteering for GambiaHELP. As an all volunteer organization, you really get to feel good about the great work being done. I especially like the support GambiaHELP gives women's groups to help them with village based programs like batik, soap making and other village industries that the women then use to help the entire village.

Most Efficient, Most Reliable, does everything and beyond a non profitable organization is meant for, Always there for us. FOR THE CHILD

As a volunteer, i have the opportunity to serve as an advisor to the GambiaHELP Service Club at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA. The club is in its second year and very popular. Twenty-five students come to school for a 7 am meeting every single Tuesday morning during the school year. In six week cycles they brainstorm, vet, plan, promote and execute fundraisers. The current focus is to re-build the school in Berending, The Gambia. The new school is about 1/3 funded. It is exciting to see the incoming freshmen become global citizens as they realize that every snicker-doodle baked and sold actually goes to help a very real other student half-way around the world. The Seattle students get more and more focused as the year goes by. These are life lessons they will carry forever.

GambiaHELP is an organization that has done so much for the people of The Gambia, especially women and children. They continue to help transform the lives of so many people in The Gambia, by supporting projects identified by the communities that would directly benefit them.These projects include but not limited to education, healthcare and access to clean water, just to name a few. The organization has provided books to various schools. They have provided bicycles to a lot of school children from rural communities, to help alleviate their commute to and from school. I am very grateful to this organization for supporting among other things, the health center in my hometown of Banjulunding in the West Coast region of The Gambia.

GambiaHELP is one of the best organizations helping children and women in The Gambia with education and health ,My whole family are volunteers and my employer is a donor.

Every person is born with the right to be taught to read and understand the rudiments of scientific understanding. In the developing world this simple dignity is too often denied to women and girls. GambiaHELP puts donations directly into the hands of those who need them most; personally delivering books to school libraries, paying scholarships, and putting backpacks and school supplies into the hands of students. Every penny is used to further the mission (the chief executive's salary is $0). Join us and make a real difference in this winnable fight.

GambiaHELP is a wonderful organization that raises funds to support projects in the Gambia identified and proposed by the communities and people of Gambia. In addition to raising funds for projects, GambiaHELP also collects educational and medical supplies throughout the year in Seattle that are then shipped to Gambia. Shelby spends several months every year living in Gambia distributing the donations and learning about the needs and future projects from Gambians. I have volunteered for GambiaHELP for over 10 years and was able to go to Gambia to see all the wonderful projects that have been supported.

GambiaHELP has contributed alot to women's empowerment and girl's education in my country of The Gambia through cereal banking, skills development and paying for school fees for girls. This charity works with the community directly with a participatory process to build libraries, skill centers and digging wells.

Shelby knows how to make things happen! For decades, she has been cultivating relationships in The Gambia, and along with locals, figures out practical ways to give villages the boosts they need to get long-term projects rolling and thriving. She gives financial and logistical help to start educational, nutritional and small-business projects that benefit entire communities, and that the local people can sustain and develop on their own for years to come. I am happy to be able to contribute my time and funds, both of which I see used efficiently, sensibly, and with warm appreciation.

GambiaHELP is an extraordinary organization with a great mission to give, provide and build. With several fundraisers and events, Director Shelby Tarutis and the organization's volunteers have truly made a difference through dedicating their time and energy into making a difference for the people of Gambia. I am happy to say that I have been a part of such a wonderful organization.

We have been involved with GambiaHelp for many years and feel it's a very worthwhile nonprofit to support. Shelby Tarutis is a close family friend and works very hard to improve the quality of life for the people of Gambia. Every year we are amazed at how much she's accomplished and the improvements she makes to the program to benefit the Gambians. Over the years, their lives have continually improved due to the hours Shelby volunteers to perfect the program. We never hesitate to support this non-profit as we know our money will be used in the best way possible.

I am more than a donor really, I have been friends with Shelby Tarutis (the director) for many years and did volunteer work with her when I was younger. Shelby began GambiaHELP all on her own because she loves the Gambian people and wants to help them. She served in Gambia in the Peace Corps. She has done an amazing job of bringing schoolbooks, medical supplies, and much much more to the Gambian people. She is devoted to her cause. Her web page tells more about her work and achievements than I can - http://www.gambiahelp.org/index.html Shelby is conscientious, hard working, strictly honest, and very caring.

Our biggest projects include building libraries, schools, and skill centers. Skill centers are buildings where the community can receive training, have meetings, store supplies out of the weather and make the goods for their sustainable projects.

The projects GambiaHELP supports come from the needs and dreams of the communities in The Gambia. GambiaHELP requires the community to donate 25% of the project in labor, services and land donations. This is a time consuming method, but because of this dedication and commitment, our projects have long lasting results and are beneficial to the entire community.

