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.

One Week To go!

There are just 7 days until Team Gambia 2014 jet off to Banjul. Everyone is exciting and why not; it's going to be a wonderful experience.

Here are a few last minute reminders to thing to pack:

• Suitable clothing (it will be hot, but make sure your clothing is not too revealing)
• Swimming costume (there is a pool and we're by the beach)
• Sun block and after sun
• Anti-malarial medication
• All other necessary medications and first aid kit
• Usual toiletries
• Suitable shoes and flip flops
• Money or travellers cheques
• Camera
• Mobile phone and charger
• Adapter plugs (not all sockets will be three prong plugs)
• Teaching materials (pack everything you will need for your sessions)
• Goodies to give away (toys, games, books, clothes, etc)
• Any luxuries you want to take (you are responsible for them!)

If you have any last minute questions, please contact Janice Hamilton or Mike Padbury by phone (0121 704 2581), email or Tyber message.

Have a fab time folks! We will want to see your photos afterwards!

GambiAID

Student Maggie Brina has exceeded her £400 fundraising target thanks to a sponsored sky dive and a charity music concert.

The music concert was the most recent fundraising event - it took place on Thursday night and Maggie called it GambiAID. Maggie performed, as did a number of fellow students from the College and from Lyndon School. this included the College Soul Band, otherwise known as Solihull Funk Collective.

Here are some photos from the concert:

Maggie organised the concert, including sorting out the performances, tickets and posters and some fellow students assisted with sound and lighting. There was a raffle to help boost the fundraising and Maggie has raised £175 from the concert. In total, Maggie has raised £465 for the school in The Gambia.

A huge well done to Maggie - the concert was a great night and a testament to the hard work she put into it.

Cabaret Night For Gambia

On Saturday Musical Cabaret Night took place at Sheldon Heath Social Club to raise money for the school in The Gambia and it raised £200.

We must say well done and a big thank you to Lauren Davies and her Granddad John for putting on a fantastic musical evening. There was music from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, plus a few more recent sings too. 14-year-old Molly brought the house down with her spectacular voice and fellow Gambia student Maggie Brina was behind a fantastic medley of Abba songs that had the audience up on the dance floor. The evening ended with a great Neil Diamond tribute from John.

Thanks to all of the students who helped out at this event, be it setting up, providing sandwiches for the buffet, welcoming guests on the door or arranging the raffle.

Lauren had already raised £200, so this event means she has now reached her target of raising £400. Well done Lauren!

Fundraising Update - October 2014

Drum roll please.....

We have raised £4,845.37 for the Jumus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery & Primary School in The Gambia so far this year!!!

£1,356.94 has come from College-run events and the rest has come from the students. We suspect there is a bit more out there that has not yet been paid in, so if that is the case please see Claire Watts in the Central Admin office (Meriden building).

The latest fundraising efforts came at the recent parents evenings. Divyani, Amy and Olivia raised £100 at a parents evening last week, while Hannah, Sammy, Chris and Alex raised another £100 last night. Well done folks!

Don't forget, there are still events taking place to keep the fundraising going. On Saturday 18 October it's the Cabaret Night that Lauren's granddad is putting on with music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s! This will include a War Time tribute, swing, rock'n'roll and a tribute to Neil Diamond. Tickets cost just £4 and include a buffet too, and there is a bar at the venue in Sheldon Heath. For more information and tickets call Bev Bishop on 0121 704 2581.

As if that isn't enough, student Maggie Brina is holding a fundraising concert on Thursday 23 October. Taking place from 6.30 - 9.00pm in the College theatre (201), this concert is called GambiAID. Why? "We’re building this school on Rock and Roll!" Get it?!?!?! This concert will include music from students and it promises to be a great event. Tickets cost £5 and you can see Maggie or call Bev on 0121 704 2581 to get tickets.

Please support these events if you can - staging concerts takes a lot of work and Lauren and Maggie are working really hard to make them a success.

