Over the summer, Jimmy, a Gambian student doing his PhD at the VUB in Brussels, traveled to the Gambia with four other VUB students to install computer labs for the students of UTG. To read the full story on this amazingly inspiring and impactful trip, click here.

In October, four Gambian students came to Belgium to visit the VUB. This university in Brussels has very close ties with the University of the Gambia. The goal of the visit was therefore to further strengthen the bond between both universities and to look for more opportunities to partner up, both with VUB and with Close the Gap.

The delegation consisted of Ebrima Dampha, President of the Student Union and a student of Economics and Human Resource Management, Samuel Mendy, Education and Research Minister of the Student Union, currently a student of Political Science and English, Yankuba Manneh, Secretary General and student of English and Public Administration, and Fatoumata Jallow, Vice-President and student of Management & Human Resources.

During their 10-day visit to Belgium, the delegation of the Student Union met with a number of professors of the VUB, and with partners and supporters such as Close the Gap. The goal of these meetings was to strengthen the cooperation between the University of the Gambia and its partners, as well as looking for more partnership opportunities between the student councils of both the UTG and the VUB.

One of the most important visits was to the Director of the department of International Relations and Mobility at the VUB. Apart from this interesting meeting, the Gambian students also learned more about the Erasmus programme and how this international exchange programme could help to bring the two student councils closer together.

As this was their first official visit to Belgium, they also brought a visit to Close the Gap's offices in Brussels. They were very enthusiastic about the computers that have made their way to their classrooms thanks to Close the Gap. Almost all the students at UTG use the computers on a daily basis. The Student Union is also looking into how to acquire more IT material to even further develop the digital needs and skills of their fellow students.

On a more personal note, the delegation also reflected on the unique opportunity to visit Belgium's capital city. This visit was for many of them memorable and especially the history of the city was intriguing for the Gambian students. They hope to be able to come back to Belgium for another visit, and we hope the same!