28 February 2020
Last day - Tuesday 25th February
Because the flight times have changed (no Thomas Cook, so we were flying with TAP) I did not have to leave the hotel until 11pm. I was very kindly allowed to retain my room until then (thank you, Sand Beach) so I made a couple of final visits on the Tuesday morning, then visited Linda to sort out the money side of things and did my packing in the afternoon.
My first visit was to Yundum Barracks Lower Basic school, where I wanted to do several things: one was to give some really nice blouses to the female staff there, which could be used as a ‘uniform’ for special occasions. Many schools like to do this sort of thing and we had been given a large number of these blouses by Ashtead Choral Society, who were changing their own uniform. We could only take seven out with us on the plane, due to weight restrictions, but fortunately this was precisely the number of female teachers at this school! Not only that, but the mix of sizes that I had selected to take, exactly fitted these ladies – they were really thrilled with them. I asked them to explain to the Nursery and Upper Basic female teachers that some more would be arriving in due course – this was just the advance group!
Next, on to see progress at the library – it is really coming on apace and looks to be well built. I expect they will be needing the third instalment payment very soon. The photos show the front and right hand side of the building – the latter shows the three-cubicle toilet block jutting out from the side of the main structure and the large pit that has been dug as the soak-away.
Lastly, the garden, financed largely by Worldclass at Bishops Waltham Junior School. To show you how fast things grow in The Gambia, the first photo was taken at the start of this visit and the second one of the same beds eighteen days later! As you can see, the garden is being carefully tended by the students – each bed is looked after by a particular group and competition is fierce as to who can grow the best produce. When one considers that this was just an unfenced, bare, sandy patch in November, the progress is remarkable.
The second visit (my last one of this trip) was to Kumoo Kunda, the bee farm. As previously reported, we had been to see the Pageant-funded apiary at Mayork Lower Basic school and I now wanted to do two things: one was to ask for two ‘catcher boxes’ for that apiary, to enable the school to ‘catch’ any wild swarms that appeared (one had been seen before our visit to the school, but they had failed to entice it to enter a hive of its own free will – hence the need to ‘catch’ it); the other was to ask for an estimate to set up a small apiary at the nearby Upper Basic and Senior Secondary school – this new apiary would be close enough to the established one for the bees to go backwards and forwards between them, so would not have to be as large to be a viable concern. The Principal of the more senior school is very keen to have an apiary there, so I know this will be a popular move – we hope to receive the estimate soon.
So, the end of yet another Gambian adventure – thank you to Linda, both for looking after the money side so well in our absence and also for her company at dinner on several occasions.
Last, but by no means least, my VERY grateful thanks to Wandifa, Abdoulie and Yankuba for their tireless efforts during three hectic weeks and for their kindness in looking after me so well during my last ‘solo’ week. They are such a good team… and we do have a lot of laughs along the way. Here’s to the next time…..
This is Pippa signing off – but I have to add one more photo. We all decided it was the advertisement of the trip… I will never look at snails in quite the same way again!!
My first visit was to Yundum Barracks Lower Basic school, where I wanted to do several things: one was to give some really nice blouses to the female staff there, which could be used as a ‘uniform’ for special occasions. Many schools like to do this sort of thing and we had been given a large number of these blouses by Ashtead Choral Society, who were changing their own uniform. We could only take seven out with us on the plane, due to weight restrictions, but fortunately this was precisely the number of female teachers at this school! Not only that, but the mix of sizes that I had selected to take, exactly fitted these ladies – they were really thrilled with them. I asked them to explain to the Nursery and Upper Basic female teachers that some more would be arriving in due course – this was just the advance group!
female teachers at Yundum
Next, on to see progress at the library – it is really coming on apace and looks to be well built. I expect they will be needing the third instalment payment very soon. The photos show the front and right hand side of the building – the latter shows the three-cubicle toilet block jutting out from the side of the main structure and the large pit that has been dug as the soak-away.
front of new libary building at Yundum
right corner of library showing toilets
Lastly, the garden, financed largely by Worldclass at Bishops Waltham Junior School. To show you how fast things grow in The Gambia, the first photo was taken at the start of this visit and the second one of the same beds eighteen days later! As you can see, the garden is being carefully tended by the students – each bed is looked after by a particular group and competition is fierce as to who can grow the best produce. When one considers that this was just an unfenced, bare, sandy patch in November, the progress is remarkable.
Yundum garden at first visit
same garden 18 days later
So, the end of yet another Gambian adventure – thank you to Linda, both for looking after the money side so well in our absence and also for her company at dinner on several occasions.
Last, but by no means least, my VERY grateful thanks to Wandifa, Abdoulie and Yankuba for their tireless efforts during three hectic weeks and for their kindness in looking after me so well during my last ‘solo’ week. They are such a good team… and we do have a lot of laughs along the way. Here’s to the next time…..
This is Pippa signing off – but I have to add one more photo. We all decided it was the advertisement of the trip… I will never look at snails in quite the same way again!!
27 February 2020
North Bank Day - Monday 24th February
Up at the crack of dawn… before it had cracked, actually, as we left the hotel at 5.20am!! Even so, we were still too late to catch the first ferry as it was pulling away from the dock when we arrived at 5.45am! It transpired that only one ferry was working that morning, so it had left Banjul early enough for it to be the (slightly before) 7am ferry from Barra. It returned quickly enough for us to leave Banjul just before 7.30am, so we were in Barra just before 8am – not too bad (but we could have had an extra hour in bed!!)
First stop was to buy a sack of rice, a gift to Wandifa’s brother Bakary and family on behalf of Andrew and Kathy. Then off down the ever-worsening sandy road to Albreda to the Lower Basic school that we have been supporting for several years. We saw the female staff quarters, now being used by one female teacher and three trainees – the ceilings that we gave the funds for in November had been completed and looked very good. All the inhabitants were very happy with their rooms – and the male teachers said they wished that theirs were as nice!! The photos show the competed building and one of the ceilings.
outside of the staff quarters
inside showing the ceiling
A breakfast stop was next – the café at Juffreh provided the usual excellent cheese omelettes and chips all round – and then on to see Bakary with the rice. To say he was pleased would be a huge understatement – he said he had been on the point of contacting his eldest son for help as the family had completely run out of rice… and then we arrived. I thought you would like to see just what a sack of rice looks like… and how heavy it is, being carried in by Abdoulie and our North Bank driver, Alieu. While we were there we found a couple of little boys to whom we gave hats, knitted by one of the lovely ladies of the Southwater Welcome Club – and very cute they looked, too.
sack of rice being carried in
Bakary with the rice
hats knitted by Southwater Welcome Club
Back up that dreadful road to Barra, where we called in to Barra-Essau Upper Basic school. We have four sponsored students at that school, so it was good to catch up with them. I also wanted to see the (excellent) headmaster there, who we have known for several years, to see if there was anything that we might be able to help him with. He told us that the school might be moving to a different site in the relatively near future, so making any improvements to the current site could be a complete waste of money. Very frustrating for him, as he does not really know what is going to happen.
