The members of the Gamrupa Europe Foundation have been active in Sifoe since 2002. At the time it was a village without electricity and with only makeshift water supplies in the countryside of The Gambia. Ellen Meulenveld and her mother Hinke de Klerck, in close collaboration with villagers, supported the development of small-scale livestock and garden projects and a water distribution system. Until 2007, these projects were carried out by an unregistered working group in the Netherlands and a group of dedicated residents of Sifoe. The projects grew and the focus expanded to improve education and medical care in the region. These developments led to the official registration of the NGO GamRuPA (Rural Poor Association (The Gambia)) in the Gambia (2007) and the Gamrupa Europe Foundation in the Netherlands (2008). Since the official registration of both foundations, several projects have been set up and implemented, which demonstrates intensive collaboration between the local population and the Foundation in the Netherlands. Local schools, the hospital post, government agencies and other relevant parties in The Gambia also participate in our projects.