In April 2022, Ms Harrison returned to The Gambia after a 3 year break due to travel restrictions. It is fair to say that our friends in tHe Gambia had missed us! After a long 13 hour journey it was hot, hot, hot as we landed at Banjul airport. There was a heatwave and temperatures were at a scorching 38 degrees!

During the visit, we visited our sponsored children at Hanna Vibe where they are still able to access an education due to our support so a big well done to you all! Howver, many of the children were not in school due to it being the end of Rammadan. 

we also visited Kotu,  a poor village on the edge of a rubish dump where we often send shoes, distrubte mosquito nets and the community engages with the solar light project.

The Gambian teacher's union is whrre we spent a lot of time training some teachers in menstrual health and disrtibuting resouces to make resuable sanitary wear as upto 80% of girls miss education due to this. the teachers will then teach young girls and set up women in micro businesses making and selling the sanitary wear. Over 20 sewing machines were donated. such a huge impact!

We also visited a number of new school who were in need of support so watch this space fr new projects up and coming.

new menus were also devised alongside headteachers of 2 schools to ensure the food programme they undertake could continue to run effectively dur to the rising costs of food. Did you know it only cost £1.20 a month or £15 a year to feed a child a healthy, nutritional meal while at school . This has a positive impact on school attendance. 

We also visited a range of other projects e have supported such as the shop, taps in compounds and solar light projects in other villages. as well as this many videos and photographs were gained that will be used to support our children's learning across the school. 

It was a pleasure nd very humbling to meet old and new friends and we look forward to working with and supporting our friends in the furture.  

Due to Covid we were unable to collect our Christmas shoe boxes as we normally would but we wanted you to know that your teachers saved the day by collecting together and making up the show boxes for you. Each sponsored child will receive their Christmas box. Thank you staff!

Ms Harrison was due to load the container on 31st October but this was unable to go ahead due to restrictions. it is now due to be done on the 5th December. We hope this can go ahead but we will keep you informed and pictures will follow.

When the container arrives in the Gambia we will let you know.

A online Christmas stall is being organised as we cannot sell at Christmas Fairs this year. If you would like to view the things on offer and support project Gambia please follow the web address below:

projectgambia.org.uk/index.html 

We are still sponsoring our children at Hanna Vibe School. Thank you for your continued support!

We have been busy raising funds for Project Gambia in and out of school. Ms Harrison has been preparing and delivering Afternoon Teas for 200 people where over £600 was raised. 

this is a difficult time for us all at the moment and the effects are being felt widely in The Gambia. 

Project Gambia has been supporting families and communities with food packages and helping with teacher wages at our project schools. 

Sponsored children receiving their new school uniforms.  They were very excited.

Birthday and Christmas shoeboxes on their way in the container during October half term, on a very, very wet day!

Meet our sponsored children from Hannah Vibe.

Miss Hamer's Stourbridge News Diary update about her trip. Click here.