Staying with the locals at Gunjur provides an excellent opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of The Gambia, its people, culture, and traditions. Homestays with a host family give a unique, more authentic cultural experience, as you can practice your language skills, enjoy and participate in preparing home-cooked meals, and learn about the country on a completely different level. Such sustainable retreats can positively impact the local community and The Gambia as a whole.
CETAG is an umbrella body of five environmental groups that came together to promote activities for environmental protection, prevention of climate change, sustainable development and responsible and eco travel to boost the economy of the whole of Gunjur.
Together with My Gambia, they have created a volunteering program that can last from one week on, where travellers that want to have a meaningful stay in The Gambia engage with the local community while participating in activities promoting environmental protection that benefits not only Gunjurian community but brings benefit to the whole country.
In this Volunteer program, one can gain knowledge about sustainable practices, the importance of animal and floral species for the environment, and understand the lifestyle and treasures Gunjur has to offer with its welcoming hospitality.
Environmental lovers can engage in various activities, such as visiting the nature reserves, learning about indigenous flora and fauna, birdwatching, developing a tree nursery, beach and forest cleaning, participating in gardening with women from the whole community and promoting organic gardening methods, learning about the importance of turtles for the oceans and engaging in activities of monitoring, protecting the nests and taking care of hatched turtles in the nesting season, creating environmental awareness in schools and within members of the community and so much more. On the other side, volunteers can learn a lot about the local culture while staying with one of the welcoming host families and engaging with their daily work.
The whole experience also includes many workshops, such as drumming and kora lessons, local language lessons and learning about traditional woodcarving skills, silver smithery, tailoring, basket plaiting, weaving beautiful materials, tie-dye techniques of colouring materials and more. One can never be bored as the time spent in Gunjur also includes exploring the nearby sights, which are interesting for every traveller. Boat trip on the Halahin River, visit to Gambia Reptiles Farm, Gunjur Village Museum, the sacred site with the wonderful mosque on the beach, or devoting the whole day to exploring other hidden treasures of The Gambia via trips will add additional flavour to the entire experience.
Contribute to the livelihood of the local community with the homestays and create an impact in eco-tourism and sustainable development by volunteering in Gunjur. The program can be customised to your interests and wish for engagement.