The delegation, which comprises 28 students and 3 teachers, are visiting schools to see firsthand some of the ongoing developments taking shape at the schools.
On Wednesday, 20th November, 2024, the visiting friends paid a visit to Abuko Lower Basic, where they were treated to a tumultuous welcome amid display of cultural dance, while ECD students demonstrated their reading skills.
The link between the Abuko Sanchaba ECD and their friends in Birmingham dates back to 2005, when the work on the first three classroom block started courtesy of Hamsted Hall in Birmingham, UK.
In 2008/9 to be precise, when Peter Evans, vice principal of Hamsted Hall at the time was about to retire, he linked the school with Solihull Six Form College to continue the project which includes construction of additional blocks for the community of Abuko Sanchaba.
Since then, the Abuko Sanchaba ECD has undergone rapid growth with the construction of five additional blocks and a current student population numbering over 300.
Welcoming the visiting delegation at the school, Fatou Bah, headmistress of the Abuko Sanchaba Lower Basic and ECD, while expressing gratitude to the visiting delegation, acknowledged their generosity and compassion, which she said, has touched the lives of countless people.
"We are eternally grateful for your support. Your contributions have enabled us to build a nursery school that caters for Early Childhood Education. Build a library that contributes to teaching and learning. Enhance teaching and learning by providing us with desktops, laptops, printers and photocopiers."
She informed that their support to the school has also enabled them to sustain the school feeding programme by contributing towards the feeding of school children.
"We are humbled by your dedication to improving the lives of others and we are inspired by your example. Your partnership with us is not merely a financial transaction, it is collaborative effort to build a brighter future."
Gibi Bah, chairman of the School Management Committee, thanked the visiting delegation from the UK for their foresight and support in strengthening education at the school.
He said the school is now a shining example in the area, thanks to the constant support of their British friends.
He also spoke about the remarkable achievement registered by the school in the recent past, further appreciating the invaluable contribution of their friends in bettering the lives of students at the institution.
Janice Hamilton, vice principal Solihull Six Form College, who led the delegation, acknowledged the warm welcome accorded her and delegation, which she said, always make them feel at home.
She expressed delight to be at the school again as she looks forward to working with children this week and explore more about the country.
The visit, she said, would also enable them re-establish and strengthen the already existing friendship especially between the teaching staff at the school and the college.
Giving a background details of how the link started, Abdourahman Bah alias Abulay, who is the coordinator of the link, recalled that he once worked at Palm Rima Hotel as a receptionist, where he met a friend from Hamsted Hall in Birmingham, United Kingdom, who came with some resources and wanted to donate to a Nursery School in The Gambia.
"It was then I decided to take him to my community in Latrikunda Sabiji. The condition of that nursery school touched this friend, who saw the need to do something to improve the condition of the said school by building a proper structure."
This, he said, was when the idea to build a proper structure for a standard nursery school came about, adding that the visiting friend then relayed this information to their friends in the UK.
Acting on the information, he said, Hamsted Hall in Birmingham, United Kingdom then sent Peter Evans, the vice principal of Hamsted Hall at the time to the Gambia. He said, he met him and discussed how to go about the project provided they get a land.
Fast-forward, he noted that acquiring a land in Latrikunda Sabiji became a whole difficult challenge and after years of negotiation, the project couldn’t move due to unavailability of land after several false promises.
Bah explained that it was there and then, he approached Fabakary T. Jatta, who was a Majority Leader of the Assembly in then APRC-led government.
"Fabakary T. Jatta welcomed the initiative and promised to do his best to get a land even not within the Kombos, but somewhere else in the country."
This, he said, was how he was later referred to the National Assembly Committee on Education in the then APRC-led government, saying after negotiation, a meeting was convened to formalise the project at the Ministry of Basic and Education.
"It was there we were finally given part of the land at Abuko Lower Basic School to build the ECD. In 2005, we started the project with three classroom blocks. Students in Birmingham would raise funds towards the building the structure with the help of the Abuko community."
Since then, he revealed that students from Birmingham would raise funds at their school, which was sent towards the project.
"In 2007, they sent in a container loaded with school furniture and some building materials for construction as well as sporting materials."
It was in 2008/9 to be precise, when Peter Evans was about to retire, he linked the school with Solihull Six Form College, where Janice Hamilton is the Vice Principal, to continue with the initiative.
"Through that, he said works began with the construction of 5 additional blocks and completion of the roof tops, thanks to Solihull Six Form College."
Bah maintained that later on the school was handed over the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, who are now overseeing and paying the teachers.
To this end, he commended the donors for their invaluable contribution towards the development of the school, further hinting their future projects include fencing the garden project, among a host of others.