Lesson Observation!

Before we head out to The Gambia, students need training and preparation so they know what to expect. Part of this preparation is being done by way of lesson observations at a local primary school.

All students are being given the opportunity to go to St Alphege Infant School in the next couple of weeks to observe how lessons to this age group are done. This will help students to understand what level the kids are at as far as numbers, letters, vocabulary, etc.

We will then be running some workshops where students can work with staff at the College to prepare materials to use in the classroom in The Gambia. We need to prepare all the materials in advance and take them with us, so each student is going to be asked to plan one activity each. Some might revolve around numbers, some might involve letters, some might deal with shapes or collours or animals, etc.

The preparation is key - if students have thought about what they will do with the Gambian students in advance, it will be no problem when we get out to the school, because the youngsters we are working with are enthusiastic and eager to learn. At the Jemus Jammeh Jungkung Nursery School almost all the lessons involve rote learning; they get almost no personal attention, so the activities that we are planning will stimulate them in a way they don't usually get. What a great thing for our students to get the chance to do!

Fundraisers Coming!

We're doing a final push to raise money for the school in The Gambia that we will be visiting in November, with several events coming up in the next month or so.

October will be a busy month and some of the students will start by holding Bake Sales at Parents Evenings. Divyani Chauhan, Amy Garner and Olivia Howse are doing a Bake Sale on the evening of Thursday 2 October, while Hannah Patmore, Sammy Lee, Chris Bate and Alex Simpkins will be doing the same on the evening of Tuesday 7 October. We urge any parents who are coming on those evenings to grab a tasty treat and know they are helping an inpoverished school too.

After that is the Cabaret Fundraiser that Lauren Davis' grandfather is going to put on. The event will take place on Saturday 18 October at Sheldon Heath Social Club on Brays Road in Sheldon and will run from 8.00pm – 11.00pm. We will be charging £4 per ticket, which will include entrance and light snacks. There will be a paying bar there too. The show will including music and dancing, with the a wartime tribute in the first half (including lots of 1940s music that your grandparents would enjoy) and going on to include music from the Shadows, Neil Diamond and some Rock ‘n’ Roll. There will be a little bit of more modern music in the second half and we will be holding a raffle during the interval. If you want tickets please see Lauren or call Bev Bishop on 0121 704 2581.

As if that were not enough, student Maggie Brina is holding a charity music concert too. This takes place on Thursday 23 October at the College from 7.00pm - 9.00pm. Tickets for this concert cost £5 each. See Maggie for more information or again, call Bev Bishop on 0121 704 2581.

Please support these events! We've made great progress so far, but there is more we can do and the money we raise will really do good.

Date For Your Diaries

Put Saturday 18 October in your diaries, because we have a charity show coming up to raise money for our Team Gambia 2014 project and it promises to be great fun!

One of the students going on the trip is Lauren Davis and her grandfather is going to put on a cabaret show for us in October; we want to get everybody involved.

The event will take place on Saturday 18 October at Sheldon Heath Social Club on Brays Road in Sheldon and will run from 8.00pm – 11.00pm. We will be charging £4 per ticket, which will include entrance and light snacks. There will be a paying bar there too.

The show will including music and dancing, with the a wartime tribute in the first half (including lots of 1940s music that grandparents would enjoy) and going on to include music from the Shadows, Neil Diamond and some Rock ‘n’ Roll. There will be a little bit of more modern music in the second half and we will be holding a raffle during the interval.

Posters and tickets are being done over the summer and when everybody comes back to College in September we will give you more information about how to get tickets.

More Fundraising Successes

We've had some more fundraising successes recently.

Rory Hayes and Samantha Evans gave a presentation about the trip to their Church and took a collection, which raised over £200!

Meanwhile, Alex Simpkins has set up an online charity page and has so far raised approximately £200 from donations!

Georgia Bodfish adopted a different approach, as she held a charity netball match with younger girls playing in fancy dress. Not only was this great fun for all involved, but it raised over £70 too.

