Gambia Visit December 2007

Ant and Karens visit to The Gambia December 2007

Day 1 - Inauguration ceremony

On December 15th 2007 we arrived at the school at 10:30 in the morning, excited as we looked forward to the days’ coming events. As our taxi approached the school compound there was big cheer of excitement from the children who were waiting for us. Bakary met us and said that he must prepare us for the day’s celebrations. We were then taken to the home of the deputy head, Momadou, and there we were dressed in special Gambian clothes which some women from the village had made for us. We were also given ceremonial head dresses to wear, which we understand was a great honour for the village to bestow upon us. Then what seemed like the whole village arrived to greet us and led us in procession singing and dancing through the village to the school compound. There, many dignitaries were gathered including Sidee Bojang who represented the Alkalo (head) of the village, Famara Kujabi from the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education, Imam Bakary Kanyi and all of the Elders of the village. There were many speeches in which people thanked us for our efforts, praised the headmaster for his good work and encouraged him to press on to develop the school further. The children sang songs and there was dancing by the women of the village.

After the inauguration there was an enthusiastic display by the Jola Drummers and Dancers that continued for the rest of the day. Audience participation was actively encouraged. Even we joined in with Bakary and his wife Adama, but somehow we didn’t quite get the African rhythm! Late in the afternoon a meal of fish, vegetables and rice and Gambian savouries was served to everyone. The women of the village had spent several days preparing the meal and we estimate that it was shared by approximately 300 people. It was great to see the new kitchen and well being put to use and the water from the well was so refreshing with the heat and all the dancing! There was an official ceremony to mark the opening of the well, kitchen, new classroom and the outdoor play equipment. The staff and pupils are clearly very proud to have swings and slides in their playground, as it is very rare to see this in Gambian schools.

We spent time with Yusupha Bojang who had dug the well, and he explained that when we install a solar powered pump he will be going back down the 25 metre hole to dig out a further 4 meters. Fortunately this should only disrupt the well for 2 to 3 days. We also met a representative of the company GAM-Solar whom we hope to use to provide our electrical and water supply facilities. It was useful to meet face to face and be able to ask questions about the proposed developments.

We had a fantastic day and we met many of the villagers. They are so happy that the school is being developed; we felt privileged to have played some part in that process and join in the celebrations. Our stamina wasn’t as great as that of the Gambians and we left the celebrations (after joining in the dancing for one more time!) by about 7pm. We understand that the singing and dancing went on for several hours more after that! The day was a fantastic success. A huge amount a work had been put in by Bakary, the teachers at the nursery school, the children and indeed the whole village. We would like to thank everyone in Farato-Sotokoi-Daru for allowing us to be a part of their celebrations.

Inauguration celebrations

Day 2 - Fact finding

The second day was a fact finding day spent moving around the village and surrounding areas with Bakary and we hired a taxi driver for the day to do this. One key way that we would like to help the people is to help to develop the Farato Womens’ Garden. They have a large piece of land behind the school compound but are not able to use this for gardening as there is no water supply. Instead, some women walk to the next village of Bafuluto where the water table is much higher and therefore more accessible in that location. We would like to drill a borehole on the site of the Farato garden, and with it install a system of water storage and irrigation. We have had a look at another womens’ garden at Banjulnding (near the airport) where they have such a system. They have been successfully producing crops in their garden for the last 12 years. We were able to talk to the president of that womens’ group and gain her support for the women of Farato.

Back in Farato we met with one of the key women in the village who is a nurse and also a leader of one of the six womens’ groups. She explained to us how the micro loans that we had provided for last year had benefited the groups, and allowed other women to begin soap making and tie dye as a way of earning a small income.

There is a huge need for a health centre in the village as the nearest hospital is many kilometres away in Banjul. The young nurse who we met with is providing healthcare as best as she can in an informal way. If we can raise the money for a health centre she will prove to be invaluable. Bakary has identified a piece of land suitable for the health centre and we would like to buy it this year, as the area is developing fast and if we do not purchase it soon we may loose this opportunity.

We had time to take a closer look at the original classrooms on the second day. They are constructed of mud blocks rather than concrete and they have taken rather a battering over the last year. Repairs are needed to the walls and floors (then tiling), and the buildings need to be re-painted inside and out.

We did discover that the floor of the latrine collapsed in the rainy season (the same happened to the old one the year before). We need to build a more suitable toilet block this time and construct it of concrete. We have been looking into a system known as a ventilated improved pit latrine and have passed information to Bakary about this and we talked about it when we were with him. We now have the costing for doing this work which should last for many years once completed.

A fact finding day

*FTCNS funds were not used to pay for any part of Ant & Karen's trip in The Gambia

Take Care Nursery School

School motto: "The greatest way to fight the way out of poverty is to provide education"