Back on the ferry to Banjul, reaching the hotel a little after 4pm – pretty good for a North Bank day. A good shower and hair-wash was essential… and, as ever, the shower floor resembled a beach for a little while! It is certainly a hot and sandy experience…
posted by Dave for Pippa
Family Visiting - Sunday 23rd February
Wandifa had decided to call as many as possible of the students whose photos were still needed to come to his compound on the Sunday morning, in an effort to get as many done in the shortest time possible. A good idea, I thought… but how many would actually turn up?
We set off, having to drive an even more tortuous route than usual, as many roads had been closed or cut down to one lane only because of the marathon. When we arrived at Wandifa’s compound I was amazed to see a really large number of students already gathered there – the photo shows the large ‘Pageant family group’ including those who greeted us… and about ten more arrived during the next hour. A very good idea – we will try that again!
We set off, having to drive an even more tortuous route than usual, as many roads had been closed or cut down to one lane only because of the marathon. When we arrived at Wandifa’s compound I was amazed to see a really large number of students already gathered there – the photo shows the large ‘Pageant family group’ including those who greeted us… and about ten more arrived during the next hour. A very good idea – we will try that again!
Pageant family group
We then did a bit more family visiting and had the pleasure of delivering a bike to a young lad whose results had been outstandingly good for the past few years – this is the boy supported by Ian’s bursary and I know he would have been very pleased to be able to donate this gift as a reward for such a sustained effort. The photo shows the pleasure with which the bike was received – he said he was the happiest boy in The Gambia that day!
bike as a reward for outstanding results
posted by Dave for Pippa
25 February 2020
Saturday 22nd February - Visits to Families
A full day of filling in some of our gaps, so up and down the very bumpy side roads to visit a lot of families... mostly those where children had not been present to have their photos taken on previous visits. Some students seem to be particularly elusive, whether by accident or design I am never quite sure.
As we went round the various townships it was obvious that the Banjul marathon, to be held the following day (Sunday), was engendering considerable excitement and enthusiasm. It is only the second time that this event has been run - the first one was last year - and a large number of regular marathon runners from many countries had entered (three Americans were staying at our hotel). There were several other events taking place at the same time...a half marathon, a 5Km run for juniors and a 4Km walk. We met one of our sponsored students who had entered the 5Km run and was very excited about the whole thing.
When we got back to the hotel I found that Max, the hotel owner, had offered to provide a pasta supper for the Gambian marathon runners. The bantaba had been filled with rather more tables and chairs than usual and vast vats of pasta - a spaghetti Bolognese and a chicken and vegetable dish - were on offer, served with bread and salad. Hotel guests were invited to join in and, having decided to eat in the hotel that night anyway, I accepted the offer.
Very tasty food and a great atmosphere... although some of the participants did not quite understand about the food side of things and went home with their (china) plates!
At the end of the evening I was surprised to see one of the organisers coming across the floor towards me, saying "Pippa, how good to see you"...after a few moments I realised it was Mr Jawla, the very good sports teacher from Bakalarr, who has now risen to the lofty height of Deputy Director of the National Sports Council. It was so good to see him after a gap of about fourteen years...the ability of Gambians to recognise people never ceases to amaze me.
posted by Dave for Pippa
As we went round the various townships it was obvious that the Banjul marathon, to be held the following day (Sunday), was engendering considerable excitement and enthusiasm. It is only the second time that this event has been run - the first one was last year - and a large number of regular marathon runners from many countries had entered (three Americans were staying at our hotel). There were several other events taking place at the same time...a half marathon, a 5Km run for juniors and a 4Km walk. We met one of our sponsored students who had entered the 5Km run and was very excited about the whole thing.
When we got back to the hotel I found that Max, the hotel owner, had offered to provide a pasta supper for the Gambian marathon runners. The bantaba had been filled with rather more tables and chairs than usual and vast vats of pasta - a spaghetti Bolognese and a chicken and vegetable dish - were on offer, served with bread and salad. Hotel guests were invited to join in and, having decided to eat in the hotel that night anyway, I accepted the offer.
Very tasty food and a great atmosphere... although some of the participants did not quite understand about the food side of things and went home with their (china) plates!
At the end of the evening I was surprised to see one of the organisers coming across the floor towards me, saying "Pippa, how good to see you"...after a few moments I realised it was Mr Jawla, the very good sports teacher from Bakalarr, who has now risen to the lofty height of Deputy Director of the National Sports Council. It was so good to see him after a gap of about fourteen years...the ability of Gambians to recognise people never ceases to amaze me.
posted by Dave for Pippa
Friday 21st February - Some Admin
[Pippa now takes over with posts for our blog. She will be sending text and photos to Dave who will do the actual posting. Photos for her first posts will follow later.]
Kathy and Andrew having departed in the early hours of the morning, we had a rather later than usual start to let the Gambian guys recover from their midnight trip to the airport to see them off.
We then sat in the very pleasant bantaba (meeting place) at the hotel and did some much needed admin. Catching up with all the payments, letter forms given out and returned, photos taken...and then listing those still to do took quite a while, so once we were satisfied that we were up to date we called it a day.
Friday prayers for the Gambians and an afternoon by the pool for me completed an unusually restful day...and very welcome it was, too!
posted by Dave for Pippa
Kathy and Andrew having departed in the early hours of the morning, we had a rather later than usual start to let the Gambian guys recover from their midnight trip to the airport to see them off.
We then sat in the very pleasant bantaba (meeting place) at the hotel and did some much needed admin. Catching up with all the payments, letter forms given out and returned, photos taken...and then listing those still to do took quite a while, so once we were satisfied that we were up to date we called it a day.
Friday prayers for the Gambians and an afternoon by the pool for me completed an unusually restful day...and very welcome it was, too!
posted by Dave for Pippa
Mystery vegetable revealed
Although I said I had posted my last blog for the trip, Dave kindly reminded me to reveal the answer to the mystery veg. The Gambians call it a bitter tomato as it looks like a standard to large unripe tomato. It isn't a tomato, though, its an aubergine , but it is indeed very bitter. It forms an essential additions to such dishes as benachin. Attempts to grow this in the UK have failed, but for those who like the taste of The Gambia there is a variety of aubergine called Turkish Orange, which has a very similar taste and bitterness. We grew it very successfully last year, both in a greenhouse and on the patio in pots. You can get the seeds from Amazon and eBay
Andrew
Andrew
23 February 2020
Wednesday 19 February
We spent a very interesting day at The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust. The trust is a UK charity based in Surrey and run by Heather. They have two sites in The Gambia and we visited their site at Makasutu about 20 minutes drive from Brikama. This site is their newer one and opened in 2017. They have horse boxes and stabling there and are currently looking after 57 horses and donkeys there as well as 4 camels and a number of dogs that need some kind of health treatment or assistance.
The trust looks after maltreated and sick horses and donkeys and can provide a sanctuary for these, as well as for older animals who are no longer able to work on the farms.
We were shown around by Paul who is the yard manager and is also a paravet. He started there as an apprentice 6 years ago and clearly loves his job. As well as horse boxes they also have an animal hospital which we were able to see around. At that time they had 2 inpatients. A dog with botulism, caught, they think, from eating a dead turtle on the beach and a donkey foal that had been hit by a car.
