Signing off the Sukuta project (2)

This is the second of two articles signifying the successful conclusion of our Sukuta Project. The first immediately precedes it, on this blog

We have feautured the project frequently over the last three years in words and pictures. This episode is aimed at showing, mainly in picture form, the difference your - and Rotary's - money has made to the 2,000 children attending the school.

On International Women's Day 2022, the then head of Sukuta LBS (Mariam Mendy, dressed in white, second from left), the CEO of contractors Future In Our Hands (Jainaba Sarr, dressed in orange, second from right), together with then President of Brusubi Rotary club (Omar Jallow, far left) and John Walker, representing Sohm Schools Support and Redbridge Rotary (far right) sign contract for FIOH to deliver the Sukuta project.

 

 

There were seven aspects to the project. Below, adopting a before and after approach, we present a photographic essay of the differene our Sukuta project has made to a large number of young African lives, now and for many years into the future.

Water Supply

Before: one water tank for 2,000 pupils

 

After (1): second water tank ready for installation

 

After (2): second water tank in place

Doubling the water capacity of the water supply enables much more hygenic practice and cleanliness around the school.

Standpipes

Before: There was only one water standpipe for 2,000 children to wash their hands (including after toilet and before food) in the entire school.

After (1): one of the ten new standpipes installed in the school

After (2): another of the ten new standpipes installed in the school

After (3): yet another of the ten new standpipes

Toilets

Before (1 and 2): Old toilets, before the project

Under construction: The new toilets

After (1 and 2): running water in new hygenic toilets, for the first time

Library

Before (above and below): Old library suffering from termite damage and unusable

 

After (above and below): newly reconstructed library, termite free and fit for use. The building is waiting for Brusubi Rotary Club to provide the promised furniture, and then it will be up and running and a fabulous facility for 2,000 pupils

Sick room

Before: No sick room in the school; a space identified to construct one

After: The sick room built.The building is waiting for Brusubi Rotary Club to provide the promised furniture, so that it can become a first aid and medical centre for the 2,000 pupils.

Computer room

Before: too small, unfit for purpose and unable to offer space for all the pupils

After (above and below): greatly expanded facility, with air-con, in which all pupils can receive ICT lessons

Vendors stalls

Before: The hot, unhygenic place where local women sold school lunches to the 2,000 pupils at the school

After (1 and2)- above and below: the new clean, hygenic building created for local traders to sell lunches to the school's children

After (3 and4)- above and below: traders setting up, and children using the new school meals facility

 Signed, sealed, but not fully delivered - yet

 

A year ago Redbridge Rotary (with significant SSS backing) and Rotary International provided the money for the completion of the Sukuta project. Under the terms of the agreement, Brusubi Rotary club were entrusted to supervise its delivery. Contractor, Future In Our Hands, went beyond expectations in executing the contract to price, despite building supply price inflation.

 

The completion of the project was hailed on Gambian TV and Brusubi Rotary club, via current president, Alpha Jallow, was happy to take credit for the delivery of this carefully constructed and delicately financed project.

It has been a great success, and SSS supporters and Rotarians, world-wide are to be thanked and praised for their generosity in ensuring that.

All that is needed now is for Brusubi Rotary club to put its money where its mouth is (to the tune of less than $1,000 US) and deliver on the promises it made to Gambian TV and furnish the library and sick room. That simple, low cost, pain-free gesture will ensure that 2,000 young Gambians will benefit from everyone else's efforts. 

 

It will also illustrate that Rotary values are extended to and be displayed by Gambian Rotarians too. Service before self-service. Charity before vanity.

 

The four photos, above and below, are of Brusubi Rotary President, Alpha Jallow taking credit for the delivery of the project. Now let the club deliver on its promises.

 

End of term report - summer 2016

Schools' out for summer - in the Gambia, just as it is here in the U.K. So, it's time for the dreaded end of term report.

Lower Basic - library refurb

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, our main projects as far as the Lower Basic (primary) school in Sohm this year have been to pay for the complete restoration of the school's library and its sick room.

The former has been out of effective use - other than as a store room - for about three years, because it has suffered from termite infestation. With our friends from Jersey, we have paid for the removal of the termites and for new sealed - termite-resistant flooring and treatment for the walls of the room.

Library termites: out! A new refurbed library
 will be up and running from September

This was completed by the end of April and we are pleased to report that the termites have not revisited since! Our grant also paid for a new door and windows, in an effort to resist the forward advance of the little pests. These, too, seem to have done the trick.

