Community Action Support Association-Gambia
CASA-Gambia-Netherlands
Paving the way for self-directed development
Policy plan 2022
Introduction
The CASA Gambia Foundation in The Gambia was established in November 2015 as a charitable organisation and has a TIN no. The CASA Gambia-Netherlands Foundation was established in October 2016 as a charitable organisation and has the ANBI status.
Both foundations are committed to the development of the Gambian people, especially the underprivileged, and is motivated by poverty concerns: low income, low literacy, poor health and environmental degradation.
The task of the foundation in The Gambia is to prepare and supervise the implementation of projects indicated by the local population as highly desirable and urgent for their development.
The task of the foundation in the Netherlands is to support the foundation in The Gambia in word and deed, especially in fundraising.
1. Period of validity.
This policy plan takes effect on 1 July 2022 and is valid until 1 July 2023. The policy plan will be renewed annually and put on the agenda for the monthly meeting in April to allow for timely updates.
2. Vision and mission
Our vision is that sustainable socio-economic development is best led by the people for whom it is intended. Where these people take the initiative and can demonstrate the need and impact of their initiative, we want to enable them to achieve the intended results.
Our mission is to give local initiatives in The Gambia that development opportunity to the poorest of the poor and support them with our knowledge, experience and access to funds.
During the corona period, together with the Wild Geese Foundation, we provided the 70 poorest families of the primary school renovated with our help with 1 bag of rice, 1 bag of potatoes, a bag of onions and 5 litres of oil, enough food for l month.
3. Ambitions
As of mid-2020, we have embraced a new initiative, the rebuilding of the central market hall in the village of Brufut. The current, colonial-era market hall is on the verge of collapse, unsanitary and dangerous. Years of neglect have led to lower incomes for market vendors. Local women who sell their homegrown fruit and vegetables there to support their families are suffering badly.
CASA Gambia has planned to build a new and hygienic market hall in consultation with the Village Development Committee and the market vendors. The hall will be owned by the local people, who will also take care of its maintenance.
A project plan with budget and drawings is ready. The new market hall will be equipped with water and toilets. Special attention will be paid to hygiene in the market hall. To this end, WHO and FAO hygiene and health guidelines will be implemented. WHO also has a practical guide with guidelines for a healthy market. These guidelines will be included in the management guidelines so that they can be maintained in the future.
Funding for Brufut’s new central market hall is in place. A series of partners from Gambia (Brikama Area Council, America (Friends of Brufut in the Gambia), the Netherlands (Casa Gambia-Netherlands Foundation), the Wilde Ganzen Foundation and the Elisabeth Strouven Fund have raised the required amount of €134,000. We are proud to have managed to raise the local funding again, a sign that this
initiative is also seriously recognised and supported locally as an important development.
The first payment has already taken place, the two other payments will follow in consultation with the Wilde Ganzen Foundation. The preparation for the construction was ready but has a considerable delay because the planned construction site cannot go ahead due to a planned road. The government has offered Casa-Gambia a new site that is more attractive.
This does mean that a new project plan and budget have to be made. At the new site, everything will be built at ground level. Casa-Gambia is working hard on this.
4. Working method
Following the entry into force of the new Law on Management and Supervision of Legal Persons (WBTR) on 1 July 2021, the foundation will implement a number of clarifications and adjustments to its working method.
The new law aims to build in more transparency and supervision for legal entities, preventing abuse and self-enrichment at the expense of the legal entity. The interest of the legal entity is paramount.
The changes can be laid down in a by-law or policy plan but, where relevant, ultimately in the articles of association. We have until 1 July 2026 to do so.
How does our foundation deal with:
Conflicts of interest:
If a director has his or her own interests in taking a decision, we agree that, in accordance with WBTR, this director may not participate in the meeting and the decision making process.
How does our foundation deal with:
Liability:
The law expressly provides that directors are liable if they have failed to perform their duties properly and can be seriously blamed for doing so.
Absence and inability to act
In the event of absence and/or inability to act, the other board members will take decisions, provided at least three directors are present to take this decision. To prevent such a situation arising in the future, it was decided to expand the board from 3 to 5 directors.
Multiple voting rights
The WBTR prohibits an arrangement whereby a director may cast more votes than the co-directors combined. At our foundation, we actually never vote but always work by consensus. According to the articles of association, each board member has one vote and, where appropriate, a decision will be taken by majority vote.
Fundraising
In the Netherlands, as many organisations, foundations and individuals as possible are written to our projects asking them to support us. Because of the corona crisis, there have been fewer donations from individuals recently, although we have held packaging campaigns and this has yielded some results. On the other hand, together with many parties we did manage to get the biggest project in our history (the market hall) funded, so the village of Brufut can look forward to a nice post-corona boost.
In Gambia, they appealed to various groups/organisations to help them realise the projects for their own people, which led to success.
As far as the packaging campaign is concerned, things have changed i.e. many shops give this out to a
firm that takes care of that for them. The difference from before is that donations can now be made on one of two names of foundations, these two foundations are allowed to stay for 3 months, but without any further information about the foundation.
This system yields a lot less than before.
5. Finances
An annual financial report of both foundations will be published on our website.
6. Organisation
Casa-Gambia Foundation
Lower Puth 18
6155 LS Beekdaelen
Board
Ebrima Jatta, chairman
Francine Simons-Hendriks, treasurer
Pim de Bokx, secretary
Geri de Lange-Mes, member of the board (as of 17 June 2021)
Fatou Marrie Touray, board member (as of 17 June 2021)
Volunteers
Nico Hollander
Jaap van Duuren
Jan and Marjan Schins
Patricia Whyte
Collaboration with:
The Wilde Ganzen Foundation
Elisabeth Strouven Fund
This policy plan was adopted at the board meeting of 17 June 2022.
Ebrima Jatta, chairman Pim de Bokx, secretary