Development of Seventh-day Adventist Work
The Gambia constitutes the Gambia Mission Station. It was officially registered with the Gambian government in 1987. The Gambia Mission Station is part of the West African Union which in turn is part of the Africa-Indian Ocean Division. Statistics (1992) for The Gambia: churches, 2; members, 248; elementary schools, 2.
Seventh-day Adventists entered Gambia officially in 1973 by sending Daniel Cudjoe from Ghana as a literature evangelist.
Pastor Cartwright, an evangelist from the United States, despite much opposition, conducted an evangelistic campaign in Banjul in 1975. At the end of December 1979 there were 22 members.
READ MOREIn 1981 Louis C. Nielsen arrived as mission station director and was able to obtain a plot of land from the New Jeshwang/Ebou Town villages (1982) for the purpose of building a school in the urban area of Serekunda, thereby meeting an urgent need in the area of education.
In 1983 the Seventh-day Adventist Church opened the first SDA school in The Gambia, using temporary facilities in Kanifing. However, with development funds from Sweden, Canada, and the Netherlands, a complete new physical plant was built in New Jeshwang.
One of the major achievements of this institution has been that prejudice has been broken down. As a result, the church has become widely recognized and respected for offering a quality education to more than 500 primary children.
The Seventh-day Adventist Education Center is well-equipped and maintained, and has modern facilities. The Danish Children’s Fund contributes significantly to the operation of the elementary school. In 1992 the Gambian government officially requested the church to consider the establishment of a middle and high school on the campus of the Seventh-day Adventist Education Center.
Through community-based development projects, ADRA has been able to penetrate the unentered regions.
Institutions
Gambia Region
