New project of Les Amis de Gambie: ‘Cleaning costs nothing’


In the time to come, we will primarily be focusing on keeping the orphanage running. The demands on us are great: we face large monthly expenses for education, food, cleaning materials and staff.


One of our slogans is ‘cleaning costs nothing’, but the cleaning products you can buy in Gambia are all imported and are, unfortunately, not cheap. We spend €1,127 on cleaning products every year, which is quite a chunk of our budget. Our yearly consumption includes 12 litres of Dettol, 240 kilogrammes of washing powder, 120 litres of all-purpose cleaner, 90 litres of bleach, and 730 bars of the sturdy brown soap locally known as ‘donkey soap’.

We do not use fabric softener and dishwashing liquid, because they are relatively expensive.

We use washing powder and ‘donkey soap’ to wash dishes. The same soap is also used for hand-washing heavily soiled clothes. Dettol and all-purpose cleaner are mixed to clean floors and bathrooms. It may sound a little strange, but this is common practice in Gambia.

Every day, our committed housekeeper, ‘Aunty’ Haddy, ensures that the orphanage is spotless. Additionally, for the past eight years, ‘Aunty’ Awa has been responsible for washing and ironing all the clothes. When they enjoy their weekends, the ‘mamas’ join forces with the children to make sure that everything stays neat and sparkling clean.


Our aim with the ‘Cleaning costs nothing’ campaign is to raise money to buy cleaning supplies for the orphanage for the next two years so that we can get ahead for a while. We need a budget of €2,254 to do this.


We would really appreciate it if you could help us by transferring your contribution to account number IBAN LU42 0030 6563 9934 0000 (BGLLLULL), in the name of the organisation Les Amis de Gambie or via PayPal citing ‘Cleaning costs nothing’.


Every gift is very welcome and greatly appreciated.


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