December 2013 Newsletter

As winter sets in, our thoughts are turning to the warmer climes of the Gambia, and thought we would share some of them with you.

Sponsorship

Our supporters are paying the school and associated learning costs of a dozen youngsters in Sohm.  We have recently received upto date school reports on their progress, together with letters of thanks from the pupils, which by now are winging their way to the sponsors.

Most pupils have made significant educational and social progress over the last year, as reflected in the reports and letters.  What is clear, however, is that there would have been no educational progress without the help from the sponsors, because that alone has enabled them to continue with their studies.



A selection of school reports and letters from sponsored students

So, thanks to all who are supporting Sohm's students.  For just £5 per month you, too, could sponsor a Gambian youngster's education and receive an annual school report, letter from the student and recent photo of the student. Please contact us, if you would like to join our band of supporters.
 
This could be the ideal, selfless, Christmas present for that person who has everything!

Christmas Fair

Speaking of Christmas, we'll be making one of our regular fund-raising appearances at Derwentwater Primary school in Ealing, at the school's Christmas Fair on Friday 6 December.



Recent fund-raising fair at Derwentwater Primary School

Derwentwater is twinned with the Lower Basic School in Sohm and all money we raise through our brik-a-brak stall and raffle will be used to help restore two badly damaged classrooms in the bulging Sohm Primary school.

So, big thanks, in advance (!) to the pupils, staff and parents of Derwentwater for continuing to assist their "twinned" friends in Sohm.

Plans for January

Sandra and I will be off to the Gambia in early January for a month.  As part of the preparations, we've totted up the charity's earnings for the year, and claimed our Gift Aid from the government.

So, in total, we will have raised around £6,000 over the last year.  About £1,000 of this is earmarked for the sponsorship of students, mentioned above.  Of the rest, we have spent around £500 on getting batteries and supplies (ink etc) for the 10 laptops and printers donors have given us.  These, with the addition of the 100+ memory sticks we have been given will provide a major boost for the teaching of ICT in the schools without mains electricity.



Back on the road: broken bikes mended with SSS funds
which improves school transport for youngsters

We have continued our practice of topping up the book and bike funds we established last year and have bought a supply of blackboard paint, to provide for very basic needs for the schools.  We will, once again, fund a school trip for all the final year students in the primary school and will continue to help with photocopying exam past papers etc.
As indicated above, we will be looking to make a major push in trying to restore a couple of ramshackled classrooms in the Lower Basic School, to help with much needed accommodation there.



Funds raised will restore Sohm classroom in need of repair

Political situation in The Gambia

Following press reports over recent months, a number of our supporters have asked what is happening, politically, in The Gambia.

The Gambia left the Commonwealth in October, some weeks after President Jammeh caused some controversy with an appearance at the United Nations. The Gambia is also changing some of its key international alliances.

We do not feel able, nor need, to comment on these events.

What is clear to us, however, is that the education needs of the youngsters in Sohm remain unchanged, and we will continue, via the charity and the help of our supporters, to help meet them.

Please feel assured that all donations to this charity will continue to be spent for the benefit of pupils in the Sohm schools , directly under the supervision of this charity's trustees.  We know that you would wish no different.

Congratulations!

And finally, huge congratulations to Ian and Christabel Stapleton of Football Gambia - our good friends and supporters.  Christabel has recently given birth to their first child, Sebastian.  We are delighted to report that all three are thriving!

Best wishes to you all at this festive time of the year, from us at Sohm School Support.

Sandra and John Walker

October 2013 Newsletter

 As autumn lands with a bump, we are beginning our plans for our next visit to The Gambia, in January.  But first, an update on recent Sohm-related activities.

On 15 October our second container of materials leaves the UK for Banjul - and a big thank you to our friends at Football Gambia for making this happen. By the time it leaves, we will have sent over 20 x 50 litre boxes of generous donations this year, which we will pick up, early in January, and take to Sohm, for distribution.



Some of the Sohm-bound containers and contents

We have sent:

• A couple hundred school science textbooks and an extensive collection of school science equipment, generously given by Auchmuty High School, in Glenrothes, Fife - as it has become surplus to requirements, following their move to new buildings. The school also gave us a much-needed PC printer.

