Hilary Emery Nursery School - Background - The African Oyster Trust Charity | Nursery Education and Healthcare in Gambia

Hilary Emery Nursery School, Talinding - Background

A personal message from Kira Dalton, April 2010

I first visited this nursery school in Talinding (then known as the JTT Nursery) at the request of Aris Harrison-Price and Nigel Powell who had been supporting the school for a number of years, from 2005 onwards. You can see details of their wonderful efforts on the Pageant Charity web site.

Unfortunately, Aris had stopped getting any reports from the school and, being unable to travel herself for health reasons, asked that we have a look to see whether or not the school or any of the equipment was even still there.

We found 134 children, aged from 3 to 7 years, crammed into a single tiny room. Janko, the head teacher, and his assistant Natoma were doing their level best to try to control and teach all these toddlers despite deafening noise, stifling heat and hardly enough room to move within one cramped little classroom.

The various equipment Aris had provided, including some extra desks, were still there, but in storage next door as there was literally not room to put them inside without pushing the children outdoors! The play area was also tiny and woefully inadequate. There was no room within the compound for any expansion. We quickly concluded, and communicated to Aris, that the only way forward for the benefit of these children was to close this school and relocate everybody to more conducive surroundings nearby.

After several weeks searching in the immediate vicinity, we found a wonderful large compound owned by the Gibba family. We took Mr. Gibba to visit our Kunta Kinteh nursery and he was readily persuaded to agree to lease us half of his land to build similar facilities for a new nursery school for Talinding.

Within days of signing a 10 year lease, Fanding and Modou (the master builder who constructed Kunta Kinteh School, Jappineh Nursery etc) had marshalled a local willing building team. In just four days they had cleared the land, relocated the old "shower" area and were well on the way to completing the making of 3,000 blocks ready to start the walls of a three classroom school block. I have no doubt that by the time I return in two weeks, the walls will be at roof height!

Our plan is to complete building work prior to the rainy season and have the new school furnished, painted and fully equipped by the start of the new term in September.

Please support this school , and others like it.
Now the Hilary Emery Nursery School is open, our focus is on the fundraising and sponsorship required to equip, run and maintain it.
See here how Just a few pounds can make a huge difference, and help give these toddlers the start in life that they deserve.

Please visit Support Us and give whatever you can spare.

For more photos from Hilary Emergy Nursery School click here.

Aris, who I finally met last week, is delighted that their efforts were not in vain, and she and Nigel have very generously agreed to sponsor both Janko and Natoma to attend Brikama College to work toward their Early Childhood Development Diplomas during the summer holiday recess.

The new school has been named in memory of Hilary Emery who tragically died last year and whose family and friends kindly made a significant donation to the African Oyster Trust towards the cost of the building works.

UPDATE: The Hilary Emery Nursery School (HENS) is now open. Click here for the latest news.