St Peter’s Nursery School

St Peter’s Nursery School has over 300 children and is located in Lamin on the site of St Peter’s Basic Cycle and Secondary Schools, which have 3,000 students. Although the Basic Cycle School is run by the Catholic Mission and is part funded by The Gambian Government, Secondary School and Nursery School.

In January 2024 2 new classrooms at St Peter’s Nursery were built. When we visited in 2023 there were 88 children in one classroom being taught by one teacher. Another 50 children were also waiting to start school because the school had no space for them. The addition of these 2 classrooms has enabled this large class to be split into two and the extra 50 children have been able to start school.

The two new classrooms were decorated by students from the Earls High School who visited in January.

The new classrooms will be decorated by students from The Earls who will be visiting The Gambia in January 2024.

Although parents don’t pay fees at this school they still have to purchase uniform, books and pay for study fees which many of them cannot afford to do. The school has very few resources, cannot afford to employ more teachers or do any much-needed repair work to the school.

To support the school over the past few years we paid teacher’s salaries during COVID lockdown in addition to providing reading books, handwriting books, pens, pencils and other school equipment. We have also provided new desks and chairs, replaced a leaking roof, put new windows into the very hot and dark classrooms, replaced the school fence and built a brick wall to separate 2 classrooms. Each year the children also receive Christmas shoeboxes.

School Feeding Programme

The school serves a very poor community so many of the children arrive at school hungry because their families do not have enough income to provide even the barest minimum of food. As a result, many children are withdrawn from school, and to earn money to provide food for the family, have to engage in street trading thus exposing them to a number of risks.

The programme provides these children with a daily nutritious meal, ensuring their attendance at school and safeguarding them from the risks of being on the streets.

A donation of:

• £2 provides a school meal each day for a month for one child.
• £10 provides a school meal each day for a month for 5 children.
• £20 provides a school meal each day for a month for 10 children.
• £24 provides a school meal each day for a year for one child.

Donations can be made through this website via the Charities Aid Foundation icon on the home page. More information about the School Feeding Programme can be found in the Projects Section.