• Four more laptops, thanks to donations by relatives: Owen, Rachel and Nick, and former colleague, Annette. In addition, we've bought - from an extremely competitive supplier - new batteries for each of the half dozen laptops we've already sent to Sohm - to extend their useful lives.

Much needed science equipment will improve teaching in Sohm

• Over 130 PC memory sticks, which our good friend Maria has hoovered up from her office, and wiped clean.  It will mean that all of Sohm's ICT students will be able to store all of their own work, in one place - essential in a non-networked environment.

• A large selection of appropriate children's clothes, for pupils at the schools, following a request from some of the women in the village.

Additionally, we've spent some of the hard-raised funds collected in the UK, to purchase some supplies in demand in the schools.  So, in addition to the laptop batteries and printer ink, mentioned above, we have also:

• Purchased 10 litres of blackboard paint and brushes for its application.  This is a key step in improving the predominant 'talk and chalk' delivery of lessons in the schools.

• Bought external hard drive capacity to help with school ICT capacity and teaching delivery.

Laptops, batteries and memory sticks will upgrade out-dated ICT equipment

So, its all stations go!  Even after the purchasing, packaging and delivery costs, we should be able to take considerably in excess of £2,000 to Sohm next January, to spend locally, in helping achieve the goals of the charity. We'll keep you updated on progress on that front, once it has happened.

Thanks!

 

We continue to be grateful to a whole range of people - too many to mention, individually - for their generosity in supporting Sohm's schools.

 

But, a special word of thanks must go to former Derwentwater pupil, Yodit, who we featured on this site in July. We then celebrated the fact that she raised £15 for Sohm,  via a sponsored silence in her last day as a primary school pupil.



Yodit - an inspiration to us all!

 

She has followed this kind gesture by undertaking even more fund-raising for her former school's twin school, in The Gambia.

 

She has, in total, given this charity £30, which with Gift Aid amounts to almost £40.  To put this into context: we will be able to use it to purchase enough English language textbooks for a whole class to benefit.  By careful use, this will mean that 100 pupils will benefit next year.

 

Well done, Yodit!  You are an example and inspiration to us all - and offer just the kind of commitment that keeps us going, in tough economic times!

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Digital divide widens in The Gambia

Top English national newspaper, The Guardian, has just published - on-line, its shortlist for its prestigious international development journalism prize.  We are delighted that Sohm Schools Support friend and relative, Sarah Shearman, has joined that illustrious list of 12 journalists, from an original entry of around 500 articles.

The shortlisted journalists will have their articles published in a future supplement of the paper and be invited to do some blogging and writing for the paper, on international development issues, in the future. 

The prize winners will be announced later in the summer.  But we'd like to congratulate Sarah now for her great distinction in making this highly-regarded short-list.

Sarah may end up as a prize-winner.  We believe that the people of The Gambia, and of Sohm in particular, are real winners for having their plight highlighted in such a professional way.

Sarah's article and that of the 11 other shortlisted applicants can be found from the Guardian's website,  here.

We'll keep you upto speed with further developments in this great story, as they emerge.

June 2013 Newsletter - Number 6

 

 Welcome to our first newsletter posted directly on to the website.  We are featuring four topics:

• Auction for tickets to see Bruce Springsteen
• Upcoming Derwentwater School summer fair
• The search for unwanted laptops
• Buy a 'Red Letter Harley Day' and solve a gift problem

Blind Auction

 

We have been given a pair of tickets for the Hard Rock Calling gig on the re-opening weekend of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford on Sunday 30 June.

The day-long event runs from 1pm - 11pm.

We are holding a blind auction for the tickets (face value £69.75 each). The best bid received for the pair be e.mail by midnight Sunday 16 June wins.

Bruce Springsteen

Gig line-up

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

The Black Crows

Alabama Shakes

Doc Brown Band

Flamin' Groovies

and many more

Full details of the gig can be found here

How to win the tickets

 

Bid, direct to us, by e.mail.  All bidders will be informed of the outcome of the auction on Monday 17 June.