Neha Chauhan has raised £100 from doing bake sales and car washing so far, while Olivia Howse helped out at a music concert at College recently and collected £43 in donations.

Keep up the good work over the summer folks.

New Member of Team Gambia 2014

Unfortunately we lost a member of Team Gambia 2014, as Hope Rowe-Hartman had to withdraw from the trip. However, we are pleased to welcome Bethany Sloan to the group in her place.

Fundraising Update

Students are moving ahead with their fundraising at a grand pace now. Bake sales have been particularly popular, with Alex Atkins and Nick Wall each selling cakes at College.

Nick choose a Higher Education evening at College, when parents of Year 12 students were in College to hear about the next step after College. He had made a selection of cakes (with his Mum's help) and sold these to parents during their time in College. Visiting parents were very generous and £99.02 was raised in total.

Alex Atkins held an American-themed bake sale on Friday 4th July, including cupcakes, muffins and other delicious treats. this was her second bake sale at the College. She served throughout lunch time in the College Refectory and raised £72.61.

There are, of course, lots of other ways to raise money and for Chris Bate it was a car boot sale that he undertook recently. Chris raised £80 from this.

Each student has a target of £400 to raise for the school in the Gambia that they will be visiting this November, so these fundraising successes are great news as they head towards their targets.

Quiz Night Raises £930!

Team Gambia had a fantastic night on Friday night, with a fabulous fundraising effort at the Quiz Night. Massive thanks must go to Vice Principal Janice Hamilton who led the organising of this event. With Assistant Principal Mike Padbury and a team of student volunteers (see them pictured blow), the event raised £930!!!

The event was a general knowledge quiz with an Oscars twist, run by ex-member of staff John Ingham. Some of the questions were pretty tough, but in the end just half a point separated first and second place from the 16 teams that were competing. Many thanks to staff and parents of Team Gambia 2014 who made up the majority of the teams competing. With food and drink, not to mention a raffle, a great time was had by all!

That £930 goes into the Team Gambia 2014 fundraising pot and with students also making great progress in their fundraising targets, we are well on our way to raising a significant amount of money for the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery School in Abuko.

Langley School Support Fundraising Effort

Now that exams are over students are charging ahead with fundraising plans and one of our partner schools are getting involved too.

We need to say a big thanks to Langley School, who are supporting Hannah Patmore, Olivia Howse, Divyani Chauhan, Sammy Lee, Alex Atkins and Lucy Buckle in their fundraising efforts. The students will have a stall at the Langley School Summer Fete, which takes place on Friday 11 July. On top of that, the school has given the students the opportunity to raise money at an event that Langley are calling "Africa Day" on the 8 July; they will be selling drinks and snacks to the pupils and spectators.

As if those two things were not enough, during the last two weeks of July the students will head to Langley School again to do some cake sales during break/lunchtime, as well as holding a Zumba/dance event with the dance teacher.

Phew! They are going to be busy! Good luck ladies!

Many of the students are also getting in contact with local supermarkets in the hope of doing a bag pack in the future to raise money too. Fingers crossed that they get some positive responses to those requests.

Keep up the good work folks!

Fundraising Update

Fundraising is progressing nicely. Well done to everybody who has raised money so far – here’s a summary of what has been achieved so far.

Neha Chauhan has done some cake sales with her Mum and aunt, as well as cutting the grass and washing neighbours cars for cash. This has raised over £150 so far.

Harry Lewis and Rory Hayes joined forces to do a sponsored bike ride, cycling to Oxford (70 miles), raising almost £200 between them. Harry said it was one of the hardest things he’s ever done, but the challenge was well worth it! He has cake sales and car boot sales planned too!

Maggie Brina (pictured below) completed a sky dive, raising sponsorship and completing her College Colours award at the same time. Maggie has raised £295 from this daring venture, and she loved the experience!

