08 December 2010
BRITISH COMMUNITY COLLEGE,PAINTS,DECORATES KAJABANG NURSERY SCHOOL
Kajabang Nursery School in Gunjur Village was recently painted and decorated by a group of twenty students from Samuel Whitbread Community College in the United Kingdom.
The Nursery School was built by a group of visiting students from the United Kingdom in conjunction with volunteers from the Community with the chief aim of giving better access to education for kids in the area which is located in a remote corner of Gunjur.
Trudi Squires who works as Head of Design at the College revealed that the visit would help the students understand the culture of the Community whilst also sharing with them their own experiences back home.
“We will definitely carry on doing this to help the community and broaden the horizons of our students.It is invaluable for our students to work with the community and help the community provide access to education for children,”.
The visit, she continued, would also go a far way in making the students better appreciate some of the privileges they have back home which they invariably take for granted, adding“most of our students come from wealthy families and have jobs to earn income. It is essential for them to see how poor but happy everyone is in the community”.
For the head boy of the school, Jamie Marshaw, the trip has been an eye-opening experience for him to see first hand how warm and welcoming people are in the community.
“I have realized they are very community based. They are so warm, welcoming and friendly. I expected to see a lot of poverty but I did not expect people to be so happy”.
This, he disclosed, has taught him that life is “not all about what you have but how you utilize what you have and share it with others”.
The group, according to him, would also make the playground in the school safer for the kids to have fun as well as handing out gifts to the pupils .
The negative Media coverage in the United Kingdom of Africa, says Amy Pitchard, had made her believe that the Continent was a place constantly at war with extreme poverty and disease.
“It is amazing. We take so much for granted. The people are definitely poor. They have next to nothing but they are happy and welcoming”.
She further stated that they had the opportunity to talk to people their age through which they have learned how hard young people work to have access to education compared to kids in the UK.
Talking to the Gambian students on the challenges they face in their efforts to acquire education, according to her,has been very helpful for her to remember how lucky she is to have such easy access to education whilst capitulating that she used to take it for granted.
Another student of the College, George Wood, revealed that he is grateful for the experience he has had in the community and working to help the school.
“I have heard that Africa is very poor. I have heard that everybody is downhearted and sad. I have seen for myself how different things are. I have learnt that everyone helps each other. Everyone is very close and open despite having so little. My experience is life-changing” he declared.
The Alkalo of the Village Kebba Moto Moto Sanyang enunciated that the group's intervention could not be over-emphasised granted the importance the Community attaches to the education of their children.
“The children of today are the elders and leaders of tomorrow. This indisputable fact places on our shoulders the responsibility of giving them the opportunity to prepare for the responsibilities that await them. Some of us older people did not have the opportunity to go to school as our children have, so I will do my best in my capacity as the head of the village to work closely with any and everyone one who complement our efforts to achieve this goal”.
Closing, he expressed thanks to the community for answering his clarion call for voluntary work during the construction of the school, noting “this would not have been possible with out their efforts in joinig hands with our friends ”.
The Nursery School was built by a group of visiting students from the United Kingdom in conjunction with volunteers from the Community with the chief aim of giving better access to education for kids in the area which is located in a remote corner of Gunjur.
Trudi Squires who works as Head of Design at the College revealed that the visit would help the students understand the culture of the Community whilst also sharing with them their own experiences back home.
“We will definitely carry on doing this to help the community and broaden the horizons of our students.It is invaluable for our students to work with the community and help the community provide access to education for children,”.
The visit, she continued, would also go a far way in making the students better appreciate some of the privileges they have back home which they invariably take for granted, adding“most of our students come from wealthy families and have jobs to earn income. It is essential for them to see how poor but happy everyone is in the community”.
For the head boy of the school, Jamie Marshaw, the trip has been an eye-opening experience for him to see first hand how warm and welcoming people are in the community.
“I have realized they are very community based. They are so warm, welcoming and friendly. I expected to see a lot of poverty but I did not expect people to be so happy”.
This, he disclosed, has taught him that life is “not all about what you have but how you utilize what you have and share it with others”.
The group, according to him, would also make the playground in the school safer for the kids to have fun as well as handing out gifts to the pupils .
The negative Media coverage in the United Kingdom of Africa, says Amy Pitchard, had made her believe that the Continent was a place constantly at war with extreme poverty and disease.
“It is amazing. We take so much for granted. The people are definitely poor. They have next to nothing but they are happy and welcoming”.
She further stated that they had the opportunity to talk to people their age through which they have learned how hard young people work to have access to education compared to kids in the UK.
Talking to the Gambian students on the challenges they face in their efforts to acquire education, according to her,has been very helpful for her to remember how lucky she is to have such easy access to education whilst capitulating that she used to take it for granted.
Another student of the College, George Wood, revealed that he is grateful for the experience he has had in the community and working to help the school.
“I have heard that Africa is very poor. I have heard that everybody is downhearted and sad. I have seen for myself how different things are. I have learnt that everyone helps each other. Everyone is very close and open despite having so little. My experience is life-changing” he declared.
The Alkalo of the Village Kebba Moto Moto Sanyang enunciated that the group's intervention could not be over-emphasised granted the importance the Community attaches to the education of their children.
“The children of today are the elders and leaders of tomorrow. This indisputable fact places on our shoulders the responsibility of giving them the opportunity to prepare for the responsibilities that await them. Some of us older people did not have the opportunity to go to school as our children have, so I will do my best in my capacity as the head of the village to work closely with any and everyone one who complement our efforts to achieve this goal”.
Closing, he expressed thanks to the community for answering his clarion call for voluntary work during the construction of the school, noting “this would not have been possible with out their efforts in joinig hands with our friends ”.
