A Success Story in The Gambia - Meet Dalanda Jallow

Dalanda Jallow represents the bright future of the tiny West-Africa nation of The Gambia.  As a high school senior Dalanda has designs on attending university next year - an endeavor to which few from her town aspire.  Fewer still make it happen.  Dalanda will carry with her to college lessons learned as an active participant in a local organization called Better Africa Youth Initiative (BAYI), which empowers young people in The Gambia to make positive, healthy life decisions and to realize their full leadership potential.  She has participated in numerous undertakings to make her community a better place, and is determined to give back to those in need once she finishes university.

Dalanda’s university plans almost unraveled when the modest funding needed for her high school education dried up.  She was shocked to learn that the benefactor who had paid for her schooling in the past decided, without informing her ahead of time, not to submit the final payment needed to get Dalanda through her senior year.  School administrators had no choice but to inform Dalanda that her college dreams would have to be put on hold absent a miracle; Dalanda needed to make a tuition payment within two weeks’ time in order to stay in school and graduate on schedule.  

A representative from BAYI reached out to WideAwake.org to inform us of Dalanda’s situation, and donors did the rest once a project to fund the tuition was posted on the WideAwake.org website.  Within a week, the project was fully funded and Dalanda was able to meet the tuition requirement.  Dalanda was of course exceptionally grateful.  She is on track to finish high school in the spring.  Her next challenge is deciding what to major in at college!

Please have a look at projects posted on the WideAwake.org website to learn about opportunities to help worthy individuals like Dalanda and stellar aid organizations doing a world of good to help the less fortunate in the developing world.