1.      General Electricity and Technologies Information:

 

Electricity in The Gambia is mostly limited to the area around the capital, < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Banjul. However, some large towns elsewhere in the country do have electricity for several hours a day. Some organizations such as health centers and NGOs also have diesel generators. Regardless, a volunteer should NOT expect to have continuous or any access to electricity at all, even if one’s posting is in the area around the capital. Electricity service, while fairly dependable in recent months, still invariably encounters problems that leave vast areas without power, sometimes for days and weeks. A volunteer coming to The Gambia should take this into account when deciding on what kind of technologies to bring along.

 

Having said that, a fair number of volunteers, particularly ICT volunteers use technologies such as laptops in The Gambia on a daily basis, since their postings tend to be at the least with an organization that has access to a diesel generator.  Furthermore, many non-ICT volunteers even those posted up-country, in rural villages also posses similar technologies, as one can usually find a way to charge laptops, portable DVD players, cell phones and iPods, even if it requires biking a considerable distance.

 

Solar Technology:

 

Some volunteers also find it useful to invest in solar technology, which is available in-country at relatively affordable prices. For example, a simple five to ten watts set up for a bulb and a charger for cell-phones and iPods may cost as little as US $100.00. A volunteer can usually cover this cost from the Cost of Living allowance provided by Peace Corps/The Gambia. Larger setups of fifty to a hundred watts to run lap-tops and portable DVD players can cost as much as US $500.00. Such set-ups will probably require that volunteer to supplement.

However, should a volunteer only choose to bring an iPod, and since sun is never the problem in The Gambia, iPod’s portable solar charger will be sufficient (available from its manufacturer).

 

Cell-Phones:

 

Cell-phones or mobiles are the preferred mode of communication in The Gambia. While landlines exist, however, their extent is limited due to their physical nature. Even mobiles, however, have their coverage limits. Currently there are three mobile service providers that cover some parts of the country very well, while most parts have limited or sporadic coverage. The trainees will be provided more information once they arrive in country and they will have the opportunity to purchase mobiles at some point during training, either their first week in country or at the end of training. The cheapest mobiles here cost anywhere from US $50.00 to US $90.00, depending upon the promotional events. A prospective volunteer may choose to purchase a mobile that can take a SIM card and is compatible with the GSM frequency of West Africa in the States as the same phones will be much cheaper in the there than in-country. Ask for an unlocked quadband cell phone that takes a SIM card.   A good source may be eBay or other similar sites. Please see a list of the most commonly used phones is The Gambia below:

1.      Nokia 1100 *

2.      Nokia 1110 *

3.      Nokia 1110i *

4.      Nokia 1112 *

5.      Nokia 1600

6.      Nokia 5310

7.      Nokia 6600

8.      Nokia 8210

9.      Alcatel

10.  Samsung RS 660

 

*Almost universally used by all volunteers as they are the cheapest mobiles on the market here and they are not too extravagant so as to not give the appearance of being rich foreigners, a common misconception held by many host nationals.

 

Personal Music Players and Radios:

 

The most form of personal music players that volunteers choose to bring are iPods, MP3 Players, and CD/MP3 Players. As mentioned above should one choose to bring an iPod, it is highly advisable that they also invest in a compatible solar charger available from its manufacture. As for MP3 players and CD/MP3 Players, it is best bring the battery powered devices along with as many batteries as one may wish to do so. While there are batteries available here the quality tends to be extremely poor (on a CD player it may be possible to play maximum of two to three songs on brand new batteries). Brand name batteries such as Duracell and Energizer are also available; however, their cost is very high considering the Cost of Living allowance provided by Peace Corps. (Please also see the Packing List page for details on how to prepare and what to bring.)

 

As for radios, a volunteer may bring a full shortwave radio with AM/FM functions to receive the local radios as well as BBC and VOA. However, such radios can be purchased in The Gambia for as little as US $5.00.

 

Other Considerations about Technologies:

 

One more thing that you should consider is the effect of high humidity during the rainy season on the technologies you bring. Humidity can cause long term problems in sensitive devices such as laptops and iPods, however, this has not been a major concern for volunteers who posses such technologies in The Gambia. Furthermore, some preventative measures can be taken to make sure it doesn’t become a problem.

 

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