Basori Nursery School
Dutch tourists built Basori Nursery School. It is a very good brick building consisting of three classrooms and a storeroom. The first time we visited, we were very sad to see that it was not being used. On enquiring, we were told that although it had been built with desks, chairs and blackboards no other equipment was there and there was no money to employ any teachers. We decided to pay one teacher to open the school and see if there was any call for the nursery. Within the week, more than 70 children had enrolled. Basori is a very poor village and the parents simply cannot afford the fees for the nursery. The main source of income in the village is the collection of firewood to make into charcoal.
Many of the children did not even have uniform and they were told that they could attend for a month without, but would need to provide their children with uniform if they were to continue to attend. We decided to pay for 70 sets of uniforms so that all the children could attend; these cost less than £2 each. Currently there are approximately 120 children enrolled.
The one paid member of staff could obviously not manage this amount of students and for the last year, two volunteer teachers have been helping out as well as a woman who cleans the compound and the school every morning to ensure a safe environment for the children. In November 2009 one of the trustees of Goal for the Gambia visited the school and was given such a warm welcome that he decided to set up a standing order to pay for one of the volunteer teachers. After discussion with the village Alkalo (elder) and the school committee, all agreed that the money would be split between the two volunteers until another sponsor was found. The cost of sponsoring a teacher for this school is £25 a month. At present, the cleaner will be given a sum of money from time to time from general charity funds when this is possible.
The charity has provided a number of items for the school, including exercise books, pencils, chalks, posters for the classroom walls, footballs and a number of children’s reading books donated from a library in Twickenham. They need many more items especially toys that can be used for learning (sports equipment, more exercise books, pencils etc). They really do not have anything other than that already supplied by us.
The school is also in need of a water supply and a fence to keep the children safe when they are in school. The charity has decided to make the water a priority and will be raising funds for a well to be dug.
Basori is a really lovely, friendly village despite the poverty there and it is always a pleasure to visit. If you feel you can help in any way or would like to visit while in The Gambia please contact us for further details.
Brikama Arabic School
Established in 1997, the land the school now stands on was gifted to the headmaster by a local family on condition it was used only as a school. Currently the building consists of two structures, similar to cattle sheds with brushwood walls and corrugate roof. It is in a very poor condition, looking dangerously close to collapse and offers no protection from the weather, especially during the rainy season.
In 2007 the charity provided the school with 16 blackboards, chalks, exercise books and pencils. We also began fundraising for benches for the children to sit on during lessons. We had 70 made, each seating 4 -5 children.
In 2008 we had a brick store built to keep the blackboards and benches safely as they had to be carried to a neighbouring compound each night for safe keeping. It was around this time that we promised to rebuild the school in brick. The approximate cost of this is £10,000. So far we have raised about £4,000 and the first building is now ready for the roof to go on, then the doors and windows. We are planning to build two classroom blocks each consisting of 4 classrooms and 2 offices.
There are currently 121 children enrolled at nursery level and 150 being taught the national curriculum at primary level. The school operates in the morning during normal school terms with 3 paid teachers.
In the afternoon there are currently 1,895 children enrolled with 16 volunteer teachers for the Darra, which is where children from the age of 3 attend to learn Arabic, The Koran and English. These classes run from Saturday to Wednesday all year round, weather permitting in the rainy season. Many of these classes are taught outside as there are too many children to house in the current buildings. The afternoons is an amazing time to visit the school, you can hear the noise of the children from a long distance as they chant the Arabic they are learning. One of the most moving scenes to witness is hundreds of children praying together, all in orderly lines, boys in front and the girls behind with one small boy with a big voice leading the prayers.
For many of these children it is the only education they will receive as no child is turned away to learn about their faith. Many of the children are orphans and others have parents who simply cannot afford to pay the 35 pence a month fee school fee.
The head teacher is a truly remarkable man, kind and gentle who is respected by the children, parents and staff. He is dedicated to the children and is supported by a wonderful staff group. They are amazed, delighted and very grateful for the support being given to them by GOAL For The Gambia and pray for everyone who is helping their school.
If you would like to help this project in any way please contact us for further information.