After a while we met Heather, who had arrived from the UK the day before, and we had very good discussions with her.
One of the reasons for the visit is that PAGEANT has decided to pay for 4 apprenticeships at The Trust. This sill give great skills to some local people. Wwe also arranged for Mo Lamin, Wandifa's eldest son to visit the site on Saturdays to learn about handling donkeys. Mo Lamin has always been interested in donkeys!
The trust maintains strong lists with UK institutions. Vets from the UK volunteer to come and work at the sites and they are also regularly visited by students from British Universities whos spend a period of time here learning first hand of diseases that affect animals in The Gambia, something they can only learn the theory of when in the UK. Of particular interest is the treatment of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) caused by infection from the bite of the tsetse fly. This is a major cause of death of farm animals.
Overall a very rewarding visit. You can find out more about the trust and its work at: www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk.
Tomorrow Kathy and I start our journey home although Pippa is staying for a further five days. We don't have anything planned for the day other than some admin tasks, so this will be my last blog for this visit. It has been a very successful visit. We do however hope that the weather is a little cooler next visit. Usually it is about 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 90 Fahrenheit). This year everyday has been about 39 or 40 degrees (102 to 104 Fahrenheit), just a tad to hot! Anyway we have enjoyed writing this blog and we hope you have enjoyed reading it
Andrew & Kathy
The trust looks after maltreated and sick horses and donkeys and can provide a sanctuary for these, as well as for older animals who are no longer able to work on the farms.
We were shown around by Paul who is the yard manager and is also a paravet. He started there as an apprentice 6 years ago and clearly loves his job. As well as horse boxes they also have an animal hospital which we were able to see around. At that time they had 2 inpatients. A dog with botulism, caught, they think, from eating a dead turtle on the beach and a donkey foal that had been hit by a car.
A paddock and stables at Makasutu
Phew!It's hot!
In the hospital. The cats are after the dog's food. They didn't get it the dog "growled"them off - hopefully a sign that the dog is improving
After a while we met Heather, who had arrived from the UK the day before, and we had very good discussions with her.
One of the reasons for the visit is that PAGEANT has decided to pay for 4 apprenticeships at The Trust. This sill give great skills to some local people. Wwe also arranged for Mo Lamin, Wandifa's eldest son to visit the site on Saturdays to learn about handling donkeys. Mo Lamin has always been interested in donkeys!
The trust maintains strong lists with UK institutions. Vets from the UK volunteer to come and work at the sites and they are also regularly visited by students from British Universities whos spend a period of time here learning first hand of diseases that affect animals in The Gambia, something they can only learn the theory of when in the UK. Of particular interest is the treatment of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) caused by infection from the bite of the tsetse fly. This is a major cause of death of farm animals.
Overall a very rewarding visit. You can find out more about the trust and its work at: www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk.
Tomorrow Kathy and I start our journey home although Pippa is staying for a further five days. We don't have anything planned for the day other than some admin tasks, so this will be my last blog for this visit. It has been a very successful visit. We do however hope that the weather is a little cooler next visit. Usually it is about 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 90 Fahrenheit). This year everyday has been about 39 or 40 degrees (102 to 104 Fahrenheit), just a tad to hot! Anyway we have enjoyed writing this blog and we hope you have enjoyed reading it
Andrew & Kathy
Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February
Both of these were relatively quiet days. On Monday Kathy and I stayed at at the hotel all day. We sorted through all the kit we had left, microscopes and accessories and made some logical sense out of them and listed what we had. This will be invaluable for the future.
Pippa, Joe, Wandifa, Yankuba and Abdoulie went to Yundum Barracks schools to give some physics workshops to some of the students there. They gave two workshops there.
Tuesday was Independence Day, which is a public holiday so all the schools, businesses and a lot of shops are closed. It was also Joe's last day as he was to leaving to fly home that evening. We therefore had a rest day and went to the Calypso Bar which is at the point where the Gambia River joins the Atlantic Ocean. The bar there overlooks a lagoon and we had lunch whilst watching the crocodiles that live on the banks of the lagoon and were entertained by displays of a very wide range of birds flying overhead and fishing
We went to Samba's Kitchen in the evening. Joe wanted one of their excellent fillet steaks before he left and we then had an enjoyable time listening to the live band before walking back to the hotel to say our farewells to Joe
Pippa, Joe, Wandifa, Yankuba and Abdoulie went to Yundum Barracks schools to give some physics workshops to some of the students there. They gave two workshops there.
Tuesday was Independence Day, which is a public holiday so all the schools, businesses and a lot of shops are closed. It was also Joe's last day as he was to leaving to fly home that evening. We therefore had a rest day and went to the Calypso Bar which is at the point where the Gambia River joins the Atlantic Ocean. The bar there overlooks a lagoon and we had lunch whilst watching the crocodiles that live on the banks of the lagoon and were entertained by displays of a very wide range of birds flying overhead and fishing
Crocodiles at Calypso Bar
We went to Samba's Kitchen in the evening. Joe wanted one of their excellent fillet steaks before he left and we then had an enjoyable time listening to the live band before walking back to the hotel to say our farewells to Joe
18 February 2020
Science workshops at Gambia College
An early breakfast saw a 7.30 start. Linda had already been
picked up by Yankuba, Abdoulie and Wandifa. A good journey to Brikama gave us
plenty of time to do final preparations for a 9.00am start. We were made aware
yesterday of a misunderstanding. We wanted 40 students to attend the workshops.
20 to do the microscopy and 20 to do the physics on Saturday, then for them to
swap over on Sunday and for each student to do the other workshop, However like
last year this had been misunderstood by the college who arranged for the
students who were to attend. They had just selected 20 students for Saturday
and a different 20 for Sunday. The college organisers had been asked on Friday
afternoon to phone round all the students that afternoon to tell them all to
come for both days. We were not therefore sure just how many we were going to
get.
As it was, we started with 25 students, but more arrived soon,
and we did end up with almost a full house.
The timetable for each workshop follows a similar pattern.
Introductions are followed by the students carrying out practical work in the
two morning sessions. About 30 minutes or so before lunch, which is at 2pm they
stop work and get into groups of 4 to prepare a lesson to deliver to small
groups of students or children recruited from either the college or a nearby
school. Lunch is provided by the college catering staff and again was
excellent. Fish benachin on Saturday and chicken yassa on Sunday.
After lunch and prayers, the lessons were given to between
15 and 20 students in each lab, so the teachers taught groups of three and
four.
The physics workshops were given by Joe, Yankuba, Abdoulie
and me, with the microscopy by Pippa, Kathy, Wandifa and assisted by Linda. On
the Sunday we were joined by Musa and by a BBC journalist whom Joe had met on
the plane over and had expressed an interest.
I will give a brief outline of the physics and Kathy the
microscopy.
In physics we needed little introductory time and went
straight into the experiments. Joe would give a demonstration and the students
would then carry this out in pairs. We manged to do lever law and moments so
that the students could calculate the weight of an unknown object using a metre
rule and pivot and a known weight. This was followed by demonstrating
hydraulics using syringes of different sizes. A pendulum with a cord of 25 cm
takes exactly 1 second to do a full swing, so using this principal we did some
timing of students running for 20 metres outside. Reaction times were
calculated by dropping a ruler and catching it between two fingers. From the
distance dropped it is possible to calculate reaction times. Rocket balloons
were prepared to demonstrate Newton’s laws of motion and by using springs
joined together. Separately the students created a simple flute from a drinking
straw. From these the students could see transference of energy by waves.