 

Nick Wall has also worked with his Mum to do some cake sales at her place of work, and he has sold some items on eBay.

Alex Simpkins has got halfway to her target, raising £200 through her job and doing some dog walking. Amy Garner has also reached the £200 thanks to her job at Iceland.

Lauren Davis did the Knowle Fun Run recently and gathered sponsorship money for this. Her Mum has been helping by selling cakes and chocolates at work and a gig by her Granddad in October will add to her fundraising too. We’ll be letting everyone know more about this gig in the coming weeks and months and asking for help with this event too.

Sammy Lee and Divyani Chauhan have done cake sales and plan a supermarket bag pack, having already raised about £250 so far. Meanwhile, Alex Atkins and Lucy Buckle raised more than £140 from just one bake sale at College – the most ever raised in College from a single bake sale!

Some of the students are working with other organisations to do some fundraising. Alex A and Lucy are working with their old school (Light Hall) to organise a dance event, while Olissha Tagon and Georgia Bodfish are working with their netball team to do a fancy dress netball match and Hannah Patmore hopes to work with a dance school to hold a raffle.

Other future plans include supermarket bag packs, car boot sales, car washing, summer fetes and even redecorating relatives houses for sponsorship! These are all great ideas and now exams are out of the way, students will hopefully have some more time to crack on with fundraising over the summer!

Staff have done some fundraising too – our Easter Bake Off raised more than £290, we sold a set of golf clubs that were donated to us on eBay for £46 and money left over some a staff trip to see War Horse (£20) also went into the pot! The Quiz Night is still to come too and that’s the big one (it raised about £700 last year)!

Learning to speak Wolof!

We're off to The Gambia, so how about we all learn a few words of Wolof before we go?
Of course, everybody speaks English in The Gambia, but how impressed would the locals be if we were to greet them with Na nga def!

Na nga def – Hello (singular)

Na ngeen def – Hello everybody (plural)

Jaam nga fanane – Good morning

Jamm nga yendoo – Good afternoon

Fanaanal jaam - Goodnight

Ba beneen – Goodbye

Su la nexee – Please

Jai-rruh-jef - Thank you

Agsil – You’re welcome (singular)

Agsileen ak jaam - You’re all welcome (plural)

Baal ma - Sorry/Pardon

Wau – Yes

Deh-det – No

Jaam nga am? – Have you peace? (How are you?)

Jaam rek – Peace only (I’m fine)

Yow nag? – And you?

Naka-nga sant? – What’s your first name?

Maa ngi tudd …  – My name is …

Fan nga dahk? – Where do you live?

Fan nga joghe? – Where are you from? (singular)

Fan ngeen joghe? - Where are you all from? (plural)

Deg nga Angale? – Do you speak English?

Angale rekk laa degg – I speak only English

Mahn deggumah Wolof – I don’t speak Wolof

Degguma – I don’t understand

Dama bahggoon …  – I’d like …

Fahn la … ? - Where is … ?

Soreh na? – Is it far?

Cha kanam – Straight ahead

Chammoon - Left

Ndeyjoor – right

Lii naata? – How much is this?

Seer na torob – It’s too much

Wolof is just one of the many languages spoken in The Gambia, but it’s a start!

Team Gambia Display

Team Gambia has its own display in College now!

We've commandeered a noticeboard by the first floor lifts in Hampton building to celebrate this exciting project. At the moment it includes information, case studies and photos from the 2013 trip, but after this year's trip, we will update it with more recent images too.

We will use this display to attract prospective students and parents at Open days, not to mention to "wow" visitors with the fabulous trip.

Sponsored Bike Ride

Rory Hayes and Harry Lewis got their fundraising effort off to a great start with a sponsored bike ride recently.

The pair rode to Oxford, a journey of about 70 miles, during the Easter holidays. Rory raised approximately £100 from sponsorship, while Harry collected almost £90.

Here are the pair of them in Oxford on what you can see was not an entirely dry day!!!

