2019 - Solar Milling Machine for the Women of Sutukoba in the Gambia

2019 - Solar Milling Machine for the Women of Sutukoba in the Gambia

Early in 2018, Yasmina Barka visited the village of Sutukoba in the Wuli District of the North Bank Division in The Gambia, a location so remote that people living there have no access to running water or electricity. For their most basic energy needs, they use wood that they collect themselves, or have to buy candles, kerosene and gasoline.

During her  stay there,  she  met a women's cooperative, who solicited assistance from benevolent friends for the purchase of a solar milling machine. Their goal is for the village to have its own milling machine, which can be used by all members of the group and to help generate additional income. At present, the women still use traditional hand-milling methods to prepare their daily food. This process is very time-consuming and arduous depriving them of enough time to tend to other activities. The introduction of a motorised mill would therefore dramatically improve their living conditions.

Thanks to the generosity of benevolent friends and family in Italy, UK and USA and IFAD, Ms Yasmina Barka organised a fundraising which collected €4,357 and USD 600.

This amount enabled the purchase of  the machine from the company Solar Milling registered as Seine Tech Brand  in Barcelona (Spain) for  Euro 4,356 (including the transportation from Barcelona to Banjul Port, click here to see how the machine operates)

Additional costs included:

  • €678: customs charges to clear the shipment

  • €357:  fee GAM-Solar Energy & Engineering Co. for the installation and transportation of the machine  from Banjul Port to Sutukoba

  •  €1500 euro; Building a small place  for housing the machine.

These  costs were partly covered with the remaining  USD 600 and by Yasmina and her family personal contributions. 

The machine is now installed in Sutukoba and the inauguration will take place in August in the presence fo the chair ofGroundnut , Mr Sana Jatta who will be in the Gambia.

This experience has inspired the creation of Groundnut Association