Joe demonstrating hydraulics using syringes
Using balloons as rockets
Using a pendulum as a timer for racing
In microscopy it is slightly different. The 20 students are
arranged over 5 tables, 4 to each table. There were four simple compound
microscopes and two larger compound microscopes on each table as well as four
sample preparation kits that included simple hand lenses. We started with
objectives for the day which mainly emphasised the need to become familiar with
the microscopes and kit which we went through in detail. Simple hand lenses of
different magnifying power were tried with everyone looking at their skin or
some item of clothing or a watch just to see the difference in lens
magnification. Then the microscopes were unpacked and each student was shown
how to focus on printing in a handbook. This always generates interest as it
might sound boring but when you look at black printing under the microscope you
can see other colours present in the letters. This is a good example of how you
can see things that are not visible by eye. The larger compound microscope had 3
different objective lenses and light that went through the sample as well as
top lighting. This microscope allows for quite high magnification of cells and
sometimes the cell nucleus is visible.
After breakfast of a baguette, containing fried egg and
salad typically, the students looked at a range of samples we had gathered.
These included fabrics, insects, plants and flowers, different foods (potato,
onion, parsley, oranges etc) and water from a nearby puddle. This usually has
small animals living in it. Seeing insects moving under the microscope was very
popular. Using a microscope in teaching science should allow the teachers to
demonstrate features in a wide range of different subjects including biology,
home science and agriculture.
Unpacking the microscopes
Using microscopes to look at samples
Hard at work examining samples and recording their observations
For the teaching sessions each group of teachers showed one
of the experiments to their group of students. It was impressed on them that
the key to a successful practical lesson was for the students to do the practical
work rather than just watching the teachers do it. We observed the lessons
given. Some were much more successful in achieving this objective than others.
Following this the equipment was packed up and everyone
gathered together for presentation of attendance certificates and some
speeches. This year we also presented to the head of science at Gambia college,
Nakulang Ceesay, a certificate of
appreciation and recognition and an inscribed pen and case for all his help in organising
the science workshops. Nakulang is retiring from full time teaching later this
year.
17 February 2020
Days 9 and 10. Thursday 13 and Friday 14 February
These two days were relatively quiet. We needed this after
our long day upcountry.
PAGEANT has two sets of very accurate weighing scales and we
wanted those for the forthcoming workshops. We knew they had been left in The Gambia
after the last workshops but couldn’t find them anywhere. On Thursday Abdoulie
remembered that he had taken a bag or box of stuff to Linda’s compound for
storage and we wondered if they were there. No luck. Then to Wandifa’s as he
some stuff in storage: again no luck. We couldn’t think where else to look.
We had contacted Musa Ceesay, a teacher we knew. Joe was
arriving the following day and wanted to meet Musa and possibly arrange for Joe
to do a short physics workshop at his school on the following Monday. Unfortunately,
Musa’s school was on its half term break so that would not be on. We did
however meet with Musa for a catch-up chat. He had been on a PAGEANT physics workshop
8 years ago, and whilst he was not available for the Saturday workshop, he would
love to come on Sunday.
Joe arrived in the early hours of Friday morning.
We had a
late breakfast to enable him to get a bit of sleep. Like us he had had a good
journey via Lisbon but was suffering from a stinking cold.
We spent the morning getting the kit for the workshops
together and set off in the early afternoon for Gambia College in Brikama. On
arrival we quickly unpacked. The labs were clean and tidy, and we soon completed sorting everything out so we could get going quickly in the morning. There was an
added bonus. We had left the missing scales in the care of James, the lab
technician and apart from one set needing new batteries they were in fine
working order. Thank goodness for that.
All done, we returned to the hotel and after a short rest
walked down the road for steak and chips at Sambas Kitchen. Joe described it as
the best steak he had had in ages.
14 February 2020
Day 8 Wednesday 12 February - upcountry
An early start, and what’s more, a prompt start. We were off
upcountry and had a 2½ to 3 hour drive to our destinations. We made very good
progress to Brikama before turning inland from the coastal strip to drive up
the long, but well maintained, South Bank Road. The Gambia is a poor country,
but the upcountry villages are often very poor. Many of the villages have no
electricity at all and no running water.
Our first port of call was at Mayork to the Lower Basic
School there. In the autumn last year, we had arranged for beehives to be
installed there and training given on how to maintain these and look after the
bees. The funding for this came from a UK charity called BEECause. Their mission is the promotion of beekeeping
as a way of improving livelihoods, particularly of the rural poor and, of
course, encouraging initiatives to increase the bee
population, as this is crucial to pollination and hence to mankind. The hives
there are doing well, and they have harvested honey sold to the families of the
children there and the proceeds reinvested in the school. They said that they would like a
swarm collecting box to hang in the trees and collect new swarms. There are
also plans afoot to set up an apiary in the nearby Upper Basic School.
Inspecting the hives at Mayork LBS
We also had a look round the school garden which is fine
fettle. All the usual vegetables seen in Gambian school gardens were there and
indeed more advanced than some. So, here is Gardener’s Question Time. What is the
vegetable growing shown in the picture below? A clue: it is a type of vegetable
commonly eaten in the UK, but the variety we eat is usually a different colour.
The answer will appear in a few days’ time
On then to a school that neither Pippa, Kathy nor I had
visited before, Kolior LBS. Kolior is a small village just off the main South Bank
Road. It is very poor. There is no mains electricity to any part of the village
including the school. Yankuba, Abdoulie and Wandifa went there last autumn to
fit some solar lights there as part of our solar lighting project. These are
different from the first ones fitted as they don’t require a building to house
the charging equipment. A small (about 5cm x 5cm) solar panel is connected by
wire to a rechargeable battery charger inside the house which houses up to 4
rechargeable AA batteries. These are used to power the LED bulbs: Very simple,
yet very effective.
The school site also had a very dilapidated building which clearly
was severely damaged, it had no roof. From the painted signs in the past it had
once been used as a library, among other things. The principal explained that a
storm had blown the roof off in June 2015 and they had been trying to get funding
from a variety of sources but to no avail. We said PAGEANT might be able to
help to enable them to get the building restored to working use. The principal
was invited to give us a detailed estimate of the cost of doing this and we
will consider this.
The ruined classroom at Kolior
The school seemed well run, despite the difficulties it had,
and we thought this would be a good school to get the exercise books bought the
previous day as an ethical gift and were distributed to the children
On then through the town of Soma to Misera BCS, where we met
the principal Mr Cesay whom we had met many times before. PAGEANT is funding
the building of three new toilet blocks there. The construction is well underway.
