BEA has continued to support school children in and around Bansang over the last two years. With improvement in communication and willing volunteers on the ground Annabel doesn’t need to visit each year so looked forward to her visit in February 2025, to see what changes have occurred since her last visit.
She spent a week in the town, meeting the new sponsored students at Bansang Upper and Senior Secondary School in grade 10 and 11 face to face, for the first time, as well as the grade 12 students approaching their final school leaving exams. She also got to visit all the schools in the area that BEA has supported this year.
As sponsorship costs are rising we are having to reduce the number of students sponsored as donations are not keeping pace with Gambia inflation. Forty-nine students are sponsored across the 3 senior school years, a mix of young men and women from 14-23, all determined to do their best to give themselves a future. One of these is Mamadou, aged 21, who is having to make his own way through life after both his parents passed away. He has supported himself working as an apprentice mechanic and then chose to go back to school to give himself more opportunities. We are proud to help him and ease the financial burden on him.
Grade 11s at BU/SSS with Principal Mr Drammeh
Cheerful upper basic students at BU/SSS chatting with Annabel
Sololo nursery class with their teachers
At the beginning of the academic year as well as just after Annabel’s visit, Jabou Kongira distributed school teaching and learning materials to the local schools BEA supports. These include basic necessities, such as chalk, pen, pencils and exercise books. On visiting the schools there were little things we could do that schools didn’t have the basic funds for. At Jahanka school we were able to repair a drinking tap that UNICEF had installed and provide cleaning materials for the school toilets, things we take for granted that a school will have. Some rural schools have no electricity supply so we are trying out power banks so staff can keep their phones charged at the school and keep in touch with family more easily.
Fuga Students on their sports field practising for sports day
The library at BLBS, in need of age appropriate books.
BU/SSS science class, keeping cool outside before the day heats up
All schools were at the height of their gardening season. It is lovely to see the gardens managed by each school full of fresh produce to supplement World Food Programme supplies to schools. At Futayel school we found our donations from my last visit in use in the school kitchen, although we had to repair one of the cooking pots, made locally on our last visit from recycled cans.
Dobang Kunda School Garden