Well done to both Rory and Harry - this is a great start and has them well on their way to their target to raise £400 each for the school in The Gambia.

Ebay Auction Adds to Fundraising Total

We were recently donated a set of ladies golf clubs by a generous colleague here at the College - see the photo below.

We decided to auction them on Ebay to raise money for the Gambia School Fund and that auction ended yesterday. We raised £46 from the sale of these golf clubs, which is far from a kings ransom, but every little bit helps our fundraising effort.

Team Gambia 2014 Quiz Night

Here's a date for your diary... Friday 20 June 2014 (7.00pm - 10.30pm)... Team Gambia 2014 Quiz Night!

It's a General Knowledge quiz, with an Oscars theme. That does not mean all the questions will be about the Oscars or films, but the evening will have an Oscars "feel" to it.

We are selling tickets now for this event for teams of up to six people. Tickets cost £10 each and the price includes supper. There will be a bar there on the night, but drinks cost extra and raffle/tombola tickets will also be available at an additional cost.

We did a Quiz Night for the 2013 Gambia trip last summer and it was great fun, so do come along and support this event, with all the proceeds going towards the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial School in The Gambia.

If you are interested in getting tickets, call 0121 704 2581. Students going on this trip can also get tickets (for themselves or family/friends) by seeing Janice Hamilton or her PA Janet Parkes down the Admin corridor in Hampton building (near Main Reception).

Places to visit in The Gambia

When we travel to The Gambia in November, we will be spending a lot of the time at the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial School, but there will be some free time at the weekend and we will organise some outings for everyone to enjoy.

We can't fit in all of the places below, but this will give you an idea of what we might do:

Bijilo Forest Park - this is a small rainforest nature reserve which is located just south of our hotel. It covers an area of 126 acres and is host to over 133 species of birds such as the Red-necked Falcon, Grey Hornbill, Prinia and various types of Bee-eaters. There are also four primate species that inhabit the park, which are the patas monkey, green vervet monkeys, red colobus and the galagos or bushbabies. The plants present include lilies, wild orchids, salt-tolerant vines, magnificent silk cotton trees, palms and the odd-looking baobab trees (sometimes called the upside down tree).

Vervet monkey

Kachikally Crocodile Pond - Again not far from the hotel, Kachikally is one of the most famous tourist spots in the whole of The Gambia, mostly because it's possible to stroke a two-metre crocodile named Charlie! The pool has about 100 crocodiles of varying sizes and all are well looked after (and more importantly, well fed!), so that they pose no danger to visitors.

 

Albert Market, Banjul - This market is on Liberation Avenue and is the capital's main urban market. It is a bustling market selling vividly designed fabrics, carved wooden masks and fresh produce. All this is laid out within a labyrinth of alleys and hundreds of rickety stalls and purpose built shops. It caters for locals and for the tourists, with crafts and souvenirs available. It is open daily from 8am to 7pm.

Arch 22, Banjul - Arch 22 is a commemorative arch on the road into Banjul. It was built in 1996 to mark the military coup d'etat which brought President Yahya Jammeh to power. A statue of the "unknown soldier" can be seen near the base of the arch; the soldier is carrying a baby in one hand, making the peace sign (V-sign) with the other hand, and has a rifle strapped across his back. The Arch is depicted on the reverse of the 100 dalasi banknote.

River Gambia - Running through the centre of the country is the River Gambia. It is a wide river course at the mouth (near Banjul) and narrows the further inland it goes. It was used by slave traders hundreds of years ago, but is now used by fishermen and as a means of transport. Much further up-river is the River Gambia National Park, which includes a chimpanzee-reintroduction project on an island in the middle of the river. The chimp centre is likely to be too far away for us to visit during this trip.

