The Gambia 2010

The Gambia 2010

Hi Scouts,

At the beginning of March 2010 Graham (Kaa from Cubs) and myself spent a week in Madina Salaam, a small village in the Western region of The Gambia.

During our stay we helped to maintain a fence around a football pitch for the local population, prepared the ground for 5 new vegetable patches in the school garden, continued to develop a map of The Gambia on the side of the school wall, designed some posters for the school classroom and worked in the nursery and health centre.

We also took a boat trip around the mangroves at Lammin Lodge on the the river Gambia, visited the town of Senegambia, joined in with the celebrations on Commonwealth day and went fishing in Kartong.

The staff at the lodge and the people of Madina Salaam made us feel very welcome and allowed us to share an insight into their daily lives.

The children were absolutely fantastic and always greeted us with a huge smile and a very polite, 'hello'!

Our trip was organised through a charity called WYCE (Wonder Years Centre of Excellence) which based in Wednesbury.

The aim of WYCE is to:

• To develop a system of schooling, where every child gets an equal opportunity to education
• To provide local employment opportunities
• To improve training opportunities for the local people
• To develop primary healthcare facilities for the less privileged communities
• To develop the skills of teenagers through skills centres
• To make The Gambia a wealthier and healthier place for everyone

If you would like to know more about the charity, please visit their website at www.wonderyearsce.co.uk

Needless to say Graham and I had a fantastic experience and we intend to go back again in the near future to continue the good work going on there.

I also hope to visit one of their Scout Groups next time round!

Please click on the image above to see more pictures taken during our stay.

Yours in Scouting,

Graham & Adam