Genieri is a village in mid-central Gambia. It is located in Kiang East District in the Lower River Division. As of 2009, it has an estimated population of 694. Located around 110 km from the capital of Banjul, Genieri is predominantly Mandinka. According to the founding story of the village, Genieri was founded sometime in the early-to-mid 19th century by a man named Mamba Sanneh. Genieri is twinned with

Yate Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, with regular rail services to Bristol and Gloucester. ...

, a town in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, a link that arose in 1986 as an initiative by a group of students. Yate has been active in funding development in Genieri. In November 2018, the people of Genieri financed the development of a self-sufficient water source. Genieri is home to a “Youth Skill Tailoring Centre”, opened in 2014. In 2018, Genieri was struck by a

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

epidemic, which killed an 18-year-old boy. Genieri was able to afford treatment for all cases of Malaria thanks to a donation from Yate, though the village was still severely affected by it and was still recovering as of February 2019. As of October 2020, Genieri had not been directly hit by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, but lockdowns imposed by the Gambian government had negatively impacted the town's economy by preventing villagers from commuting to nearby towns for work. The lockdown had also caused a severe food shortage.

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