Abuko Nature Reserve - this is a small topical forest near Banjul. It is home over 290 bird species, including Pied Kingfishers, African paradise flycatcher, many Warbler species, herons, egrets and many more. Monkey species include Vervet monkey, Red Colobus monkey, red Patas and Bush Babies. The other mammals include Ground Squirrel, Savannah Antelopes and Brush Tailed Porcupine.

Did you know?

Did you know that Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa? Its area is just 10,689 square kilometres (4,127 square miles) with a population of 1,882,450 (according to the 15 April 2013 census).

Did you know the capital city of The Gambia is Banjul? It may be the capital, but it is not the biggest city, as Serekunda and Brikama are larger.

Did you know that the official language of The Gambia is English? That may be true, but there are plenty of other languages spoken there too, including Mandinka, Fula, Wolof, Serer and Jola.

Do you know the date the country gained independence from the UK? It was 18 February 1965.

Do you know the name of the current President of The Gambia? Its President Yahya Jammeh.

Do you know the currency used in The Gambia? It's the dalasi. One of the first things we will do when we arrive in The Gambia is to exchange our British pounds for Gambian delasi. £1 sterling buys around 60 dalasi (according to January 2014 exchange rate).

Do you know what the weather will be like when we go to The Gambia? The country enjoys virtually uninterrupted sunshine and high daytime temperatures with almost no rainfall from November to June. From July to October the humidity level is high as the tropical sun will be punctuated by short but spectacular rain storms. In other words, pack your shorts!

Do you know how The Gambia makes it's money? The economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and tourism, with peanuts being the biggest crop. About a third of the population lives below the international poverty line (US$1.25 per day).

Do you know what the predominant religion of The Gambia is? Its Islam, which is practised by approximately 90% of the country's population. The majority of Muslims in the Gambia adhere to Sunni laws and traditions.

History & Politics in The Gambia

If we are going to travel to The Gambia, let's find out more about the country. This posting aims to do just that!

The Gambia is situated in West Africa, with an Atlantic sea coast to the west and otherwise is entirely surrounded by Senegal. It is one of Africa's smallest countries and unlike many of its West African neighbours it has enjoyed long spells of stability since gaining independence in 1965.

 

Before getting independence, Gambia was ruled by a number of other powers. Back in the 5th - 11th centuries, it was the Empire of Ghana; from the 13th - 15th centuries the Empire of Mali controlled Gambia; and then in the mid-1400s the Europeans took control. First it was the Portuguese that landed, controlling trade along the west coast of Africa. Baltic Germans came during the 1650s, before being displaced by the British, who were themselves under constant threat from French ships, pirates and African kings.

The British controlled the Gambia River, and as such controlled the movement of ships for many years. Bathurst, as they named what is now called Banjul was a focus for the salve trade in those days. Their influence extended further upstream until the 1820s, when the territory was declared a British protectorate ruled from Sierra Leone. In 1888 Gambia became a crown colony, by which time the surrounding territory of Senegal had fallen into French custody.

Gambia became self-governing in 1963, although it was not until 1965 that true independence was achieved and Gambia officially became "The Gambia”. David Jawara, leader of the People’s Progressive Party, then became Prime Minister Dawda Jawara.

Today, the country is governed by President Yahya Jammeh, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1994 and has ruled ever since. While President Jammeh's governance has led to political stability, that does not mean there is prosperity. Despite the presence of the River Gambia, which runs through the middle of the country, only one-sixth of the land is arable and poor soil quality has led to the predominance of just one crop - peanuts. This has made The Gambia heavily dependent on peanut exports - and is a hostage to fluctuations in the production and world prices of the crop.

Tourism is an important source of income, as is the money sent home by Gambians living abroad. Most visitors are drawn to the resorts that occupy a stretch of the Atlantic coast, including the Kombo Beach Hotel resort, where we will be staying.

The country has a population of 1,925,527 (according to most recent data). According to the last census (in 2003), the ethnic make-up of the country is 99% African, consisting of 42% Mandinka, 18% Fula, 16% Wolof, 10% Jola, 9th Serahuli and 4% other. English is the official language of the country, but the other widely spoken languages are Mandinka, Wolof and Fula. We'll explore some useful phrases in Mandinka and Wolof in a future blog posting. As for religion, the country is 90% Muslim and 8% Christian.

