Updated
February
3rd, 2004
Bakoteh
School
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GTS does not give money away, it provides the materials so communities can help themselves by using their own labour to improve their local community.
This little school is now owned and run by the community under GTS supervision
Contact GTS
Gambia
Tourist Support
GTS
Bakoteh
Oct -Jan 2004 - PICTURE News
GTS has busied itself raising the funds for nearly 12 months and getting
the materials so the local community can reopen this vital little nursery
school
The
GTS Bakoteh School on its official opening day
The
school is now being run by the community but being funded by GTS sponsorship,
the cost is ONLY £40 a week for all the funding of this 80 place
school
If you feel you can support this school please contact GTS
Your
help is crucial to projects like this one.
GTS aims at self funding, and the GTS Bar and restaurant & member
trips round Gambia all help - but in the early days we need sponsorship
support to help with school projects like this one.
In
late October the blockwork and repairs to the walls was almost complete
The roof trusses being made,
The community provided all the labour and GTS and its active members provided the financial resources to obtain the materials
This is the 8th year GTS has operated in the Gambia.
We now employ 42 staff at various projects in Gambia, the costs are raised via our annual membership fee of £12.50,
Also from donations from private individuals or from groups like the people of Dumbarton, who have raised all the money for the school in SereKunda that provides FREE education for 90 children.
GTS takes members out and about in the Gambia and raises funds that way and the GTS Bar and Restaurant contributes to GTS funds.
Where possible we like to make projects self funding but with education it is difficult to raise the necessary money without asking for it.
Individually the costs are small - each child costs 50p a week, just £25 for a full year.
This covers teachers wages, teaching resources, a cleaner and a watchman as well as the costs of repairs and government liscence fees - All the school costs
But for 80 children this poises GTS with a bill of £40 a week, £2000 a year.
And this is just a small school.
As GTS grows it hopes the restaurant and accommodation options as well as other fund raising services will fully support such finance hungry projects, in the mean time your support in offering sponsorship is the immediate way forward.
If you work in a school or your children attend a school, maybe there is an opportunity of fund raising there.
Members have raised funds with car boot sales - sponsored bike rides, local fundraising evenings but mainly I have to say individuals have sent in money often after visiting Gambia but sometimes just from reading the site and because they have wanted to help.
Many many thanks
Comments to GTS
After making all the roof trusses they were placed in position ready
for the corrugated roof
Kabs was delighted
with the new roof and the large uverhang to protect the walls in
the rainy season
There were times when we thought it would never be completed before I left at the end of January, but the community worked when ever possible to finish the walls put in the new doors to the building and the schools store room.
Much of the money was initially raised by the Dallimore family from Swansea, this got the project going, GTS provide half of all membership fees and towards the end of the project, Julie Limbrick supported the cost of the official opening and on behalf of friends made a donation to enable toilets to be built
Kabs on the opening day. Without his hard work this project would
have taken far longer and cost far more - Kabs was truly praised
for being a good citizen by helping the community and not himself
The inside and
outside needed rendering with smooth cement so the building could be
painted inside and out.
Finished inside and out and ready for the parents and the community to make inspection.
There were probably
500 people for the opening
Not only local people attended the mayor of SereKunda attended the national assembly members Halifa Sallie, the village Alicalo and Iman as well as a Christian representative and the heads of the other Bakoteh schools, where GTS has helped by providing European helpers and volunteers
The opening started at around 5 with speeches from all the interested parties, the village youth group staged a short drama emphasising the importance of education and finally around 7.30 the ribbon was cut after prayers were offered and the school was at last open.
5 Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see last years 2002/3 staff file
