Folks , I urge you all to spread the message around to those who could be of help to resque the situation . The inmates need help urgently. Chi Jamma , Bro Sheikh Tejan --- Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Matarr and Abdoukarim, > Thanks for the sharing your observation and efforts > about Campama. Its > great that the Independent Newspaper brings this > topic again. Its very sad > to read about the condition of the place and to see > som many mentally > retarded people working around in the streets. > I remember the last time the issue was discussed her > on Gambia-l I > contacted the Friends of Gambia here in Denmark and > was told that they had > given some hospital beds to Campama. > > I received a mail from a good friend of The Gambia > Susan Rowe who wrote > that she would send the article to some of their > local Psychiatric > Hospitals and see if any of them can help. > > > Momodou Camara > > > On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 23:59:08 -0700, abdoukarim sanneh > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > >Matarr it did not surprise me too. Three years ago > I wrote a piece on the > Gambia-l title Gambia's forgotten citizens. Funds > where raise in Gambia > with Tijan Nyang and also one of my friends in > Birmingham but the corrupt > regime did not compliment such a good effort of > concern individuals.The > situation in Campama is dehumanising and more help > is needed for the > welfare of our brothers and sisters. The hardship in > our country can even > increase more mental disorder. Let us review from > the literature of Frantz > Fanon- The wretched of the earth on Algerian where > he associated mental > illness in that society with economic and > psychological degradation in his > capacity as a psychotherapist. > > > >Matarr Amadou Sallah <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Mo > >Thanks for this very important forward but honestly > this doesnt surprise > me. > >In 1999 when i was in the gambia i took a trip to > Campama to see the > >working conditions down there. I am particularly > interested in campama > >because since 1994 i have been working at a > psychiatric hospital and for 14 > >years ihave been working with mentally retarded > people. > >I was in shock when i visited Campama, i was shown > round by one Sister > >Tamba, the only psychiatric nurse in the Gambia by > then together with two > >Nigerian ladies who were there for just a short > period of time. > >The living conditions in campama is the worst i > have ever seen. It is the > >first time in my life i see two patients of the > same diagnosis or of > >different diagnosis sharing a single bed. They > sleep in sardine > >position(one head up and the other head down) They > smell each others feet. > >At the rehabilitation unit, everything was at a > standstill due to lack of > >materials and tools. The patients were hanging > around the big mango tree > and > >some were just roaming about the backyard. > >If thing have been going according to plan i am > sure they should be able to > >produce their own furniture or repair the little > they have. Some of the > beds > >were three legged and the fourth was supported but > cement blocks. > >When i came back to Norway after my holidays i > contacted the boss at the > >hospital where i work and explain the whole > situation to her and expressed > >how desperately they needed help. Unfortunately > there wasnt much to do > >because they have this agreement with the > psychiatric hospital in st. > >Petersburg in Russia. > > > >I am at work now and i really have to go but i > promise i will write more on > >this topic > > > > > >Matarr > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an > e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of > postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface > at: > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~