The Gambia is Africa's smallest self-governing nation. The country occupies a narrow strip of territory that extends directly into Senegal for 295 miles. The terrain is mostly flat, with extensive swampland along the river where rice is grown and where cattle graze. Outside of the swampy areas, many Gambian farmers also grow peanuts.

Nearly all rural Gambians obtain their water from underground aquifers. Most small villages in the Gambia have open wells, with or without handpumps. Small water supply systems usually consist of a borehole, a raw water main supplying an elevated tank. An early UNCDF project in the Gambia provided more advanced pumping systems as well as appropriate technologies for pH adjustment and disinfecting bacterial contamination.

In the Gambia, there is a need to increase the health status of the rural population through the promotion of decentralized management and local control. UNCDF's strategy to meet this need focused on the provision of water supply systems through a participatory and integrated approach. The importance of the water sector in relation to national policy was established by the 1990 "Programme for Sustainable Development", and the more recent "Strategy for Poverty Alleviation" (SPA). Two major issues had to be addressed: the poor health status of the rural population and the sustainability and management capacity of the water supplies. The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation project originated from the Government's request to UNDP and UNCDF to further support national efforts to improve rural water supplies and to strengthen national capacity in planning, implementing and supervising water supply programmes.

UNCDF does not currently have any local governance or microfinance programmes in the Gambia.

For more detailed information on UNCDF Programmes in The Gambia, please visit the Fact Sheet, or the project specific documents in the menu.