By Alan Dick
Just in time for Christmas, a consignment of boxes arrved in the Gambia marked for the attention of Kira Dalton. They contained a whole load of 'goodies' which were the result of generous donations of clothes, books and so on from various people and organisations.  Photo One:
Birmingham City Football Club kindly donated football strips, tracksuits and training gear.
Expect a Banjul branch of the Birmingham City Supporters Club to open soon!
 Photos Two and Three (right and below): Children of Bothwell Primary School near Glasgow, and Berkswell Primary School near Coventry rallied round last year to support young Gambian children less fortunate than themselves, by donating t-shirts and football strips.
All were greatly appreciated as you can see right and below.
 Photo Four (below): Last year, Eleanor Elcock, a student from Lichfield and former part-time worker at Woolworths, managed to persuade her local store, prior to its final closure, to donate childrens clothes and gym shoes to the African Oyster Trust.
The photo shows just some of the many happy recipients.
By Kira Dalton
A brief update following a very productive three days up in Jappineh.
Firstly, the clinic building and environment looks terrific. All the painting is done. The Cuban doctor's house is now fully refurbished (where Ansumana and his family are living) as are the other staff quarters. There is even working running water in all three buildings and solar light! The compound is clean and they have planted cassava, bananas, eggplants, peppers etc. Fanding now plans to add flower beds near the main entrance.
Inside, every bed was occupied. Three cases of complicated malaria admitted on drips, one woman with pneumonia, a young boy admitted with convulsions and a dog bite victim. Ansumana has, so far, delivered around 20 babies there and been complimented on the high birth weights which reflect well on the good ante natal care he is giving.
Second morning we visited the newly completed two rooms at nursery - which look great. We presented posters for the walls to them and Lower Basic School and then gave out presents to each of the 75 nursery kids. Mostly the shoes and t shirts which came in the last Goodies for Gambia consignment.
Afternoon, we held a village meeting (attended by over 100 including Alkalos and Elders, talking about the need for them to help with funding next year. I have suggested that if they collect 5 dalasis each (around 10p) from every one
of the 20,000 local population, that will help tremendously with costs. Most agreed!
Other projects doing very well. Yesterday took Fatou from Jappineh, Abdulie and Fatou from Kunta Kinteh and Natoma from Talinding to visit Gunjur nursery. A sort of mini teachers conference. Went down very well so will arrange for
other teachers to visit each other in the New Year when school resumes after Brikama.
 Kira Dalton recently had the honour and privelege of being invited to an audience with President Jammeh during his 'Meet the People Tour of the Nation'.
This was in no doubt due to the excellent effort that Kira has provided in relation to the opening of the Jappineh Clinic.
Kira took the opportunity to explain to his Excellency all the features of the clinic, but also stressed that we still badly needed the help of an additional midwife, as well as the government's support in the anti-malaria campaign.
His Excellency took Kira's counsel on board and within a matter of a few days the additional resources duly arrived - well done Kira, and of course His Excellency.
By James Holden, African Oyster Trust Founder
Written 18th January 2009
Today has been amazing once again as we visited the village of Jappineh where Kira is helping to build a new hospital in memory of her husband Sir Howard who died just short of his 64th birthday last year. He was a remarkably gifted scientist and the wife of one of his protégé’s is funding the hospital as a kind of ‘in memorium’ for all that Howard did for her family.
There’d been a death at the village last night – the Chief’s daughter I think, so our reception was more muted than usual. We began my meeting with a group of elders who welcomed us and then took us on a tour of the projects we are supporting. First the nursery school, where all was well. We delivered a suitcase of toys and assorted teaching aids and admired a new roof that had just been completed to create a new classroom. Astonishing how they had used mangrove sticks as the support structure for the ‘wriggly tin’ roof covering.
And then we moved on to the new clinic.
A Dutch foundation has paid for the hospital building itself, but we were here to lay the foundation stone of the retaining wall that is so vital to any building in the Gambia. The wall defines ownership and defies general entrance to people or wandering livestock. No home or building is truly secure in Gambia unless a wall makes it a compound.
Kira laid the first stone amids prayers of thanksgiving led by the Imam and his assistant. I laid the second and then made a short speech. I congratulated the people on making all the building blocks for the wall themselves. There were literally hundreds of blocks lying in the dusty yard and a deep perimeter foundation had been dug in readiness. I was more than impressed, a feeling that grew as we inspected the hospital itself which was really well built and had the first double glazed windows units I’ve ever seen in The Gambia!
Note: this is the last of three installments from James' recent trip diary. To read the previous parts, please scroll down.
