Turning what is no longer needed into hope – our first shipments of donated goods
This idea marked an important part of our early work in The Gambia: things that were no longer needed in Germany should still be able to serve a meaningful purpose elsewhere. Under the motto “Turning what is no longer needed into hope”, we produced our own flyers, collected donated goods and eventually organised complete shipments to The Gambia.
In 2018 and 2019, we collected clothing, household goods, furniture and electrical appliances, among other items. We rented our own storage facility, where donations were collected, sorted and prepared for transport. What initially sounded simple from the outside – collecting goods, loading a container and shipping it – quickly developed into a logistical and bureaucratic undertaking requiring considerable effort.
This became particularly clear with used electrical appliances. Every device with a mains plug had to be professionally inspected before export. This meant additional inspections, documentation and costs before anything could even be loaded.
The actual loading of the containers was also strictly organised. Once a container had been delivered, only a limited time window was available for loading. At the same time, customs regulations at the time required the loading process to take place under supervision. A customs officer therefore had to be present – with an hourly charge in addition to travel costs.
This meant that the container could not simply be loaded gradually over several days. All helpers had to be available at the same time, and loading had to be completed as efficiently as possible because every additional hour generated further costs.
Once loading was complete, the container was sealed. If that seal had subsequently been broken, the inspection process would have had to start again – in the worst case including unloading, another inspection and reloading the entire container.
Some of the goods were distributed directly in The Gambia, while others were sold locally. The proceeds were reinvested in our work at the time, including activities supporting young people.
As inspection, customs and documentation requirements continued to increase, it became increasingly clear that the organisational and financial effort was no longer proportionate to the impact that could be achieved. We therefore made a conscious decision to end this approach in 2019.
What stayed with us: This period taught us early on that good intentions alone are not enough. Support also has to make organisational and economic sense. At the same time, we gained practical experience across an entire international logistics chain – from collecting and storing goods to inspection, loading, shipping, customs clearance and distribution in The Gambia.
And we learned something that continues to shape our work today: Do not hold on to an approach simply because you once started it. When effort and impact are no longer in balance, you have to be willing to choose a different path.
