Modou Barry was born and bred in The Gambia into a mixed family parentage - his late father was Fula and his mother is Jahanki. Modou Barry’s own family, his mother and six younger brothers and sisters, settled in the small Gambian community of Tunjina village at Kuloro. As the head of the extended family and main breadwinner, Modou Barry was faced with a major challenge. Like many youths in his village, he fell short of educational targets because of a lack of finance, an all too common problem in The Gambia. However, he never relented in his aspirations and ambitions, and turned to what he truly loved in life – an appreciation of nature and society. Within a short period of time, Modou Barry became a recognised and licensed tour guide, who for the past five years has successfully guided tourists around the length and breadth of the country, always taking his customers’ needs into account and ever ready with a big smile. He is also a member of Gambia Birdwatching Organisation and Farasutu Bird Club, and plays a vital role as a social worker in his own and the wider community. Modou Barry, now aged 27, comments: “My aim in life is to help both myself and my people. Tourism is so important to The Gambia in the ongoing battle to eradicate poverty, raise the living standards of the people and contribute to economic growth.