Supporting Mariama Mae Nursery School - A Personal Message from Ali Calvert

I first went to Gunjur in The Gambia in 2000 when I worked voluntarily for six months in two local schools.  My aim was to learn about life in Africa, what it was like to go to school there, and to work children who found learning difficult and their teachers. After a while I began working with small groups of children with special needs, enabling the teachers to see these children in a different light, and encouraging them to try new ways of learning and grow in confidence.

It was a great experience and I made some lifelong friends with not only teachers, but also children and parents.

During my first trip to Gunjur I was introduced to Mariama Touray, aged 6, who had been isolated in her home because of her physical disability.  She was a bright, strong and determined child who, after we became friends, told me she wanted to be like the other children and go to school.  So, she unwittingly became a pioneer in her community by showing them that disability is nothing to be feared, or be ashamed of, and should not be an obstacle to education.

As a result of this Mariama went to school, and this has since encouraged other children with disabilities to attend school. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to encourage people not to be restricted by their disability. 

Since my first visit I have returned every year as a volunteer and realised that I had a dream to build a three classroom pre school.  It would only have 25 children per class instead of the usual 50 plus.  It would also have at least one place in each class for a disabled child.       

Building the school began in October 2007 and the school opened with 50 pupils and two classrooms in September 2008.

To go back to the main page on the Mariama Mae Nursery School, click here.

Supporting This Project

Mariama Mae - support
This school is happening because of people's generous help and donations (see Thanks, below), but fundraising continues.

Funds are vital to ensure the school can not only get its third classroom but also continue to run.  Work still required includes building a third classroom, rebuilding the toilet block and installing a borehole/well.

To give you an idea of the ongoing running costs of the Mariama Mae Nursery School, these include:
£50 a month for the head teacher
£40 a month for trainee teachers
£25 a month for materials
£20 a month maintenance costs

Approximately £500 a year is also needed to pay for basic materials and to make any necessary repairs on the site after each rainy season.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do it via our secure online donation facility with Charity Choice - click here for details. Alternatively, if you would like more details on how you can help or get involved, please do write or email us through our contact form here. .

Thank You

Numerous people in various ways have made this happen. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all these people and the things they have done.
Thank you to everybody who has given many donations large and small. From the man on the train traveling to Hull to the person who enable a roof to be constructed for class 1 and 2 at the school. To others who have believed in the idea of the school and have given generously. For those invaluable direct debits.

Thank you to my incredible friends and neighbours, who give their time, their help and their support...who listen to me endlessly and keep me fed  too. Who help me solve problems, pack boxes and load lorries. People have run marathons, sprayed filing cabinets, done endless photocopying, transported stuff for car boot sales and held coffee mornings.

For the family who decided to not eat puddings after their evening meals and instead donate the money for the school. The people involved in non-stop laminating of school materials, leaflet production, webpage building and information board building.

Thank you for the help I received in the making of bookshelves and the funds enabling me to fill them and to the children on tractors collecting funds. For the endless help I receive on a day to day basis when I'm sanding tables.
- AC