Help improve the life of Gambian school kids - and have a great day out at the re-opening of the Olympic Park, in the company of The Boss.

Please feel free to forward details to anyone you feel may be interested in bidding

Thank you

Derwentwater Summer Fair

 

When we were in the Gambia earlier in the year we were able to cement the schools friendship between Derwentwater Primary school in Acton and Sohm Lower Basic school.  The London school has already raised over £700 to help the children of Sohm.  The two schools have shared letters and class diaries and we have run some assemblies in Derwentwater in life for their opposite numbers in Sohm.

Our stall at last year's Derwentwater School Summer Fair

We are delighted to say that we have been welcomed back to Derwentwater to run some assemblies in June and will be having a stall at their summer fair. We hope that more funds will be raised, to help rebuild some of the badly damaged classrooms at the Sohm Lower Basic school.

Rehoming unwanted laptops!

 

We were able to take five generously donated second hand laptops with us to Sohm last year, and they have transformed the teaching of ICT in the schools, which lack a mains electricity supply. Gone are the days of the pupils relying on clapped out desk tops operating sporadically when the (expensively fuelled) generator runs.

We know that when people upgrade or replace laptops they are reluctant to throw the old one away - but, in reality nobody in the UK wants it and there are few takers in the second hand market for them.


Sohm Lower Basic's deputy head gratefully receiving a donated laptop, earlier this year

We have been offered a limited amount of free storage space in a container going to the Gambia at the end of September.  We would love to help fill that space with a dozen unwanted laptops (with pretty decent batteries). If you could clean them up, and give us the wink, we will be able to get them picked up and dispatched to Sohm at no cost to you, us or the students.  We can assure you.  They really do transform lives, and help prevent some African youngsters from getting left even further behind the developed world in a rapidly developing technological era.


 Make it a Red Letter Harley Day, as a gift for Father's Day - or any other special occasion!

 

Live your dream, or make another's come true with a Harley ride.  It will also benefit the education of Sohm's children.

Biker, Bill Carson, will pick you up and take you on an hour's ride on his Harley (pictured below), on a route of your choice. We'll provide the leathers. There'll be rock 'n roll ablarin', and a photographic memento of the experience
And all for £60.

Longer trips, by negotiation, are possible; including a visit to the iconic Ace Cafe, or central London.  Just call us for the details (minimum age 18).

 

Red Letter Harley days - from £60

 

Laptop Donations

Earlier this year we took five donated laptops to the schools to assist with ICT teaching and school administration.

We have negotiated free transport to take more out next year.  We have set ourselves the target of sending a dozen (with batteries in good working order) out before our next visit in 2014.

Help us achieve our target, save yourself a disposal problem and make a difference in Africa.  Call us, and we'll collect.

Senior Secondary school deputy principal, Nicolas Mendy, grateful recipient of a donated laptop

• Improving science education
• More sponsorhip
• Electricity in the schools
• Classroom repair and maintenance
• Laptop donations
• Topping up funds
• Improving teacher training support

Supported Projects - recent achievements

The Gambian government provides almost free schooling for pupils from the ages of  5 - 11 - but the youngsters and their families still need help with staionery and items like school lunches and uniforms. From age 11, school fees are charged, and pupils have to pay for their own books, equipment etc.

Sohm is a small village, consisting mainly of poorly educated, subsistence, farmers and their families. But they are proud people and desperate to get their young people an education.  This is where we come in - trying to help.

Educational posters supplied for every classroom in the schools

So far, we have:

• arranged for the sponsorship of a dozen pupils, paying their education and some related social costs;
• established a Book Fund, so that all older students have access to key textbooks for all subjects studied;
• encouraged a school twinning project between the Lower Basic school, and Derwentwater Primary school in Acton, London;
• provided teacher training support in English, sports development and child protection for both schools;
• supplied a limited number of laptops, to help with ICT teaching and school administration;
• paid for a school trip for all 150 years 5 and 6 pupils, getting many of them out of the village for the first time in their lives, to visit their capital city, airport, zoo, ancient monuments and Atlantic coast;
• arranged a whole day visit by 50 volunteers from British charity, Football Gambia, to offer sports training for all the village's children, and donate 40 football kits and associated play equipment;
• donated enough educational posters for at least one to be displayed in every classroom;, in each of the schools
• created a Bike Fund, to provide money to repair the bikes of students riding many miles each day, on untarmaced roads, to and from school.