That’s just a bit of background to The Gambia. Look out for more interesting facts about the country in the coming weeks and months.

Fundraising Boosted By Easter Bake-off

The College's fundraising campaign for Team Gambia 2014 has received a boost today, all thanks to staff eating cake!

Term has ended for students and the last two days of term for staff are set aside for interviewing prospective students for next year, staff training and an Easter Bake-off. Staff were challenged to get baking and produce cakes with an Easter theme to be judged by a panel of experts.

Those experts - the Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood of this story - were five of the students going on the Gambia trip this year. A big thank you goes to Maggie Brina, Lauren Davis, Rea Huggins, Mia King and Hope Rowe-Hartman for coming into the College especially. They had a difficult task, because they had to taste all the cakes! A tough job indeed, but somebody had to do it! Here are some photos of some of the cakes they were testing.

The students selected an Easter Bunny cake (see below) as the winner, judging on a mixture of the way it was decorated, but also how it tasted!

These cakes were all sold off to staff during a break from interviewing for £1 per slice, along with tea and coffee. Staff also bought raffle tickets for a chance to win a host of goodies including bottles of wine, Easter eggs, books, DVDs and toiletries.

Thanks to the great generosity of staff, we have raised £271.04 for the Jemus Jumgkung Jammeh Memorial School in The Gambia. This will boost the College's contribution to this wonderful project run by Hamstead Hall School and we have lots more planned too.

Fundraising Gets Off To A Great Start!

Students Alex Atkins and Lucy Buckle have got their fundraising campaign off to a brilliant start, thanks to a Bake Sale last Friday. Both girls got baking and made enormous quantities of cakes and cupcakes, which they sold to staff and students in the Refectory at a cost of 50p each. I sampled them myself, so I can voucher for how yummy they were!

Each student has a target to raise £400 each and Alex and Lucy have made a great start towards that target, raising just under £145 from this one bake sale alone. Brilliant effort, girls!

The pair have plans to hold another Bake Sale later in the year and are also planning to hold an evening fundraiser at College. This event will be based on the TV show "Take Me Out", a dating show presented by Paddy McGuiness. The girls are still in the planning phase at the moment, but it promises to be a lot of fun.

Other student fundraising ideas so far include sponsored cycle rides, talent shows and even a sponsored sky dive... watch this space!

Kombo Beach Hotel

Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be providing more information not just about the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial School and our fundraising, but also about the country of Gambia. We thought we'd start with some information about where we are going to be staying in The Gambia.

Our hotel is called Kombo Beach Hotel and is on the Atlantic coast, a short drive from the capital of Banjul. By Gambian standards he is a luxurious resort and staff and students will certainly find it a culture shock to go from this comfortable hotel to the poverty in and around the school.

Students will be sharing twin rooms at the hotel with air conditioning and a balcony or terrace. The hotel is right on the beach (as the name would suggest) and there is a pool too, so after a day's work at the school, there will be time for students to chill out and relax.

There are restaurants at the hotel, but there are also restaurants close by, so there is no shortage of places to eat in the evening and we will almost certainly visit a few different places over the course of our week in The Gambia. There will be western food, but perhaps some students might be brave enough to try some traditional Gambian dishes too?

Look out for more information about this trip and about the country of The Gambia in the coming weeks.

Easter Bake-off

Mary Berry, eat your heart out! Staff are doing their bit for the fundraising effort for Gambia by... eating cake!

It's a hard life, but on Thursday 10 April, staff are going to be sampling some Easter delights. Staff are being invited to don their aprons to bake for a fundraising Easter Bake-off & Raffle, all in aid of a school in The Gambia. Staff will be in competition to bake the best and most creative cakes with an Easter theme that they can.