One for the nursery children next to the nursery classrooms (the main toilet
blocks are a good distance away – too far for little children to get to before
there is an “accident” The other two (one boys, one girls) are next to the existing
toilet blocks. We gave Mr Cesay a further stage payment before our discussion
turned to a legacy issue. We had funded construction of a new block for woodwork,
metalwork and home science some years ago. We still had some funds to pay for
some tools and equipment for it. The school had given us a simple list of items,
but they were uncosted and not prioritised as we had asked them to do. We
stressed that we did not have money to pay for all so they must come up with a
proper costed prioritised list.
Constructing a new toilet block
The soakaway for the nursery classes being dug
We then toured round the school grounds to see the
construction work and see their admirable garden before departing for our last
school visit, Pakalinding UBS. That
school had given us an estimate at the end of last year for some work it would
like PAGEANT to fund. We had found it confusing as there was clearly more than
one project involved and it was difficult to see what they wanted to do and how
much each aspect would cost.
There were in fact four separate projects the school had in
mind. New school gates. Solid sturdy metal gates of the type usually seen at
Gambian schools. They only had relatively flimsy insecure grid type gates. They
would like some work done on the principal’s and admin offices (the roof leaks
when it rains). The library needed a thorough refurbishment, in particular a
new roof, new windows and possibly getting the floor properly tiled. We were
however pleased to see that they had good sturdy metal bookshelves and plenty
of books, but some of those are probably not very appropriate for an upper basic
school.
Some of the classroom blocks needed new windows and finally
they would like to do some work on the vice principals office. That office is
quite small and sandwiched between two classrooms. They would like it
redecorated and retiled. We think it is probably more useful to put in a proper
ceiling in the room. At the moment there is nothing between the floor and the
corrugated iron roof. A proper ceiling will give some heat insulation.
That was us done for the day. We made a quick stop in Soma to
get some cold drinks and then headed back to the hotel. It had been a pleasantly
cool drive up in the early morning. It was a long 2¾ hour drive back through
scorching heat.
12 February 2020
Days 6 and 7, Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 February
Monday
Quite a short day today, but quite a lot of driving.
We set off to go to Yundum Barracks Schools first thing. We
needed to give them the next stage payment to construct the library. They were
rapidly running out of money from the first payment and needed more to but more
materials. We are anxious to keep the momentum going.
This took a little longer than usual as one of the army’s
generals was visiting the barracks and when we arrived the guard of honour and
musicians were assembling. Pippa, Yankuba and Wandifa went inside with the army
personnel who counted out the money (this takes a long time as the largest
Gambian banknote is 200 dalasi (about £3) and it is customary to count all the
money). PAGEANT is providing the funding for materials and the army engineers are constructing it without further charge. Whilst that was happening Abdoulie and I remained in the car and I
taught him how to play Sudoku. Abdoulie is good at logic puzzles and he grasped
the rudiments very quickly.
Back in the car, where we retraced our drive to the hotel, but then went further on to Banjul, picking up Linda en route. Banjul is the
capital city and it is not an understatement to say that it is not an attractive
city. It is notorious for extremely bad roads, but finally it seems the City
Council is doing something about that. We had gone to Banjul to go to the bank
again. Everything takes a long time in Gambian banks, but today we finished our
business so hopefully won’t have to go there again this visit.
Following that we returned to the hotel.
Tuesday
Hopefully today was to be our last day of relatively routine
and admin jobs.
We set off to Sukuta.
We had a few more sponsorship letters to deliver and now we only have a
handful left. We were also giving out some ethical gifts of sacks of rice from
money given for that purpose. We left one with a family in Sukuta and then
carried on to Gambia College in Brikama to give them the money to buy food for
breakfast and lunch at the workshops. On then, through Brikama, Abuko and
Wellingara. Two more sacks of rice were delivered to families.
One thing that always disturbs me is the relative cost of
rice. We buy 50Kg sacks of rice and they cost about £18 each. That’s 36p per
kilo. When I got back to the hotel, I checked the price of standard long-grain
rice in Tesco’s. There you can buy it for as little as 45p per kilo (and that’s
for a small bag). So, rice in The Gambia is only 9 pence per kilo less. It is
their staple food and it is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Enough ranting from me. We also had some ethical gift money
to buy some exercise books, so we visited a stationer to buy these. We shall
distribute these to a school upcountry when we go there, as these schools seem
to not be resourced as well as schools around the coastal strips.
Tomorrow we will have an early start for an all day visit
upcountry. We will be seeing beehives, a "2nd generation power hut and a couple of schools.
Finally, here's a photo taken on Sunday of Fatou, Yankuba and their son, Muhammed.
11 February 2020
Days 5 and 6 Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th
Days 4 & 5
Saturday
This morning we continued distributing the letter forms. As it was Saturday the schools were closed so we were visiting compounds only. We wound our way and finally came to Fak’s compound. Faks was at his school (Humanity Nursery). We had, as ever with Faks, a good chat and then to our surprise we were invited to stay for lunch. His wife had prepared a delicious beef domada. Tender pieces of beef in a slightly spicy peanut sauce served with delightfully fluffy rice.
The first power hut that PAGEANT built is on Fak’s compound. Kathy and I were able see if for the first time and Faks explained the workings of it.
We then briefly called in at the Njie compound to see if they could give us a grapefruit for the microscopy workshop. They happily obliged. We wanted a grapefruit, because last year we had noticed some blemishes on its skin. Kathy had though they were just something like rust spots, but when she looked more closely down a microscope she discovered, to her surprise that they were caused by tiny burrowing insects. Perfect for the students to look at.
The blemishes on the skin contain burrowing insects or mites that can only be seen properly under a microscope
After that we returned to the hotel for a quiet evening.
Sunday
During our visits we always try to put a day aside to visit our friends and this year was no exception. We started our day at Langtombong’s compound He is one of Kathy’s and my sponsored students. He is now in Grade 11, so next year will be his last year at school, so inevitably the discussion turned to what he would like to do after that. He said he is good with his hands and would like to do an engineering course.
On then to Wandifa’s compound. As usual a large number of children materialised and we had splendid discussions with them and of course with his lovely wife, Mariama. There are many sponsored children there including Mo Lamin and Ebrima, two of Wandifa’s children and also Ousman, Wandifa’s nephew and one of Kathy and my sponsees. Ousman has finished his secondary schooling and is now in his second year of a course in journalism. He and I had a very spirited philosophical discussion about freedom of the press!
After that to Abdoulie’s compound where again we met his charming wife Aminata, and his children. We have sponsored Abdoulie’s eldest son, Mustafa who has grown so much in the last year. We were provided with delicious oranges freshly picked from his tree, so much more flavour than British supermarket oranges (although a lot more pips). One of the things that often surprises people in The Gambia is that the skin of ripe oranges there is often green. As they are quite small, they are often confused with limes. One taste dispels that.
Then to Yankuba’s residence. Yankuba married Fatou in 2018. Fatou was our first sponsored student and indeed one of the first ever PAGEANT students. Last year they had their first child, Muhammed who is now 11 months old and on the cusp of walking: truly delightful. Once again we were lucky to enough be offered lunch. This was a fish benachin. Rice and vegetable with red snapper fish. After that I sampled some of Fatou’s homemade ebbe. Ebbe is a one of the foods children at school eat for lunch You will often see street vendors sitting at schools selling ebbe. They can buy a small bag of ebbe ladled from a tureen for as little as 5 dalasi (about 8p). Ebbe is a stew spicy stem made from cassava and smoked fish. It is served with hot chilli sauce and tamarind. I enjoyed this.