• Introduction - about us
• Supported Projects - recent achievements
• Sohm - where we're at

March 2013 Newsletter - Number 3

Sandra and John have recently returned from seven weeks in The Gambia, when they were able to spend a considerable amount of time assisting with the two schools in Sohm.  They achieved a great deal, in allocating the £4,000 plus that the charity has raised this year.  Progress has been made in so many areas, that the news will be spread over the next two newsletters. Activities included:

• Improving sponsorship arrangements;
• Facilitating teacher training;
• Establishing a Book Fund, for the secondary school;
• Ensuring that all 180 10 and 11 year old students, at the Lower Basic school, get a school trip, exploring the major sites in the country;
• Cementing the school twinning arrangement with Derwentwater School, in Acton;
• Distributing donated lap tops to both the lower basic and senior secondary schools;
• Establishing a repair fund, to mend the bikes of students who live more than 2 miles from Sohm, and who would otherwise have to walk to and from school;
• Arranging the visit of 50 members of Football Gambia to Sohm, to provide an all-village sports training day for both schools;

Teacher Training

Sandra's daughter, Natalie, is an assistant head teacher at Derwentwater Primary school in Acton. She spent the February half term in The Gambia, with her colleague, Nicola.  The two of teachers provided whole day teacher training to all of the staff, in each of Sohm's two schools.

They received an over 90% approval rating for their efforts, with the most common remark on the feedback form's being "Come back next year"! The heads of the two schools were delighted with their efforts and are confident that teaching performance in the schools will improve.

Certificates of participation and attendance were presented to all those who attended the courses.  The picture on the previous page shows Natalie and Nicola with the whole staff of the Lower Basic school, with their certificates.

Book Fund

John with the senior school principal, vice principal,
chair of governors and English and ICT teachers,
with some of the books provided by the charity

The Gambian government provide textbooks for pupils until the age of 12.  After that age, students have to buy their own textbooks, or rely on sponsorship.  A year ago there were very few books in the Sohm Senior Secondary school for the 180 years 10, 11 and 12 students (aged 15 - 19) and examination results were poor.

Sohm Schools Support has established a Book Fund over the last two years.  As a result, there are now sufficient text books for these students, so that all of them are able to share a key set book (one book between two students) for each of the 15 subjects studied at this level.  We look forward to greatly improved examination success!

Cementing School Twinning

Derwentwater school in Acton twinned with Sohm Lower Basic school last year, and raised funds for their Gambian friends and colleagues at two school fairs. The pupils have exchanged letters and whole class diaries. We presented small prizes to the Sohm pupils who wrote the best letters to their London colleagues, while in The Gambia

Students at each school have had lessons on the countries and life styles of their international friends. A talented artist in the village was keen to show Sohm's gratitude for the twinning and painted the Derwentwater logo on the wall outside Gibril Bojang - the Lower Basic school's head teacher's office.

Sandra with Gibril Bojang (principal) and LaminSamu(deputy - crouching)
by the friendship sign outside the head teacher's office in Sohm

Football Gambia Sports Day

Sohm youngsters enjoying a parachute game
 on the Sports Day arranged by Football Gambia

We'll be providing you with an update of this exiting occasion, in our next newsletter.  We thought we'd just whet your appetite, now!!

Keep in Touch

We have a presence on Facebook (SohmSchoolsSupport), Twitter (@GambiaSchools) and a website (www.sohmschoolssupport.org.uk), and can be contacted via e.mail at info@sohmschoolssupport.org.uk.  Keep in touch and find out how we are getting on, and spending our income!

That's enough from us, for now.  Until the next time,

John and Sandra Walker
(Trustees, Sohm Schools Support)