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Tracey Williams (Associate Vicar, All Souls South Ascot & St.Michael's Sunninghill Parish, writes of the Gambia Project): Today I was given a box of Bunsen burners, magnets, assorted scientific glassware, litmus paper and spatulas and it felt like Christmas all over again! It might seem that I have a strange taste in presents, but my delight came from knowing that this was the first (we hope) of many donations of science equipment for the Revd J C Faye School in The Gambia. This equipment will be shipped out to the school in Banjul later this month along with four laptops, a printer and scanner, which have also been donated.


The parish work of supporting the Revd J C Faye School has gone from strength to strength since our first visit to The Gambia in February 2014. Since then we have deepened our friendship with St Mary’s Cathedral and Christ Church, Serrekunda, and also with the primary and secondary schools in Banjul. We were delighted when Dr Ralphina de Almeida (pictured right; one of the Trustees of the School) visited Sunninghill and South Ascot Parish in October 2015; we were inspired by Dr Ralphina’s words and pleased to receive her thanks from staff and students alike.
We have tried to offer practical help to the schools and churches, and in the past year we have shipped three crates of goods to Banjul: one (very large crate) for the school containing computer equipment and stationery; the other two crates for the Church in Serrekunda with hymn books, bibles, two laptops, two printers and a scanner. Our hope is that, with the help of donations from local Secondary Schools, we will now be able to equip a science laboratory in the school and so support the range of subjects taught to the students.
Local schools are showing an interest in offering help and support – the project has also spread further afield, with students from the East Kent College in Dover getting involved with fundraising projects for the school.
It is an exciting time to be involved in The Gambia project, and with so much scope to make a difference it is timely that a team of 12 from the parish will be spending a week in Banjul from 15th to the 22nd February 2016. During the week, we will be helping in the school (some of us working with the teachers to lead lessons while the two teachers in our team run teacher training sessions in the primary school); we will also be able to see how the new science teaching laboratory is taking shape and will spend time in the Cathedral and churches. We hope there will be other opportunities to get involved in local projects (for example a micro-finance project that helps Gambian women start a small business). While in Banjul we intend to buy a fridge/freezer for the school (for the new laboratory) and also a photocopier, which is required by the school office. Two members of the team are doctors and they will be giving lectures in the local medical school and
offering support in other ways. It won’t be all work (we hope) and as we’ll be in Banjul for the Independence Day celebrations (a public
holiday in The Gambia) we may also be able to see a little of the country on our rest day.

We are very grateful to everyone who has supported The Gambia project work in the parish in many different ways. If you would like to get involved and make a difference, we would welcome donations of pencils, pens and stationery items that can be taken out for the school students and teachers: Also needed are summer clothes for ladies and children,  football kit for children up to the age of 18. The plan is to take  as much as possible in our hold luggage. You can bring your donations to the All Souls’ Café any week-day morning before Sunday 14th February or to our Churches on a Sunday. Thank you and God bless.