The Salesians arrived in Gambia not even six years ago, in October 2018, at the invitation of the local bishop. The pioneer community, composed of four Salesians from four different countries, resides in Kunkujang, a village with a Christian majority. The Bishop temporarily entrusted the parish community to them, with 25 villages and 13 Catholic village communities. The Salesians are also chaplains of the 5 Catholic schools and the 7 kindergartens of the parish. A few years ago the Salesians also opened an oratory, the Don Bosco Youth Centre: it was an absolute novelty for the local Church in the Gambia. In addition, together with the Provincial and his confreres, Fr Maravilla visited the land purchased in anticipation of a future new apostolate.

The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa. Its 11,300 square kilometre area is surrounded by Senegal on all sides, with the exception of the western part, which borders the Atlantic Ocean. Its economy is dominated by agriculture, fishing and above all by tourism. Of the total population of 2,769,075, 96.4% are Muslims, 3.5% are Christians, and 0.1% are followers of traditional religions.

During the Salesian Goodnight the General Councillor for the Missions congratulated the community, because "a new missionary presence revives the vitality of the beginnings of our charism. Therefore, a new presence in the Province is important, because it brings a renewed enthusiasm among the confreres of the Province. In the same way, missionary pioneers have the unique privilege of putting down the roots of Don Bosco's charism in a new context." Fr Maravilla also stressed that "it is important for the community to converse and discern together with the Provincial and his Council how to be dynamically faithful to the charism of Don Bosco, while developing an initiative that is relevant to the needs of the local and current youth context."

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