15 November 2016
Day 14 -
Tuesday
We had planned
to go upcountry today, but Mo Lamin, Wandifa’s son had become ill again and
Wandifa, Mariama and he were at the hospital. We do hope he gets better soon.
So we changed
our plans and will go upcountry later in the week. We started with a brief
follow-up visit to Kotakala school where we went last week. Ebrima Cham hopes
to start the works we have paid for before we go back.
On then to
Nusrat Senior Secondary. This is one of the most highly respected senior secondary
schools in The Gambia. As well as taking photos of Pageant sponsored students
who are there, we were going to give prizes of tablets to the two Pageant
students who gained the highest marks of all our students in Grade 9 last year.
Our congratulations go to Mohammed Ansah and Kaddy Sowe.
On then to
Banjul. We went first to Unity Nursery where we have been many times before. As
ever the children are an absolute delight and the staff very enthusiastic,
dedicated and hard-working. The school is clearly successful as it has expanded
into newly-acquired premises on the other side of the road, whilst keeping the
original. The school will double in size. Each site will have three nursery
classes and has its own toilet facilities. At the moment the new site has only
two classes which have been well converted. A third classroom still needs to
have work done to make it usable, and the school hopes to have it ready by
September.
Next was St
Augustine’s Upper Basic to take some photos from where we were given directions
to find Banjul Methodist Lower Basic. This is a most imposing old building.
Above the main entrance is a sign from the past “Banjul Boys High School, 1921”.
After taking some photos of students we concluded our school visits for the day
at St Augustine’s Senior Secondary. We have one new student there, but we also
were after some information. We were anxious to trace one of Pageant’s most
able students, Francis, who had received a very good Grade 12, but we were
unable to find him. His phone went unanswered and a number of contacts from
previous schools, etc. also did not know how to find him. Fortunately, the
Principal found a student who knew where Francis lived. It turned out to be
very close to where we were and the Principal kindly allowed the student to
show us where he lived. We were thus reunited.
Back to the
hotel then where Abdoulie, Yankuba, Pippa and I spent a fruitful hour and a half
putting together some microscopy kits for workshops in schools to be delivered
by Wandifa, Yankuba and Abdoulie
Mohammed and Kaddy receiving their prizes
