Where Does the Fundraising Money Go?

We are thrilled to have been able to raise £8,500 from the 2014 project. That money is being put to fantastic use in The Gambia. Here are some of the current developments taking place:

• Now that the 4th classroom is completed, work is starting on the stairway that will lead up to the 5th classroom.

• Pica, is overseeing the building a medical centre in Abuko village and Team Gambia member Wendy O’Hagan and her daughter gave money to this project. In addition Pete Evans gave a lorry load of gravel to the medical centre building project (originally it had been delivered to the school for the staircase but it was the wrong grade of gravel).

• As well as the resources we carried over in our suitcases and gave to the nursery and the lower basic school, we were able to buy them 100 packets of paper for photocopying their examinations in 2014/15.

• We also purchased a number of big plastic bins and disinfectant as one of the lines of defence should Ebola reach The Gambia.

• We have employed a local artist to paint the nursery walls with colourful letters and numbers.
Development doesn't stop, but it's good to see what the money we raise - together with the fantastic fundraising effort made by Pete Evans and Hamstead Hall School - is being used for.

Keep checking back for more updates...

Building Work Steps Up

The Team Gambia Project set up by Hamstead Hall School is about providing an education to kids who would otherwise not be going to school at all. Of course, that is not just about providing teachers and resources - the school had to be built first and Pete Evans from Hamstead Hall School has been instrumental in getting this school built and developed.

Development continues with more building work taking place and more resources sent out. Progress with the Team Gambia Project during the last 12 months includes:

• The fourth classroom is completed. A new teacher has been employed and more pupils are now being taught.

• The shipping container sent out by Team Gambia 2013 arrived and the table, chairs and other resources are being used.

• The tablet computers donated by Hamstead Hall School on the December 2013 visit have been set up as a computer room and are being used.

• The container that we fundraised to buy in 2013 was filled and shipped over and is now in place beside the lower basic school. There is still quite a bit of materials in it to be distributed.

• The nursery school looked great. It has been whitewashed and the Wendy house and swings put up in the yard.

Recruiting for Team Gambia 2015!

Following the success of Team Gambia 2013 and Team Gambia 2014, we are now recruiting for Team Gambia 2015!

For the last two years the College has joined a project set up by Hamstead Hall School to fundraise and volunteer at a school in Africa. In 2013 a small group of students travelled to the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery School with students from Hamstead Hall School, to volunteer and teach the kids, while also raising £2,500 for the school.

In 2014, a larger group of students undertook the trip and this time without students from Hamstead Hall, who instead visited at a different time of year. With more students to fundraise an amazing £8,500 was raised for the school and the students also gave up a week of their time to work with the Gambian children and give them much needed attention.

We want to do it all over again in 2015. Current Year 12 students can find out more about this exciting opportunity by attending one of two introductory meetings on Tuesday 27 January at 1.45pm or Thursday 5 February at 12.35pm. Both meetings take place in 201. The meeting will show students what they can expect from the trip to Gambia and what we will be expecting of them before they go.
Fundraising is a massive part of the project, so we will be expecting students to work independently or as part of a team to raise money during the Spring and Summer terms, as well as when they return into Year 13 next Autumn.

Why is this worth doing? Our students who travelled to The Gambia in 2014 can attest to what a wonderfully life enhancing experience it is. However, commitment to a charity project like this is also a fantastic thing to be able to tell employers and universities about and will really set students apart from the crowd.

Any current Year 12 student at the College who wants to find out more is urged to come along to the meeting to find out more. Places are limited, so any student who is interested will need to act fast.

Team Gambia 2014 Report

So Team Gambia 2014 is done! Everybody is feeling more than a little sad that it is over, but there are lots of fabulous memories from this great project for staff and students to enjoy.

First and most importantly is the great work this project has achieved. Let's not forget that this is a project set up and run by Pete Evans at Hamstead Hall School. We are just grateful to be able to be a part of this and to do anything we can to support the amazing work they have already done.

This project was 9 months in the making and students had to work hard before the trip to raise money for the school. The final fundraising total exceeds £8,500. The £9,500 previously quoted included money donating to pay for activities for the students in The Gambia, rather than to go to the school itself. That £8,500 is a tremendous total and really good use will be put to it. The school needs help paying teachers wages and buying resources and work is already under way to build new classrooms, which is much needed. There are still lots of kids not going to school at all out there because there is not room for them, so building these additional classrooms will ensure these kids get an education.

The trip itself has really enhanced the lives of the students who went. All have spoken of having their eyes opened by the sights they saw. It has made them all realise how lucky they are to have what they have. They have all built up their confidence, team working skills and gained valuable teaching experience too.

The students also got to experience a different culture. As well as working at the school, there was time for the students to experience more of the local culture, as a demonstration of traditional Gambian dancing was put on. They also went to a local crocodile park, a monkey sanctuary, the Albert Market in Banjul and the Parliament building. They visited a medical centre and another school, as well as enjoying some rest and relaxation at the hotel and on the beach.

All in all, the trip was a great success and the project as a whole continues to go from strength to strength. We look forward to doing this all over again next year!

Life Enhancing Trip

Team Gambia 2014 is the second trip to the Jungkung Jemous Memorial Nursery and Lower Basic School in Abuko for The Sixth Form College, Solihull. Just like in 2013, the students who went on the trip found the experience humbling and life enhancing.

This was not a week's jolly by the beach. Students worked hard throughout the year to do their own fundraising and helped out with College-organised fundraising events too. They prepared their own teaching resources and lesson plans and then spent a week with the kids at the school.

They also got to experience African culture and saw some real deprivation too. Most students found it a real eye-opener. Here are some of the reflections from the students.

These case studies will form part of the Team Gambia display to promote this fantastic trip to other students next year. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Flickr Photos!

Team Gambia 2014 are back from their travels and we've just uploaded a load of photos to the Team Gambia Flickr page.

Check out the Team Gambia 2014 Photo Album now.

If member of Team Gambia 2014 want to add their own photos to the photo stream please get in touch with Bev Bishop for details of how to do this.

Check back with the blog soon for more updates from the trip, as we look back on a memorable week in The Gambia.

Fundraising Total

Staff and students are in The Gambia right now working with kids at the Jungkung Jemous Memorial Nursery and Lower Basic School in Abuko. While they are there doing all that great work, we can reveal the result of all the hard work that went into fundraising before the trip.

Each student had a target to raise £400 each and there were numerous fundraising events at the College too, which staff got involved in. All that combined has seen us raise £9,570.69!!! How awesome is that?!

Well done to everyone involved! The money will go towards paying teachers at the School (who get paid just £375 per year!), buying resources and building a new classroom.

We'll update you with the trip itself when the students are back in Solihull.