2.8m School Opens At Mariama Kunda

Irish donors through the Catholic Mission of The Gambia have sponsored a school situated at Mariama Kunda, which is now being partially completed and in full use by the residents of the area.

Rev. Fr. Sean, the Parish Priest of the St. Kizito's Parish at Bakoteh and the Focal Person of the project, said the school would be completed at a tune of 3.8m and another 1.7m would be pumped in to help with the running of the school.

"The whole thing will cost us 5.2m Dalasi to complete," he said, adding that the project had kicked-off in 2004.

"Some friends came from Ireland and I took them to Mariama Kunda. They saw the Church and we started to develop the compound spending about 24, 000 Euro on the staff quarters, kitchen and the school. The school was funded by a village in Ireland, called Kiltealy Village and opened by the Bishop of Ireland," he said.

He said they had secured funding to put a borehole in the compound and can now pump water for the compound. It was from that point, Fr. Sean said, the donors decided to build a school for the community.

According to him, the diocese then gave permission with the education department for works to kick-off.

"The school is a Catholic Mission school and it has started with Grade 1. The community built the school and no one was contracted for any job but the community to show ownership. The development is part of the Catholic Mission's contribution to education in The Gambia. Good education will be offered. It belongs to the village, let them care of it," he concluded.