Gambiaj.com – (GUNJUR, The Gambia) – A community-based health initiative in Gunjur is marking two years of operation, bringing together local partners, international collaborators, and beneficiaries to reflect on its growing impact on physical and mental well-being.
The RAGE Well-Being Centre, hosted by the Gunjur Project, was established through a partnership with the UK-based RAGE Fitness Wellbeing Group. The centre aims to strengthen community health through fitness programmes, health education, and emotional support.
According to Craig Brown, Chief Executive Officer of RAGE Fitness Wellbeing Group, the organisation’s engagement in The Gambia began in 2017 through volunteer support for the Gunjur Project.
He explained that sustained involvement over several years, including online health education focused on conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, eventually led to fundraising efforts for a permanent well-being centre in 2022. The facility officially became operational in 2024.
“We wanted to create something sustainable,” Brown said. “Not a short-term intervention, but a centre that the community could trust and rely on in the long term.” He noted that building trust was initially a major challenge, citing widespread skepticism toward external initiatives. “We addressed this by being consistent, employing local people, and returning every year. That is how trust was built.”
The center currently runs weekly programs for children, women, and men. These include weekend fitness sessions for children, men’s health activities, and women’s programs that combine physical exercise with nutrition and cooking education.
Brown estimates that between 50 and 55 people benefit directly from the center’s activities each week, with the impact extending to families and the wider community.
One beneficiary, Hamza Judah, shared a personal account of how the program transformed his life. After losing his sight several years ago, Judah said he struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts while living in England. “I was in a very bad place,” he said.
“Through the support I received here, I found strength again. They took me away from depression, and today I feel fitter and more hopeful than I ever thought possible.”
Alagie Bojang, a pioneer of the Gunjur Project, described the well-being center as a natural extension of the organization’s broader mission of education, youth development, and community empowerment. “Good health is the foundation of everything,” Bojang said. “If people are healthy, they can learn, work, and contribute positively to their families and society.”
Environmental and social justice advocate Lamin Jassey also underscored the importance of access to accurate health information. He said the program provided him with reliable guidance for the first time. “I learned how to understand my own body and take control of my health,” Jassey said. “That knowledge does not stop with one person; it spreads through families and communities.”
Organizers say the initiative has no fixed end date. “As long as there are people who need support, the work continues,” Brown said. As the center enters its third year, stakeholders are calling for increased community participation and expanded access to well-being services in Gunjur and beyond.