This is only one aspect of the incredible projects that GAMBIA HELP does. Please read the personal blog of Director Shelby from this year's trip. It details the work she so willingly and generously does.
Susan Moen, Board Member

I have been working with Shelby and the GambiaHELP team for over a decade, and I currently on the Board. I have visited school libraries that GambiaHELP supports, delivered backpacks filled with school supplies to students (the picture are students from Sukuta Primary School), seen malaria nets that women have sewn on sewing machines given by GambiaHELP and unloaded a container filled with medical supplies and bikes to be distributed throughout the country. It has been a pleasure and honor to be part of the organization and to see the incredible results of the work that GambiaHELP has done for all Gambians.

The libraries are bright, warm rooms filled with books that the students and teachers eagerly use. It is not uncommon to have schools without books, without libraries. One can only imagine how difficult it is teach and learn without resources. Setting up libraries with hundreds of books and providing other educational supplies has helped students learn in ways that they had not known before and opened them to the love of learning.

Women have been supported with loans, milling machines and sewing machines that assist them to gain skills and produce goods both for their own use and sell to support and provide for themselves and their families. Options for women are not many in the country. With GambiaHELP's assistance they have opportunities. Health centres are equipped with medical supplies and office equipment to be able to administer, aid and support the people of local communities. Supplies are scarce and expensive. GambiaHELP has provided much needed resources.

The volunteers that have donated their time and energy to GambiaHELP are amazing. Generous. Kind. Willing to help however they can. I have met volunteers both in Seattle and throughout The Gambia and admire their energy. They are fabulous people.

Shelby is recognized and appreciated in many circles in The Gambia. Going to a village with her is quite a treat with people of all ages running up to see and touch her. She is one of those rare individuals whose power to give is endless. The people in Gambia know how special she is and appreciate all that she has done. I am in awe of her caliber and dedication to the mission of GambiaHELP.

As a donor (and former volunteer) I'm happy to support GambiaHELP! They provide an amazing level of service to women and children with tremendenous need. The funding and donations received by GambuaHELP go directly to services and projects, with less than 5% spent on administration and expenses of the organization. This small agency makes a huge impact!

The group of people that volunteer for GambiaHELP are truely inspiring. They all work so hard towards this amazing organization and put in the time to really make a difference. GambiaHELP has started with so little help and resources and really taken off over the years. I feel fortunate to be a part of this organization.

Shelby Tarutis is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. She started out in Gambia as a Peace Corp Volunteer, and then went back to help the people she loves once she was out of the Peace Corp. I have never seen anyone as dedicated to a cause as Shelby. She tirelessly works 12 months out of the year, fund raising in Seattle, which usually includes a big auction, and I have attended many of these at the Women's University Club...there is silent auction items to choose from, and wonderful live auction items, as well as wonder food and drink. Gambians are there looking splendiferous in their native garb and dance and play music. It is a must attend event as well as a great fund raiser . She gathers up goods of clothing, medical supplies, etc. for the gambians and ships a container to Gambia once a year. Once the container has arrive she follows and helps distribute goods around the country, and she is there about two months, sacrificing time with her family back in Seattle. She is an Angel!

GambiaHELP does a great deal of good with a small amount of resources! From medicine to books to town-specific assistance guided by village elders, the projects make a big impact.

I strongly support GambiaHelp because it increases opportunities for women and children in that poor part of Africa. They have so little, and GambiaHelp ships and distributes a variety of items that are useful for the women to develop their crafts and earn needed money by selling them. It also helps the children by providing backpacks with school supplies, which are in short supply there. The country has a library but it is poorly stocked. GambiaHelp collects books, clothing and other useful items and ships them to the country to benefit the library as well as the citizens. Finally, for a small donation, GambiaHelp facilitates drilling a well, which helps the families who otherwise must walk long distances for fresh water.

I was intially attracted to GambiaHELP because the organization benefits communities in Africa, a part of the world that has always held my interest. I was compelled to continue volunteering with GambiaHELP after learning about the Executive Director’s personal relationship with the communites for which she fundraises. After helping plan and prepare for their 12th annual auction and dinner, an event where I found myself profoundly moved by the compassion and generousity of those who attended, I knew I wanted to continue my involvement with GambiaHELP. I am interested in pursuring a career in the non-profit sector and Shelby, the Executive Director, has kindly taken on the mentor roll. She has opened doors for me by inviting me to network at large functions for leaders in non-profit, as well as guided me through the steps of grant acquisition. The grassroots nature of GambiaHELP has provided me with valuable perfessional experience, but has more notablity given me a sense that I am making a difference, a feeling that is truly invaluable. I highly recommend and invite anyone who wants see the direct impact of their contribution to volunteer for GambiaHELP.