Our final visit was to Ebrima’s new residence. Again, Ebrima was one of the first PAGEANT students. Initially he was sponsored by my father, but when he died, my sister and I took over the sponsorship. Ebrima is now a delightful enterprising man. He works as an electrician and also runs a barber’s shop. Along with this he is a keen gardener and artist. Last November he got married and we were able to meet his wife for the first time.
Back then to the hotel. Linda joined us for pizza and pasta at Luigi’s.
08 February 2020
Thursday 6, Friday 7 February
Two similar days of activities. Lots of smaller tasks, but all important.
On Thursday morning we set off to go to Brikama. Our objectives were to go to Gambia College to do some preparation work for the science workshops in the following week. In addition, there are many sponsored students living and schooling in Brikama and neighbouring villages, so we could visit them either in their schools or at their compounds. Those visits were to give out the sponsorship letter forms so that sponsored students can write a letter to their sponsors giving their news. We will collect the completed letters over the coming weeks.
Our objectives at the college were met although it took two visits. We wanted to see Mr Nakalung Ceesay who is head of science at the college and organises the workshops. In an early morning phone call he had told us he was free until 10.30 and then had to deliver lectures so we went there first. Unfortunately, he had to deputise for an absent colleague so had already started lecturing when we arrived. We were able to see James the laboratories technician who is invaluable to us in getting the labs ready. He also kindly stores equipment of ours left over from previous workshops and we picked these up for checking. We also saw the catering manager to arrange breakfast and lunch for the workshop participants and to agree a price.
After that we visited some schools and compounds to give out letter forms.
At about 1.30 we were able to contact Nakalung by phone. He was now free until 2.30 so we headed back hastily to the college where we met with him and sorted out the details.
Back on the road again to deliver more forms in the area. Unfortunately, all this meant we had to drive three times through the tortuous traffic jam that seems to be always present at Brikama Market. They are having problems with the drains there, so it was particularly malodourous.
Our final visit of the day was to the compound where Lamin lives. Lamin was a sponsored student of Kathy and me through his school years. He is now 25 and working as a software designer. It was good to catch up with him and we are pleased he is doing well
On Friday morning Kathy was feeling a little under the weather so decided to stay at the hotel. Pippa and I had some business at the bank, so we went to Banjul. Whilst we were there, Wandifa, Abdoulie and Yankuba set off to deliver the forms to our Banjul students. When we had finished at the bank they picked us up and we delivered some more forms in the Kanifing and Bakau areas before returning to the hotel at 2pm to allow Wandifa, Abdoulie and Yankuba to go to Friday prayers.
Yesterday Linda Pippa Kathy and I went to Luigis, one of our regular restaurant haunts and tonight we are going to Mama’s for their excellent seafood buffet.
Tomorrow I hope to be able to take some interesting photos to publish.
07 February 2020
Photos from Day 2
Work in progress on the Yundum Barracks Schools' Library
The new garden at Yundum Barracks Schools' Library
Onions, cabbages, tomatoes and corn amongst those growing
06 February 2020
February 2020. Days 1 & 2
Days 1-2 Tuesday 4 Feb- wed 5 Feb
In the past we had always travelled
to the Gambia with Thomas Cook Airlines but after their collapse we had to find
an alternative airline. Whilst there is another airline that flies direct to
the Gambia from the UK it is considerably more expensive and is restrictive on
the amount of baggage you can take. After research we decided to travel with
TAP Portugal which flew London to Lisbon and then a connecting flight to
Banjul.
This was considerably cheaper than
flying direct and had the advantage of allowing us to take a large amount of
baggage, so armed with three very large suitcases crammed to capacity and three
large carefully packaged boxes containing 30 microscopes and kit for the
physics workshops we headed for the airport.
We dropped the bags off on Tuesday
morning even though our flight was later in the afternoon. We had a very good
flight which landed on time in Lisbon giving us plenty of time to catch the
connecting flight. The planes had plenty of legroom and were comfortable.
Everything went very smoothly and whilst other airlines are available, I would
be quite happy to recommend this airline and route. We landed on time at 01.10
Wed morning and amazingly our luggage was first off the plane so we were able
to get away quickly!
At the moment the terminal building
at Banjul airport is chaotic due to the construction work there and people
meeting travellers are not allowed inside the building. However, Wandifa,
Abdoulie and Yankuba were waiting for us outside and transported us to the
hotel in the recently acquired PAGEANT mpv. We arrived at the hotel just before
02.30 and staggered off to bed.
After a late breakfast we had a
leisurely morning. Linda came over to the hotel and we caught up with her
before heading off to Yundum barracks LBS and UBS schools.
Pageant is facilitating the
building of a school library from scratch at the school. This is being funded
by a legacy given to Pageant. Architects plans have been drawn up and agreed,
and construction work has commenced. We are fortunate that the labour to build
the library has been provided by army engineers so reducing the costs. The
foundations have been laid and work on the walls has started. Everyone, staff
at the school, the army personnel and we at Pageant are very excited about it.
The schools have also started a vegetable garden. They have produced amazing results in less than three months.
We were wilting in the heat of a very hot day so after leaving went to a
supermarket to get essential
supplies then back to the hotel for a rest, dinner and an early night.
Upload speeds are very slow at the moments, so I shall post some photos of the work-in-progress at the school and the garden later
02 February 2020
Pageant team in The Gambia
A Pageant team will soon be in The Gambia. They will be running physics and microscopy workshops at Gambia College as well as visiting students and schools in many parts of the country.
Andrew will be making regular posts on this blog, so please keep checking for the latest news.
We will also be copying these posts onto our website summary page.
03 December 2019
Monday...a day of waiting...
A day of tying up some loose ends, which unfortunately meant going back to Brikama to chase up a student whose report looked dodgy and to get some reports from the School of Public Health for three of our senior students.
So... we waited in the headteacher's office while they found the correct results for the suspect student. We were right to be suspicious... instead of the perfect score she had given herself she had actually failed everything except religious knowledge!
On going back to see the parents they expressed amazement at this...and maybe they really did not know what she had been doing. If she put as much energy into her schoolwork as she has into her report falsification she might do a lot better!
On to the School of Public Health, where we waited for over an hour to get three reports printed off. To say I was frustrated is a gross understatement... I think Wandifa was worried I was going to explode with rage!!
For some reason that is beyond me, this college does not let the students have their results as they progress... so one of them, who is not doing very well, was completely surprised and shocked when he saw his marks. We were only allowed to have them as I had explained there would be no further sponsorship payment without them.
We dropped into Yundum Barracks to see the engineers and to discuss how payment will be made, should the final go-ahead be given to the library project. A mere fifteen minutes wait there... not bad as we were completely unexpected.
Back to the hotel... I collected all the financial stuff to take to Linda's for a final end of visit tally and the guys went off to chase the paperwork for the new minibus. Success all round... the numbers added up and the paperwork has finally arrived... quite a good day in the end...
So... we waited in the headteacher's office while they found the correct results for the suspect student. We were right to be suspicious... instead of the perfect score she had given herself she had actually failed everything except religious knowledge!