By James Holden, African Oyster Trust Founder
Written 16th January 2009
The opening of the new clinic at Gunjur was a heartwarming occasion in every possible respect. I saw for the first time a new nursery school developed by two amazing women – Kira Dalton and Ali Calvert – and inspired by the astonishing bravery of a young Gambia girl called Mariama Mae. Mariama is severely disabled, and very unusually for the Gambia she has been able to attend school just like the rest of the children. Sadly many Gambians still regard disability as a kind of judgement for generational sin so they are just left to lie around the compounds, their lives lived in unknowing darkness. Not Mariama – thanks to the efforts of Kira and Ali I saw her sitting in the classroom learning to read, write and work with numbers just like the others.
And then there was the clinic itself, an initiative sparked by the generosity of employees of Greggs of the Midlands. Their managing director Alan Dick retired recently after many years at the helm, and instead of a gold watch he asked for any donations to go towards establishing and stocking the new clinic. The response was amazing, and I was able not only to see two well appointed rooms including a sick bay, by also helped to stock a medicine cabinet brimful with the medicines I referred to earlier.
It being Gambia, there was of course a formal opening ceremony too. Local dignitaries including the Alkalo and the chief were there, resplendent in their bright flowing robes. Your correspondent looked colourful too, having invested a tenner in a Gambian suit. I thought it looked really fine, and certainly all the dinner ladies seemed to approve!
I’d feared long and tedious speeches, but there weren’t any at all. They were short and pertinent. They thanked Kira and Ali for all they’d done, said what a huge difference it would make to the well-being of the children, and asked me to sketch out what the Greggs of the Midlands logo looked like so they could make a sign to hang above the entrance. Kira cut a pink ribbon and that was it. The first first-aid at Gunjur Lower Basic School since the British built the place in 1950. It felt good.
This is the second of three updates from James' recent trip to The Gambia (third part to follow soon, click here or scroll down to read the first part).
By Alan Dick, Volunteer and Fundraiser
"Hmmm...... the Gambia......yes, somewhere in West Africa," I thought to myself when, back in 2007, I first had discussions with James Holden about the African Oyster Trust to which I wanted to contribute in some way. So first task was to find out exactly where it is as I had agreed to go out with James in order to familiarise myself with the country, its issues and of course the work of the AOT.
Geographically, I was surprised by its smallness, shape and the fact that it is surrounded on three sides by Senegal - but this was nothing compared to the experiences that were to unfold during a week in 2008.
And so it was that in early March I became a member of a party of four that set out to the Gambia - in the shape of Kira Dalton, our unofficial chaperone and, in my view, a true 'Mother Theresa' figure of the Gambia; James and his son Alex, who wanted to experience an African culture, before embarking upon a rugby coaching spell in South Africa, later in the year.
After a brief period of acclimatisation, our first port of call was the Kunta Kinteh nursery school in Serekunda - a remarkable achievement in such a relatively short period of time by Kira, the AOT and the indigenous few.What a welcome we received - the smiling faces, the classroom singing , the joyous delight at receiving 'minties' (sweeties - a real luxury) and the eagerness to have their pictures taken in order for them to see themselves on the camera screen (one of the many things we take for granted, yet never experienced by the majority of gambians).
 However , the real highlight for me was the trip to Gunjur in the Southern part of gambia to see the nursery school that was being created from derelict buildings on the site of the present primary school.The project had been conceived and started by a lady called Ali Calvert and I was only too happy to assist with the funding of this project in order to help bring it to fruition - hot off the press, the 'clerk of works' (the redoubtable Kira) has reported excellent progress.In the fullness of time, the AOT would also like to provide first aid facilities at this school, and hopefully this will be funded by the recent generosity of the Greggs of the Midlands employees.
My week in the Gambia also afforded me the time to experience other aspects of the country, most notable of which was our trip up river to Juffureh ( the village brought to fame by Alex Haley's novel Roots) - this visit left me with mixed emotions as the abject poverty of the villagers was only too apparent and you left with the feeling that any financial benefit from the marketing of this attraction did not actually find its way into the pockets of those that most needed it.Given the plethora of bird-watching opportunities that exist in the Gambia, James did also try to turn me into an ornithologist - he failed to do so, but at least I can now tell the difference between a violet turaco and a purple glossy starling !!
Overall it unquestionably was the individual cameos and fleeting images that created the most impactful and lasting impressions - a game of draughts with Mr. Faye and his friends ; a game of cards with the local yougsters ( they now know how to play snap !!) ; Kira kitting out a toddler with some 'new' clothes; Omar's great pride in the rebuilding of his 'home', the original having been destroyed by termites(!) ; having green tea with omar's family- they have virtually nothing but what they do have, they are prepared to share - a truly humbling experience.
