FAQ

If you don't have your own physical copy yet and you can't print your own, I may be able to mail you some copies to share because I'm passionate about this project and trying to help some deserving people 💚 But, that said, this project isn't being funded or supported. I'm just one person here trying to spread a message, but I understand some people may want to help but not be tech-savvy enough to self-print. 

Please reach out to me at helpfarmerfamara@gmail.com and we can work something out.

Printing isn't free and folding and cutting dozens of zines is a lot for one person. If you would like to help contribute by printing copies I can fold, or having a small folding party if I can get you some copies, I'm down to work something out! A group of friends can fold a couple dozen zines over the course of a cup of coffee and a chat, and anyone willing to help the cause is welcome. 

Please reach out by email to discuss: helpfarmerfamara@gmail.com

Many home printers enforce a .25" printing margin, even when you set margins to "none" or custom margins to 0.00" all around. Some printers support borderless printing, but my home printer doesn't and so there isn't much I can say on that end. 

Depending on your printer, you may be able to adjust the scale of printing to get the PDF to shrink to fit within the printer's physical margins. You can experiment with setting the scale to 95%, or exploring options by choosing to print the PDF as a JPG image.

If your image prints with some white boarders after scaling, it may still be able to be folded as intended, however, there is a chance your particular print may need to have margins trimmed to fold at the guidelines. If this adds a step for you that poses a barrier to participating, please reach out via email and we can discuss sending you a borderless physical copy you can take to a copy machine. Email me at helpfarmerfamara@gmail.com

100% of the money raised in Famara's GoFundMe will be given to Famara. I am not a professional fundraiser, I'm just a person volunteering my time to try to help a guy out. 

All printing fees for zines or other expenditures for this project are out of pocket and not financed by donations.

Because of GoFundMe's legal stuff, they cannot disburse funds directly to the country of Gambia, but they allow for a financial proxy. GoFundMe funds will be transferred to me once we reach the first financial goal mark (which is $6500, the amount necessary for the purchase of the land where a water well can be installed.) I will transfer this amount by international wire to Famara's bank in Gambia once it has been raised. The next financial goal is the funds for the actual drilling of the borehole for the well. That is estimated to be between $400-$600, but a formal quote will be made once the title is in-hand. 

Once both these goals have been met, we hope to raise additional funds, such that the total for all goal marks meet $9950. This additional $2900-$3000-ish will give him and his community financial support to install starting chicken houses and birds and bring in some tools, seeds, starts, and supplies to get food gardens established. This money will be transferred once that goal has been met, or whenever we reach a point where it's clear the fundraiser is done generating income.

Buying the land and installing the well are the minimum goal, but I am hoping to raise the extra couple thousand because anyone knows starting a business takes some capital, and this will help them get on their feet. Please understand that we are talking about folks who are living literally day to day on maybe one meal total. Getting land and water will change their trajectory, but bringing in some extra cash to get the ball rolling will matter-- significantly.

Once established and able to produce income, Famara will be able to qualify for services like micro-loans and other business support to help him become independent and strengthen his community's economy. He's a hard worker in a community of hard workers. Once given the tools to succeed, they will no doubt flourish!

While most people have responded really positively to this project and goal, there have definitely been cases of financial scams going down, and some people have asked me if I'm sure I'm not being scammed.

So... am I? I don't think so. It was my idea to start the fundraiser and Famara has never asked me for as much as a dime in all the time we've known each other. In addition, tons of people around the world are living without access to water every day, so this is not an unusual situation, particularly in Gambia.

These are just people, people who never asked for help, but people who are willing to take a that hand if folks are willing to reach out. There are people around me who would want to help, so I'm trying to help us all connect.

I have wondered about the morality of helping just one small group when there are so many who need help. Something that consoled me, however, came from speaking to a colleague whose sibling previously worked with Engineers Without Borders (a noble organization!) My colleague confirmed what Famara has told me; that, unfortunately, there can be a great deal of corruption in the African charity world and that sometimes the work others do does not benefit the everyday person. Anecdotally, at least, my friend assured me that often working 1-to-1 with a trusted person in a single community is the best path to ensure charitable work will make it to the intended people! Considering this fundraiser seeks to reach out directly to one small community, I think everyone involved will be making a huge positive impact!

Excuse the repeat if you've read this information in the question/answers above, but to understand why Famara can't just do this for himself, you have to understand that the kind of poverty he is living in is severe and absolute. Famara and his community do not get to eat three meals a day. Sometimes they only have one, sometimes not that. Remember, they don't even have water in their village. How can they easily cook, clean, care for their kids, and stay healthy, let alone run successful businesses and financially qualify for bank loans...? He needs some help.

These are decent, hard-working, loving people who can work themselves to the bone every day (and they absolutely do,) but there is no amount of work that will bring him closer to self-sufficiency in the situation he's in. Famara sells firewood he collects from the forest, and that might get him enough money to buy a day's worth of food. A bag of cheap rice will last them a month, but it costs the equivalent of $35. Saving up for something like that is rare, and even then, all it means is they can eat nothing but one or two meals of rice a day for a month (unless they can find something to mix in.) A lot of us know how hard it is to get by month-to-month, so just imagine day-to-day. That pattern of living is not going to lead to small-business ownership, no matter how many hours he labors.

There's no bootstraps to pull up for this. This is a situation that needs structural assistance and there's nobody in his community in the position to do that for one another. That's why I hope our community can be the neighbor they need, even if far across the pond.

I have asked Famara if he wants to make it a part of the fundraiser that when/if we start to raise some money, he wants to withdraw $50 a month just to make sure it's guaranteed he, his gram, and his sons will eat regularly and that he might have a little money to buy treats for the village kids, but he said no. He wants to keep working hard every day to afford what food he can and save every penny toward buying the land and installing the well, as that's the only way he will break this cycle.

If anyone wants to make a donation, I ask then that, per his wishes, you donate that money to the fundraiser for his business so he can develop the ability to stand independently and help his community and village to grow and prosper. 

If anyone would like to make a donation to the GoFundMe, but then also make a donation for food support, reach out to me via email at helpfarmerfamara@gmail.com and I will speak with him on your behalf/otherwise support communication.

I would like to send a physical box of goods to Famara at some point. USPS has a flat-rate option of up to 22 lbs for something like $125 dollars or so, and I would love to organize sending things like crayons/art, toys, maybe health items, etc. to the village. But generally, no, I am not a big organization with shipping relationships and all that like some charities may have. I'm just one person, so the best way to help is to donate financially so they can reach this life-changing goal and bring water and a financial future to their village!

Please donate what you can here, and spread the message to anyone you think would be able to help by donating or spreading the message as well!

As of 2/16/2025, this fundraiser is just starting and I do not have any updates to share. I will create a page to post updates on this website and/or update on the GoFundMe as things progress. I have spoken with Famara about the possibility of recording and exchanging videos showing life in the village, asking questions, and sharing culture. He is open to this and we'd be happy to help facilitate as the project continues.