GARDO Projects

This is the 8th year running since GARDO was established in 2001. GARDO acknowledges that there are enormous and overwhelming needs which, in attempting to address, would require careful and strategic thinking and planning. So far the organisation has been very realistic and practical in trying to address these prevailing needs in the Gabiley region.

To date GARDO has successfully delivered a number of projects and at the present time it is in the process of delivering one of its major projects planned for the region.

Health:

According to the World Health Organisation this region has one of the highest child mortalities in Africa because of the complete lack of basic health services and mainly the young children and pregnant women take the brunt of this brutal fate. These are often caused by diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria and other chronic diseases.

Reconstruction of Gabiley Regional Hospital

Gardo has successfully undertook the delivery of a major health project on december 2009 in conjunction with other diaspora from Canada, Sweden and USA. This is the reconstruction of the regional hospital. This project  cost 128,000 US dollar and GARDO donated 75,000 US dollar towards the cost of the reconstruction and this is equivalent of 70% of total cost. This sum has been handed over to the Gabiley Regional Development Council who is implementing the project.

Gabiley region is one of the regions that the civil war in Somalia in 1980s severly affected. The only hospital in the region was reduced to rubbles. The reconstruction of the hospital will help and improve the lives of a population of over 200,000 inhabitants who have no means of accessing the most basic and essential health treatments and services.

We expect the reconstruction to finish at the beginning of May 2010. GARDO would like to thank all those who contributed in this noble cause. May Allah reward them for their generosity.

But this is not the end of the journey. The hospital would require to be equipped with necessary and suffucient equipments, improve the landscape of the hospital by planting flowers and trees, attracting apprpriate doctors and nurses, maintaining overhead cost for a time being, linking with international hospitals etc, to maintain the continuous development of the hospital. All these would require fund. GARDO is preparing fundraising for the second phase of the hospital. Please be tuned to this website, be ready for it and contribute generously.

X-ray Project

On the backdrop of this GARDO has been working on the planning of a major project in health. After consultation with the members the organisation took the decision to seek the procurement of an X-ray clinic in Gabiley.

In 2006 the organisation managed to purchase the X-ray system for Gabiley General Hospital. This system was based on the World Health Organisations (WHO) specifications for X-ray systems for developing countries with all necessary accessories and it is now operational in the region. Also in this this project was the construction of the clinic office within the Regional Hospital, which consists of two rooms: a reception plus waiting room and the radiology dark room.

The X-ray clinic will provide appropriate diagnostic opportunities of illnesses common to the area such as Tuberculosis, other respiratory diseases, accidents and fractures etc. These illnesses affect the lives of many people, especially, the poorest sections of the community. The X-ray clinic will significantly contribute to the current meagre health service and add on to the wellbeing of the inhabitants in Gabiley Area by providing appropriate, accessible and affordable diagnostics. As a result this will immensely enhance the living conditions of the local people.

The overall cost of the project was in the region of £25,000, including the cost of building the X-ray clinic. The bulk of this money (estimated 85%) has come from the Diaspora and members of GARDO and the remaining 15% have come from charitable trusts. This is a tremendous contribution from GARDO members in UK.


Education:

GARDO has been involved in delivering a number of educational projects and essential materials  for the secondary schools, main primary schools and local public library in Gabiley region. 

 IT classes for secondary schools

As a part of a planned programmes GARDO established and supported an information technology classes in the secondary schools of the region. So far IT classes are delivered in Timacade and Arabsiyo secondary school. This year  we plan to set up at Togwajale secondary school(Kamil Ciise). GARDO will expand this support to Allaybaday secondary school in the future as there is no enough commputers in this school at present. This services are an integral part of the schools and GARDO provided computers and paying the salary of the IT teachers. IT classes start at year 3 of secondary school and continue for a year.  

The provision of IT classes and educational material such as computers, projectors, reference books, chairs and tables will enable young people to receive a better resourced education to enhance their learning and to enable them to be literate in order to better their lives and improve their conditions of life.

This would not have happen without the determination and hard work of the GARDO Management Committee and members.

Items delivered: 

1. In 2009 GARDO donated 3 projectors for Timacade, Arabsiyo and Togwajalle secondary schools with the toal cost of 2100 US dollar. This is a much needed items for the quality teaching in the schools as the ratio of students per class is very high.

2. In 2008 GARDO donated 3214 reference and reading books to Timacade secondary school.

3. In 2008 GARDO donated 213 chairs and tables, 4 black boards and 14 overhead projectors to the different schools of the region.

4. In 2008 GARDO donated 71 personal computers and much needed related items to the secondary schools in the regions.

5. In 2005 GARDO donated 25 personal computers to a different institutions in the region

6. In 2004 GARDO donated much needed educational stationery and sports equipment. Over 3,000 pens and pencils, rulers and 120 footballs and other sporting equipments  to the schools of the region.

7. in 2003 GARDO donated, with collaboration of African Education Trust, over 7,000 books collected from secondary and primary schools in England to the schools of the region

 

Sports & Leisure:

Also GARDO delivered other successful projects, which were well received. We have distributed a significant number of sports equipment this time to the district soccer and basketball teams. A complete kit of sporting equipment was provided to each team.

This will raise the morale of both teams and their managers and contribute in raising the standard of sporting activities in the region and will inspire young people, who most of the time have nothing to do to focus their energies on sporting activities. Thus it will significantly contribute to their health fitness as well as giving them something to do as leisure activities. As we know sports and leisure activities gives the youth a rela alternatives than actually indulging themselves into Narcotic drugs such as KHAT.

Clothes for Orphans:

The civil war in what was Somalia at the time, left behind a significant number of orphaned children in Gabiley area. The local administration, with the help of Diaspora from Gabiley area, managed to establish an Orphanage centre. All young people at the centre are provided with the basic necessities such as shelter, food and education.

In the last couple of years GARDO has made a significant contribution towards the welfare of these orphaned children and provided much needed clothes collected from its’ members. GARDO endeavours to alleviate poverty by tackling the root causes of poverty and providing basic necessities for life to enable those affected by poverty to get on with their lives. It is the mix of taking small steps as well as big steps that will enable us to walk the long walk and hopefully will enable the organisation to change the lives of many people.