New Season

The new tourist season starts next week and I have great hopes that we will be able to take many people to visit our projects and witness for themselves the work we are trying to do here.

We have been very busy paying all the school fees in September and October, we try and visit every school and student and if time allows their families too. Many of the children are progressing to higher levels and trying to coordinate payment in time as well as uniforms, shoes, bags, books etc is a big job! Most of them are all sorted out now, there are just a couple of students who did not do well in their grade 9 exams (equivalent to GCSE) who are not sure what they want to do next. We try to encourage those who do not do well academically to go for skills training but we need to establish what skills area is most suited to them. Some want to take grade 9 again but we have found from previous years that it is unlikely they will pass the second time. Skills will give them the ability to earn money for themselves and their families in the future. There are some excellent skills training centres here and they can choose from many areas including, electrical, plumbing, metal work, mechanics, office training, and catering.

We plan to continue fund-raising for the building of the Arabic School. There is not much left to do on the first phase, just painting and finishing off and then we will concentrate on the two smaller classroom blocks we plan to build.

We also want to build a small toilet block for the children at the nursery school in Basori. Presently they do not have any facilities and the children either have to go home or use the area around the school which really is not hygienic or dignified.

Anyone with any ideas for fund-raising or who wants to make a donation to these projects please contact us at goalforthegambia@hotmail.co.uk