At the heart of this charity initiative is a community in the rural village of Marakissa Gambia, however the story began in 2019 in Rossendale England.

Carol and David Acton simply started collecting donated clothes, shoes and books from local primary schools to send to Gambia. Very quickly the scope of the project grew and they were receiving donations from Boots 2 Africa, Falcon and Whittakers Schoolwear. They shipped the items to Gambia and they were made available free of charge to adults, children, schools and even a football academy!

Their personal connection to this welcoming place has strengthened over time. They wanted to make a positive impact on the community, helping where they can.

They bought a piece of farmland and built a compound where a Gambian family now live. This also means that they have a place to stay within the Marakissa Village to continue building relationships within the community.

They originally had a Facebook page called Rossendale.to.Gambia where they uploaded pictures to demonstrate the impact of donations received. David is continuing with this and hopes to raise money for projects within the wider Marakissa communty, where as in 2023 Carol started collaborating with the Marakissa Methodist Church providing help to raise funds for various projects. Reverend James Bass, the Minister at the Methodist Church is the point of contact and Anne Johnstone from Rossendale has joined this new team.

This website is now the next step to help grow the level of support required and take the opportunity to highlight the importance of the current and future projects that are planned.

As the rules for registering as a charity are that you need proof of an annual income of £5000, the un-registered charity, Marakissa Christians Together, has been born.

Please join us in enriching the lives of the people of Gambia.