Would I go back ? Probably at some stage in the future, primarily to see the progress being made by the AOT, but equally importantly, as a sense check, just to remind me that, despite the present woes and tribulations of the credit crunch, high fuel inflation etc., just how lucky we really all are in the Western world.
By James Holden
We were delighted to see a wonderful article about Kunta Kinteh Nursery School which appeared in Nursery Education Plus magazine this month (May).
The double page article by Lady Kira Dalton tells the entire story of the nursery, and everything that goes into making it such a success story. It’s a story we are proud to be part of, so please do enjoy the full article at:
http://magazines.scholastic.co.uk/content/2451
By Laura Holden, Trustee
Written March 2007
It is a week since we returned from our most recent visit to The Gambia, and I now feel able to put into words what I saw, heard and felt at Kunta Kinteh Nursery School.
When we visited Kunta Kinteh a year ago, it was to see the compound walls and foundations. And now? Well, can so much have happened in just a year?! It has of course, made possible by so many things: the materials we have been able to make available; the guidance and buying / bartering skills of the dynamic Kira Dalton; the funding from family, friends and business colleagues in the UK; and the amazing effort and dedication of the local community, led so well by our friend Fanding.
 It was ‘Nation’s Day’ (former Commonwealth Day) when we visited, so the children were in their best clothes – some traditional, some Westernised, but all looking their best. Some of the little girls had colourful foil wrapped sweets and shells braided into their hair. All the children brought their own lunch for this special day.
We arrived to a “Welcome Welcome” song, followed by a stream of colourfully dressed children with ear-to-ear smiles and hands outstretched in greeting. Playtime followed, with a small ball pool, a slide, a sandpit, and new swings, completed just the night before by a local carpenter. Tennis balls were handed out to the children, and music played to complete the celebratory atmosphere.
Fanding and the teachers proudly showed us the classrooms (their walls adorned by wonderful alphabet pictures), the work books of the children, then the store room, the four toilets and the kitchen.
The teacher and trainee teachers are working well together, and the 60+ children looked well nourished and healthy. The daily meal is very much appreciated by children and staff alike, and we were also given the chance to sample Caddy’s cooking as she prepared chicken, onion and chips, all on a wood fire! A new bore hole has made a real difference in terms of the time and energy spent collecting water from the ‘local’ well a mile away - 17 visits a day had been normal for the cooking, drinking, washing and toilets. The addition of new gutters and a water butt mean that now no water is wasted at all.
The new community clinic will not take long to complete, requiring as it does some tiling in the surgery, a new roof, paint for the wall and ceiling, a bench for the waiting area, an examination couch and of course the medicines. The clinic will mean that a qualified nurse / midwife will be available to the community every evening.
And as we sat enjoying translated conversations with some of the mothers who were waiting for their children, we were reminded that the school is about even more than nursery education and healthcare. Adult education is also an important feature of the work here, with the women we spoke to so keen to learn numeracy and literacy skills that they would like to attend five evening a week if they could (and that after a very full day caring for husband and family).
By Marc Sanderson, Volunteer
As we sit here putting the finishing touches to our new website (which we hope you find interesting and useful by the way), I am transported back to my first visit to The Gambia in September 2007.
Simply looking through my photographs, many of which are littered around this site, reminds me of a trip which literally altered my world in a single week. And the thing is, it's not easy to explain why it was so life-changing. Why it was so unexpected. Why, in fact, I have struggled to put that trip into words ever since I returned.
I think what surprised me most about the trip was the sheer joy, the hope and exuberance I found in a country which I knew to be suffering from the most appalling problems and privations.
Of course we saw and heard the most heart-breaking things as we visited the schools, walked round the communities and met the children and their families. Everything I'd read and heard had at least prepared me a little for that. After all, this is one of the world's poorest countries we are talking about here, a country where people are suffering from poverty, hunger and disease every single day.
But what caught me completely off guard was the amount of smiling I saw - every single day. And the laughing. And the children playing football in the street - just like at home. And the sheer positivity of nearly everyone I met.
This was not a place full of people waiting for good things to happen - this was a place full of people doing their very best to make those good things happen.
People who needed a new nursery for the children weren't sitting around waiting for Government funding - they were out building that nursery. People who needed somewhere to live were busy building a house. Any help the AOT was able to give was just that - help. With just a little funding for materials, or perhaps to cover a few essential running costs, I was watching Gambian people working, creating and striving to make life better for themselves, their families and their friends.
I think that's why I've struggled so much to explain myself since I've been back home. I simply can't do justice to the sheer inspiration these people gave to me in just a single week.
I guess what I can say is that they continue to inspire me every single day - to approach everything with a much clearer perspective on what really matters, to approach the world with a much more positive 'can-do' (ugh word!) attitude, and to do what I can to find the few little things they need if they are to continue helping themselves towards a better life.
I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.
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