So, the room is now being re-equipped with new book cases and chairs.

Having sorted out the books earlier this year, and disposed of the termite infested ones, the school is now re-arranging the them on the shelves, ready for use in the new school year.

The library will be back in full operation from September; with each class in the school having a weekly visit to the library, in an effort to encourage "the reading habit".  

Our initiative last year, in providing electrical wiring for the whole school and donating a number of computers, means that the library will be well-equipped in September for books' study, and perhaps some early computer education.

We will next be in The Gambia in January 2017. It is our intention to discuss paying for the  running an after school 'homework club' in the library, open a couple of hours of each evening - courtesy of the donations we receive from our supporters.  

Accommodation conditions like this make home
 study difficult; so we will discuss paying for
 homework clubs, after school, in the library,next year

Many of the children find it almost impossible to do school work at home, because the poor and over-crowded state of their living accommodation, lack of lighting, privacy, quietness etc.

There is, however, the slightly trickier cultural issue to consider.  Many of the children at this primary school are expected to work at home, or in the fields, as soon as they get back from school in the afternoon.  We will need to have discussions with parents about this and try and find a solution that assists the educational opportunities of their children and not clash with home demands.

Wish us luck!

Lower Basic - refurb sick room

Work is, similarly, at a very advanced stage of rebuilding and re-equipping the school's sick room.  This has been in a bad state for at least three years.  A functioning sick room is essential in a school like this, where children are prone to recurring bouts of malaria and the parents cannot be easily contacted to come and assist them readily.

Inside the out-of-use sick room.
 Now completely refurbished,
 ready for a new school year

So, come the start of the new term, in September, the building work will be finished, complete with re-plastered walls, re-flooring and new windows and doors. There will be a new bed and table and chairs and medicines cabinet.

Although we wish none of the children ill, they will, at least, from September have a comfortable place to relax/recover in the event of any unpleasant bots of sickness.

Senior secondary school - remedial classes

As we have reported before, the senior school has made great strides in most curriculum areas and exam performances since we became involved with it, five years ago.

The most serious area needing attention has been poor performance, across the whole school, in both English and maths.  To address this, earlier this year, with our colleagues from Jersey, we agreed to fund our most expensive and ambitious initiative to date.

We are paying for one additional hour's teaching of both English and maths for all pupils in every class in each year, on a trial basis.

75% plus attendance rates in remedial
 classes across almost the whole school

We have just received the initial results of the trial, and it seems to be progressing well - after a shaky start.

The attendance rates, across the whole school, are above 75% for this voluntary activity for all years, apart from 10 (16 year olds). 

It has been difficult to get meaningful feedback on the impact on the educational standards of the students concerned (no public exam results in yet, no face to face conversations with students or teachers etc).

We are pleased to announce that all students sponsored by our supporters have achieved an 80% plus attendance rate.

Its early days, but the signs look good.  We will need to have further discussions with a number of partners over the coming weeks before deciding whether to extend this (for us) expensive scheme in the new year.  

We will also have to consider how to deal with the poor year 10 attendance - but it is 16 year olds we are talking about!

We need to be convinced we are getting good value for your money, before extending the trial.

We'll keep you informed of progress.

Brexit - unforeseen consequence

It's not the role of this site, or charity, to comment on the recent  referendum decision of the British people to leave the European Union. There has, however, been one unintended consequence that impacts on us, and those we are attempting to support in The Gambia.

The £ - Delasi exchange rate has deteriorated by about 10% since the referendum; meaning we need to raise 10% more, in donations, to compensate and continue with our ambitious plans for the future.
  
You support would be of great assistance!

John and Sandra

April 2016 - huge leaps forward

Our recent post gave details of the achievements at the Sohm Schools over the last year, following our interventions in January 2015.

This time, we are focusing on what we arranged during our annual visit this year, and the progress that is already being made over the last six weeks or so since we have returned from The Gambia.

But first - a huge expression of thanks to Redbridge Rotary club. Following an introduction to the club by a near neighbour last autumn, we gave a presentation to the club in January, a couple of days before our annual trip to west Africa. 

Huge thanks to Redbridge Rotary club
 for generous £250 donation
 - it will be well spent!

It was well received, and the members really seemed to appreciate what working at grass roots level, in international development, can do.  They particularly liked the accountability and regular updates and progress that we are able to provide about our activities in Sohm.

