Wisdom Nursery School
Wisdom Nursery School was established in 2009 to provide an education for poorer children in the Serrekunda area. Squeezed into a small triangular plot in between high-rise residential buildings it caters for 120 children in 3 classes.
When we first visited the school in 2019 we found small classrooms with broken furniture and very few resources. The classrooms were in need of urgent refurbishment and with no water in the school a tap needed to be installed.
Children attending the school are asked to pay fees and supply their own uniform and books, however only about half of the families can afford to do so and the school therefore has very limited funding.
Since 2020 we have supported the school in various ways. During COVID lockdown teachers’ salaries were paid. We have also provided a range of school equipment and resources including reading books, exercise books, pens, pencils and tables and chairs. Each year the children also receive Christmas presents.
In July 2022 thanks to Kings Hawford School in Worcester we started refurbishing the school. The roof has been replaced, classroom floors and the front of the school have been re-tiled, doors replaced and windows put into the classrooms. A tap was installed and a canopy erected over the play area to give the children much-needed shade.
Emmanuel, who runs the school writes: ‘On behalf of the management committee and pupils of the school I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing joy and happiness to the school. We are proud that we now have tap water after 14 years of existing. Struggling to get water every day is over.’
During our last visit to The Gambia a team of adult volunteers and students from The Earls High School Halesowen painted and decorated the classrooms.
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 As a result, many children are withdrawn from school, and to earn money to provide food for the family, have to engage in street trading thus exposing them to a number of risks.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 School Feeding 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.
Sponsor a Child Programme
Many of the children who attend the school come from extremely poor families.
The families struggle to pay school fees and buy food for their families.
In March 2023 to support these families we launched another ‘Sponsor a Child Programme’ at the school. Sponsoring a child costs £15 a month which pays for school fees, uniform and books. Sponsors receive photos of their sponsor child, termly reports and any letters, cards, pictures etc. which the children give us when we visit. More information about this programme can be found in the projects section.
If you would like to sponsor a child please email Bev Hodt: bevhodt@projectgambia.org.uk