On going back to see the parents they expressed amazement at this...and maybe they really did not know what she had been doing. If she put as much energy into her schoolwork as she has into her report falsification she might do a lot better!
On to the School of Public Health, where we waited for over an hour to get three reports printed off. To say I was frustrated is a gross understatement... I think Wandifa was worried I was going to explode with rage!!
For some reason that is beyond me, this college does not let the students have their results as they progress... so one of them, who is not doing very well, was completely surprised and shocked when he saw his marks. We were only allowed to have them as I had explained there would be no further sponsorship payment without them.
We dropped into Yundum Barracks to see the engineers and to discuss how payment will be made, should the final go-ahead be given to the library project. A mere fifteen minutes wait there... not bad as we were completely unexpected.
Back to the hotel... I collected all the financial stuff to take to Linda's for a final end of visit tally and the guys went off to chase the paperwork for the new minibus. Success all round... the numbers added up and the paperwork has finally arrived... quite a good day in the end...
[Well that is probably the final post for this visit from Pippa in The Gambia, as she will be flying home tomorrow. I am slowly copying all these posts into a summary webpage, so they are all in one place as a record of Pippa and Andy's visit.]
01 December 2019
Sunday...even more students
We started out a little later than usual... 10am... to allow for Sunday morning lie-ins (or should it be lies-in?!)
Our first visit was to see a student studying accountancy...she is just completing her second year and needed the money to pay her exam fees.
Next, one of our favourites... the Manneh compound. Such a lovely family, it is always a delight to visit them. We saw four sponsored students there....
..... and then went on to another very special compound where the Touray family lives. We saw six sponsored children there, gathered in from the neighbourhood to see us, plus another who was just returning from the market as we were leaving. We know many of these children very well indeed, several of them from babyhood, and it is so heart-warming to sit with them and hear all their news of family and school.
On to a family where the sponsor is currently unwell and unable to sponsor the child this year. We have said we will support her for the current year and hope he will be well enough to pick up the sponsorship next year, as he is very fond of this child and has helped her for several years. If he cannot do so we will do our best to find her another sponsor.
Our first visit was to see a student studying accountancy...she is just completing her second year and needed the money to pay her exam fees.
Next, one of our favourites... the Manneh compound. Such a lovely family, it is always a delight to visit them. We saw four sponsored students there....
..... and then went on to another very special compound where the Touray family lives. We saw six sponsored children there, gathered in from the neighbourhood to see us, plus another who was just returning from the market as we were leaving. We know many of these children very well indeed, several of them from babyhood, and it is so heart-warming to sit with them and hear all their news of family and school.
On to a family where the sponsor is currently unwell and unable to sponsor the child this year. We have said we will support her for the current year and hope he will be well enough to pick up the sponsorship next year, as he is very fond of this child and has helped her for several years. If he cannot do so we will do our best to find her another sponsor.
Our last call was to deliver an early Christmas card and gift to a delighted girl... a lovely surprise for her, the more so as it was completely unexpected.
Back to the hotel... quite early again... but not quite finished for the day as one of our long-term but more erratic parents, threatened with no funds unless he complied with our rules, came to deliver the school reports for his two children. I read him the riot act about bringing them on-time next year.... and he mumbled and went away. We'll see if he remembers!
Saturday...a lot more students
The visit to Wandifa's compound was a great success... in all I saw 14 sponsored students there... some coming for their pencil cases, some for fees, some just to have their photos taken. Lovely to see so many and to be able to chat to each one in turn about what is next on their horizons. A bit of a cheat really, as it meant I was not seeing them at their own homes or schools, but at this stage of a visit it was a very good idea.
There were also two students there who were requesting sponsorship.. reports were produced and photographed as were the children themselves.
Our last task there was to give out several very nice school bags to UNsponsored children... these were part of a very generous donation by the Welcome Club of Southwater, to whom I had recently given a talk.
There were also two students there who were requesting sponsorship.. reports were produced and photographed as were the children themselves.
Our last task there was to give out several very nice school bags to UNsponsored children... these were part of a very generous donation by the Welcome Club of Southwater, to whom I had recently given a talk.
bags for unsponsored children
We then went to visit a few compounds in the area just south of the airport and caught up with several more students.
Then back to the hotel at the amazingly early time of 2pm... I actually managed a swim (my first of this visit - and my first since my accident in January) and a couple of hours by the pool.
A very welcome hairwash followed by dinner at Luigi's with Linda completed a most productive and enjoyable day.
Then back to the hotel at the amazingly early time of 2pm... I actually managed a swim (my first of this visit - and my first since my accident in January) and a couple of hours by the pool.
A very welcome hairwash followed by dinner at Luigi's with Linda completed a most productive and enjoyable day.
30 November 2019
Friday... catching up with a lot of senior students
A really busy day, starting off in Bakau and then doing a round trip to Westfield, down the exceptionally busy road through Serekunda, past the airport and into Yundum Barracks, back along the road to the turntable and ending up full circle at the hotel.
We visited the compounds of twelve students in Further Education of various kinds... and also saw round the very splendid kitchens of the Hotel School, where one of our young men is training to be a chef. He is really enjoying his course and I am not surprised... anyone would love to cook in a kitchen like that. He and his supervisor suggested we should book in for lunch one day, so I will certainly try to do that in February.
I called in at Africmed, the hospital in which I spent a week last February, partly to show them that I am now fit and well and also to give them the legbrace and sling that I used during my recovery. The NHS in UK would not reuse such items but they will be very much appreciated here. I was very touched to find how many of the staff came to greet me... the ability of the Gambians to remember people who they have met only briefly never ceases to amaze me.
Our guys dropped me back to the hotel... then it was a fairly quick change and off to Linda's for a birthday party!
Mariama, the little daughter of the Gambian family that lives with Linda, was nine today and had asked if I could go to her party... I was very honoured to do so and we had an extremely yummy chicken yassa followed by a vast quantity of cake!
A full day, to say the least.....
We visited the compounds of twelve students in Further Education of various kinds... and also saw round the very splendid kitchens of the Hotel School, where one of our young men is training to be a chef. He is really enjoying his course and I am not surprised... anyone would love to cook in a kitchen like that. He and his supervisor suggested we should book in for lunch one day, so I will certainly try to do that in February.
I called in at Africmed, the hospital in which I spent a week last February, partly to show them that I am now fit and well and also to give them the legbrace and sling that I used during my recovery. The NHS in UK would not reuse such items but they will be very much appreciated here. I was very touched to find how many of the staff came to greet me... the ability of the Gambians to remember people who they have met only briefly never ceases to amaze me.
Our guys dropped me back to the hotel... then it was a fairly quick change and off to Linda's for a birthday party!
Mariama, the little daughter of the Gambian family that lives with Linda, was nine today and had asked if I could go to her party... I was very honoured to do so and we had an extremely yummy chicken yassa followed by a vast quantity of cake!
A full day, to say the least.....
28 November 2019
Thursday... Brikama day
We left the hotel at 8.30am as planned...the traffic was not too bad to start with and I thought we might be at Gambia College earlier than planned. However, it all snarled up midway along the road from the turntable to the airport junction, so in the end we arrived at just after 9.20am.