We are hoping that some of the students going on this trip to The Gambia will take on the roles of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood to judge which bake is best and all the cakes will be sold off to staff to raise money for the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery School in Abuko. Remember, we are raising money to buy resources for this very impoverished school, to build an additional two classrooms and to help pay the wages of the teachers.

This Easter Bake-off and Raffle will take place on 10 April, which is a staff development day (so no lessons). We'll let you know how this event goes and post some photos of yummy cakes on here too. Hopefully it will raise lots of money to get our fundraising effort off to a great start.

Staff are also organising a Quiz Night in June and students have lots of exciting ideas for fundraising over the coming months too. We'll keep you updated with that news over the coming weeks and months.

Meet the Team

So, who is going to Gambia in November 2014?

Four staff are part of Team Gambia 2014. They are:

Janice Hamilton - Vice Principal, The Sixth Form College Solihull
Mike Padbury - Assistant Principal, The Sixth Form College Solihull
Bev Bishop - Marketing Co-ordinator, The Sixth Form College Solihull
Peter Evans - Hamstead Hall School

All four staff have extensive travelling experience. Peter Evans (pictured below) set this project up and is largely responsible for building the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial School in the first place. He has been back and forth to the school countless times, so not only does he know the school and the people out there, but he knows the Gambian culture too. His experience is invaluable when it comes to negotiating the best price when we are exchanging money for the local currency, and when negotiating a deal for transport.

Janice and Mike were part of Team Gambia 2013, so they have experience of this trip. Bev does not, but is an experienced traveller, including in third world countries, and is a qualified first aider.

What about the students? There are 24 students going on this trip and they are:

Alexandra Atkins
Christopher Bate
Emma Boden
Georgia Bodfish
Maggie Brina
Lucy Buckle
Divyani Chauhan
Neha Chauhan
Noah Coughlin
Lauren Davis
Samantha Evans
Amy Garner
Rory Hayes
Maddie Hill
Olivia Howse
Rea Huggins
Mia King
Samantha Lee
Harry Lewis
Hannah Patmore
Hope Rowe-Hartman
Alex Simpkins
Olissha Tagon
Nicholas Wall

Together we are Team Gambia 2014 and we can't wait for our trip to The Gambia!

Memories of the 2013 Gambia Trip

December 2013 was the first time that students from The Sixth Form College, Solihull journeyed to the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery School in The Gambia. We joined staff and students from Hamstead Hall Academy for this first trip.

Peter Evans at Hamstead Hall School started the project about seven years ago and he's been taking students from his school out to The Gambia for years. It was great to do the trip with his experience on this inaugural visit. Now we know more about the school and the country, we feel confident enough to go independently and support the excellent work that Hamstead Hall School are doing on this project.

As we look ahead to the 2014 trip in November, it's worth looking back at this first trip in December 2013. Ten students from the College made the trip and it was a life-enhacning experience. They volunteered at the school, spending every morning there for a week, teaching the children, playing games with them and helping to repaint and decorate the classrooms. Many of the activities that the students undertook with the children were very active and visual, such as singing, colouring, word and picture matching and outdoor games such as football.

Check out some of the photos of the great work they did!

The students who went on the trip loved it - here's what some of them said about it:

Student Alec Edwards: “Teaching the children was the most incredible experience; despite the background of poverty, it was inspiring to see the ability, optimism, cheeriness and eagerness to learn they show. I’ve developed an understanding of how a developing culture operates and has different standards, as well as a greater appreciation of the advantages I receive from my own culture.”

Student Katie Mitchell: “The most memorable aspect of the trip was visiting the school. The children’s smiles brighten your day; I will never forget it. It has made me appreciate the little things in life more. And to know I’ve affected lives in an uplifting way.”

Here are some more photos of the trip.

Look out for more news about this exciting project with further posts coming soon!

You can see even more photos of this trip on our Facebook page - Album 1 & Album 2.