Imagine our delight, when last week we received a £250 donation from the club for future activities in Sohm! Thank you, one and all.  We promise to come back and provide reports on what has happened to your donation - whenever you invite us!

ICT lessons for ALL students at the senior secondary
 school for the first time, this year, thanks to
 donation from SSS and Little Heath school, Redbridge

As we have tried to show on this blog, each year we fund projects at each of the two schools.  These are agreed with the schools' heads (drawing on their priorities) and are usually cleared with the regional director of education and implemented in conjunction with the schools'governors, parents and staff.

Previous interventions have: provided stationery for all students in both schools each year, fully equipped an ICT suite in the senior school, provided sporting equipment to both schools, run school trips for students at the Lower Basic school, provided and repaired bicycles for students who have long journeys to school in searing heat.

Our biggest intervention to date - three years ago - was to provide enough textbooks to the Senior Secondary school to ensure that all students had access to a key text book in all subjects they are taught.

Over the last five years we have also, provided teacher training days for all staff in both schools, refurbed the staff accommodation at the Lower Basic school, provided mains electricity to the Lower Basic school and teachers' quarters. We have re-equipped the cookery classroom at the Senior Secondary school and added stock to the libraries at both schools.

Electricity supply to whole of Lower Basic
 school and teachers accommodation, for the
 first time, thanks to SSS - and your - support
 and donations.
Probably wouldn't satisfy UK electricity regs!

All of this has been done in addition to sponsoring the education of a dozen or so of the most needy pupils in Sohm.

This year we have initiated some of our most dramatic interventions, described below.  They have been more ambitious than some of our previous initiatives, but we have been able to weave a partnership together with our colleagues from Jersey and the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission, who between them, have provided over half the funding for the projects we have initiated.

Firstly, at the Senior Secondary school. There has been a gradual rise in public examination performance, and school inspection ratings each year since we have been involved with the Sohm schools. 

However, the glaring omission has been the inability of the students and schools to significantly improve examination results and performance in the key subjects of Maths and English. This is a MAJOR issue. To be frank, it is a problem nation-wide.

The excitement of games lessons will soon
 be enhanced a an hour a week's remedial
classes in both English and Maths for all
 secondary school students!

So, in January we worked long and hard with the staff at the senior school and have arranged for a well monitored and evaluated scheme whereby we - with our colleagues from Jersey - will fund the provision of one hour's remedial English and one hour's maths for ALL students at the secondary school, every week of the school year.

See how delighted some of the
 students are at the prospect!

We have allocated enough funds to pay for this for an academic year - subject to termly break-monitoring clauses. We are hopeful this will have a dramatic impact - over the years.  The early signs, from independent feedback we are getting, are that the scheme is working well.

As far as the Lower Basic school is concerned, we have - with our colleagues from Jersey - initiated a complete refurbishment of the library (it is currently out of use because of severe termite infestation).

The termites will be eradicated with new flooring and appropriate deterrent treatment.  We began the process of re-arranging the library stock when we were at the school, and from September, the school will have a member of staff dedicated to running the facility.  

This termite-ridden and out of commission Lower
 Basic school library will be a valuable education
 resource centre and library to be used by ALL Lower
 Basic school students, from September, thanks to
 SSS - and your - funding and support

New library furniture (including 3 dozen chairs and book cases) will be provided by our initiative and all pupils will have weekly sessions in the library, to encourage the "reading for pleasure" habit.

Early reports suggest that the building work is well under way. If things go according to schedule, we hope to have the library re-opened in September and for a couple of computers to be installed (from a donation from Little Heath school, Redbridge, last year). 

For the future, we are hoping to be able to sponsor a homework club in the library for pupils who do not get sufficient support and encouragement at home.

We are also funding the complete refurbishment of the school's sick room.

This will be a completely refurbished and
 functioning sick room in September, thanks to
 SSS - and your - intervention and funding

This is also currently out of use, as its equipment has been cannibalised over the years to assist with insufficient classroom provision elsewhere within the rapidly expanding school, and the doors and windows are in desperate need of repair.

A sick room is necessary in a school where pupils often suffer bouts of malaria (not pleasant, we can assure you, from personal experience!) and faintness fits due to poor diet, extreme heat and dehydration.  Again, we are being assured that this refurbished room will be ready for September.

These initiatives, aimed at addressing things that we, in the West, take so much for granted are literally life-changing for many Gambian youngsters.

We thank all of you for your support - financial, in kind and even just moral.

We will continue to keep you updated in the progress of these exciting projects.