DONATIONS from the Tamar Valley community have enabled a Callington charity to build a home for a Gambian man who lost his house in a storm.

Callington-based charity, Keen4Gambia run by Hilary Fairhurst and Jaine Keen  managed to raise around £1,000 which funded the building of a basic house in Kotu, a neighbourhood in Serekunda, Gambia.

The building of the home was an additional project the duo took on during their normal trip they take to the country where they deliver two containers-worth of aid each year.

Hilary expressed that the building of the home has changed the man’s life and that the sense of achievement Hilary feels is ‘beyond words’ and she expressed thanks for the amazing support from the Tamar Valley who have ‘supported in many ways.’

Hilary and Jaine, the two active members for the Keen4Gambia charity collect things that people don’t want that are recyclable including items such as clothes, children’s toys, educational materials, medical equipment and transport these items in a shipping container where they distribute the items to Gambian communities.

It was during their most recent distribution trip that began last month where the pair discovered that one of their workers and friends that helps them while they’re visiting the country, Abubacarr, a 42-year old man had had his house reduced to rubble due to storms and was living in a corrugate shed.

Hilary said: ‘He was basically living in a chicken shed. He needed a room and a roof. We decided that it would be nice if we could rebuild his house.’

Hilary and Jaine decided to set up a fundraising page with the hopes of raising £1,000 to rebuild Abubacarr’s home. Through astounding donation efforts the money was raised and a basic home was build for Abubacarr by local people they employed.

The 5m x 3m house that was built consisted of a shell, a roof, a vinyl floor, simple electrics and from the items that they had taken out they could provide some furnishings including a bed frame, a table and a chair. They were also able to provide Abubacarr with a bicycle and some other basic items such as a kettle.

Hilary who got back from the trip last week after spending five and a half weeks in Gambia said: ‘I am amazed that we have managed to accomplish so much in a short while.

‘I’m amazed and humbled by the whole experience.

‘What we did for him was life-changing.

‘He was extremely appreciative of what we’ve done for him. He now has a roof over his head, clothes and his own form of transport.

Hilary expressed thanks to the Tamar Valley communites and all those individuals that donated funds and made the project possible.

‘People have been kind enough to donate small and large amounts of money’, said Hilary.

‘Callington and the Tamar Valley have come up trumps and they always do. They have been very supportive in so many ways and I’ve been humbled by the support we get from our communities, it’s absolutely wonderful.’

Although for Hilary the help they have given Abubacarr feels like ‘a drop in the ocean’, she expressed that the impact of having a basic roof over his head and a form of transport can have a massive impact on Abubacarr’s life.

‘Something’s better than nothing...always.

‘We know we can’t help everybody but we also know that by helping somebody there is a ripple effect. He can help people, he can help himself, he can go out and hopefully earn some money without having to pay for transport and at night he has somewhere to sleep. It’s a very emotional thing to see that you can do something that can have a huge impact on someone’s life and it can just reduce you to tears.

‘While there is life in me I’ll be out there trying to help.’