No sign of Nakulang.. after a search Yankuba found that he was taking a special once-a-month class and would be available just after 11am... would we ever actually get to talk to him, I wondered?
Off on a few family visits:
A bag of rice and a letter for a senior student and his family.
No sign of Nakulang.. after a search Yankuba found that he was taking a special once-a-month class and would be available just after 11am... would we ever actually get to talk to him, I wondered?
Off on a few family visits:
A bag of rice and a letter for a senior student and his family.
More rice and a personal gift for an Upper Basic student and her family, plus a visit to her school for a photo.
A visit to a family with a newly sponsored child to give him his 'welcome to Pageant' pencil case... and here we hit a snag. This child is a younger sibling of some already-sponsored children. The father had contacted the sponsor directly to ask for his assistance with this younger boy, as he had just started at nursery school... and the sponsor had agreed to help. Wandifa phoned the father to say we were on our way to visit the boy in school... and was told he was at home because he was sick. When we arrived at the house... no sign of this sick boy! He eventually arrived, full of beans, with a group of friends... when asked why he had not gone to school he replied that there was no school on Wednesday or Thursday! It transpired that he was not attending nursery school at all...only the local Arabic 'school' that runs on three mornings a week. As the father well knows, this does not qualify him for sponsorship...a real case of trying to obtain money by false pretences. I don't know how the sponsor will react...but we did not give the boy a pencil case.
Back to Gambia College...and at last we managed to have our long-awaited discussion with Nakulang about the Practical Science workshops for 2020. He was delighted to hear that we will be able to include physics this year as Joe Brock will be coming out with us after an absence of several years.
[More about Pageant's science and other workshops]
We fixed the date, subject to checking with the overall College timetable, discussed the provision of breakfast and lunch during the workshops and went to see James (the excellent science technician) about the rooms and facilities. We are going to have to track down some tables as we did last year, as they have been spirited away again, but hopefully all will work out OK.
We checked our stock of books and found that we have 34 physics books there, so will not need to have too many more printed.
It was a relief to have all that sorted out...so off we went on some more visits:
An OND engineering student to check on what was happening regarding last year's results...answer, not a lot as GTTI had not yet given them to the students. The second year's course is now not due to start until January...not very satisfactory. He was very pleased to receive a letter from his sponsor... another photo.
Another bag of rice for the family of some sponsored students and more photos.
And then visits to three compounds in Jambanjelly to both take some photos of the sponsored students and to give a selection of ethical and other donated gifts to the families and their neighbours. (Uploading the photos of the gift sessions will have to wait until I get back to UK as they were all taken on a camera that cannot be accessed by the tablet on which I am writing these blog entries.)
We drove up the splendid new road from Jambanjelly to the turntable, where we had agreed to meet a Grade 11 student who has moved home. We agreed with her as to how and when her remaining sponsorship payment would be paid and gave her a little travel money to tide her over in the meantime.
A quick supermarket visit, where, among other things, we bought a pack of biscuits to remind us of Andy (!) and then back to the hotel.
Quite a full day...what will tomorrow bring?
27 November 2019
Wednesday... another upcountry trip
An early start... and the packed breakfast was in reception before 6.30am, so my threats obviously worked!
Our first stop was at Mayork, on our normal route and just a short distance before Kalagie. We were calling in to see the bee installation at Mayork Upper Basic school... at least, we thought we were, but on arrival we found it was at the Lower Basic school! The guys of the field training team from Beecause were there when we arrived just after 8am... they had been at the school the previous day and had spent the night there in order to meet us and show us round.
There were two groups of hives set in glades road in the forest - a delightful setting and looking ideal for the bees, with water quite close by as well. The school now has ten hives in all... six of them were occupied, with a lot of bees buzzing around them. Kebba, our guide, explained that the bees had been somewhat disturbed by the activity yesterday, particularly as some of the hives had been raised higher off the ground to protect them from termites. He suggested that we should keep well away from them... a very good idea, I thought!
The remaining four hives have been brought back into the main school compound for maintenance... termite damage has to be repaired and then the hives can be repositioned in the forest glades.
The school is delighted with the training they have received, plus the increased number of both hives and bee-suits, as a result of our donation. We agreed that a number of smaller bee-suits should be made in order for some Grade 5 and 6 children to take a fuller part in the activity... and maybe the project can be extended to include the Upper Basic school, which is on the opposite side of the road. The headmaster there is very keen on the idea....
We said goodbye and continued along the road, through Soma, to Misera Basic Cycle school, at which we have done a number of projects in recent years.
We checked out the large new metalwork and woodwork benches and the tiling in the Home Science room...the latter is just about to be inspected by the Education Department to make sure it is suitable for exam purposes, so we hope all goes well.
Our first stop was at Mayork, on our normal route and just a short distance before Kalagie. We were calling in to see the bee installation at Mayork Upper Basic school... at least, we thought we were, but on arrival we found it was at the Lower Basic school! The guys of the field training team from Beecause were there when we arrived just after 8am... they had been at the school the previous day and had spent the night there in order to meet us and show us round.
There were two groups of hives set in glades road in the forest - a delightful setting and looking ideal for the bees, with water quite close by as well. The school now has ten hives in all... six of them were occupied, with a lot of bees buzzing around them. Kebba, our guide, explained that the bees had been somewhat disturbed by the activity yesterday, particularly as some of the hives had been raised higher off the ground to protect them from termites. He suggested that we should keep well away from them... a very good idea, I thought!
Hives in forest glade
The remaining four hives have been brought back into the main school compound for maintenance... termite damage has to be repaired and then the hives can be repositioned in the forest glades.
Hives to be repaired
The school is delighted with the training they have received, plus the increased number of both hives and bee-suits, as a result of our donation. We agreed that a number of smaller bee-suits should be made in order for some Grade 5 and 6 children to take a fuller part in the activity... and maybe the project can be extended to include the Upper Basic school, which is on the opposite side of the road. The headmaster there is very keen on the idea....
We said goodbye and continued along the road, through Soma, to Misera Basic Cycle school, at which we have done a number of projects in recent years.
We checked out the large new metalwork and woodwork benches and the tiling in the Home Science room...the latter is just about to be inspected by the Education Department to make sure it is suitable for exam purposes, so we hope all goes well.
New metalwork bench
New woodwork bench
Tiled floor in Home Science room
Tiled worktop and sinks in Home Science
(blue protective plastic still on!)
Proposed site for ECD toilets
Then on to find out what has happened regarding a sponsored student who has completed Grade 9 but not told us where he will be going to Senior Secondary school. He has been living with his grandmother for the past seven years.... but now, she told us, he has been taken back to live with his father in Brikama. As it happens, we will be going there tomorrow, but I do wish some of these families would let us know where their children are!!
Having accomplished everything we set out to do, we hit the road for home... very thankfully as the upcountry temperature was around 43C today!
We called in at Gambia College and managed to arrange to meet Nakulang, head of science, tomorrow morning... hurray! I really do need to speak to him about workshops for next February.
A long Brikama day ahead tomorrow - we plan to leave here at 8.30am.
