Blogging from a dry, sunny Gambia.

The rainy season is finally over, time to survey the damage done by the rain and wind and undertake repairs to fencing, buildings and roofs.

We have installed a water pump, pipes and taps and now need to find some dosh to erect the water tank we bought.

It has to go up at least 5-6 metres to ensure good water pressure and will transform our lives and give the school kids clean running water and a good supply for watering the bananas and vegetable projects.

All going well with our new website, lots of you have looked at it and we invite more of you to see what we are up to by logging onto www.gambianprojects.com.

A massive thanks to the women's group at Onward House, Greenbank who are linked up with us here in The Gambia.

They held a fundraising jumble sale for us and raised 56 pounds; that will go a long way over here.

Thank you ladies for your support.

Thank you too for the seeds, tea bags and sure deodorant!

Yesterday I took 13 nursery age children to the local beach for a splash in the sea.

For six of them it was the first time they had seen the sea the the look of surprise and enjoyment on their faces was an absolute picture.

Will upload some of our latest pictures next time I blog.

Bye for now and stay warm!

Best wishes

Debbie

Frogs, rats and mozzies!

Hello everyone from The Dark Continent!

Next year when I return to Plymouth for my annual Spring visit please ensure I stay there until the rainy season has finished in The Gambia.

It is simply a nightmare. Water is still pouring through the roof of my mud hut due to an infestation of rats in the grass roof.

They keep us awake at night munching away metres above our heads; what goes in one end must come out the other and delightful brown stains now decorate our newly whitewashed walls, not quite the same effect it might have on Changing Rooms with a designer's creative touch but once the rains stop next month we should be able to rectify everything.

The night time chorus of frogs croaking away in the pools of water outside the compound add to the nocturnal symphony and with the irritating mozzies and ants nipping at me at frequent intervals I have to say, I am missing my home town at present.

Modou my husband had a horrific car accident in July and wrote off our vehicle; I now have to wait hours in the pouring rain for local transport which often doesn't run when the waters are high, trudging through calf-deep mud and wading through stagnant water to go and buy something simple like loo roll or water.

I must have been mad to put myself through this!

The other side of the coin is seeing the beautiful smiles of happy children, attending school for the first time in their lives (one of my pupils is 14 and has just learned how to use a ruler, three are 10 years old, the rest are 3-7 years old).

Hearing them singing English songs and repeating absolutely everything I say, leaving the school chatting away to each other in broken English, makes the insect bites and the discomfort less of an issue.

Until next time

Debbie

From Plymouth to Banjul

If you are a resident of the South West, please don't ever complain about the rain! The rainy season here beats the UK climate hands down, absolutely torrential, flooding everywhere and the accompanying wind destroys fences, roofs and anything portable!

So next time you feel a little drizzle, enjoy its light refreshing effect and think of me watching the water pour down the inside of my house as I run about placing buckets, bowls and anything vaguely ressembling a receptacle under the deluge.

The journey over from Gatwick to Banjul was an interesting experience this time.

Four burly security guards and two armed police bundled on two handcuffed fighting and kicking deportees at the last minute, shoving them into seats at the rear of the aircraft, much to the horror and panic of the surrounding passengers including many small children who ended up crying.

Not quite what the tourists were expecting as a start to their relaxing break in the beautiful Gambia. Luckily the authorities at the Banjul side had everything in hand and the situation was much calmer and controlled on arrival there.

Please check out the new website coming shortly at www.gambianprojects.com and many thanks to Danny and Shauna Templeton of Latchbrook, Saltash for their kind assistance with setting this up for us.

Last year their children and several neighbours donated loads of children's toys, books and clothes which have been enjoyed by the village kids here. I was really touched by the kids kindness and thoughtfulness as they handed over much loved toys to help their African friends who have so little.

Thank You kids from your little Gambian friends, they'll be writing to you soon.

One door closes, another opens....

Today I sit at my keyboard feeling very sad; it's not the drizzle and the grey sky causing this, it's a meeting I had this week with some lovely people which has effected my normally bubbly, smily mood.

I was invited into Sparkwell All Saints Primary School to meet the staff and children. I was shown around a beautiful school with amazing resources in a picturesque setting on the edge of the moor.

The students were delightful, well-behaved, polite and very switched on to the outside world, asking intelligent and sensible questions about my experiences and the way of life in The Gambia.

The working atmosphere was calm, orderly and productive and the children were happily working away at their tasks.

The quality of work on display and the organisation of the school was impressive and I have to say I'm known for not being easily impressed!!

So, how come after such a wonderful visit I feel so dismal? This wonderful village school is closing at the end of term due to falling numbers.

What an immense pity and what a shame. It reminds me of the small corner shops being forced out of business by the huge supermarkets, because today that is what schools in the UK are, businesses.

What a pity that good educational practice and fantastic facilities are simply being chucked out. I would like to thank Acting Head Jill Watts and her team and the lovely pupils of Sparkwell Primary school for inviting me to see something amazing before I return to The Gambia in a couple of weeks time.

I am sorry that your school is closing and I do not think that it is right that it should be doing so. Thank you for the lovely ideas and generous donations you have given for the schools in The Gambia.

At least some good will come from this and I thank you all for that.

Barnaby Bear will be happy in his special bed in his mud hut and will provide a lot of joy and interest to the pupils at The Orchard School, Madiana, which will be his new school.

He will learn Mandinka and eat lots of bananas and he'll tell all the children there about the beautiful Devon school he was once in.

If the Gambian children saw Sparkwell Primary School, they would definitely not understand how it could possibly close, but then again, life in The Gambia is so much more simple than here.
Slowly my smile has returned as I shall be doing very soon.

African weather in Plymouth

Hi all!
Well I certainly brought the fabulous weather back with me from Africa, far more impressive than last year's constant rain! Have to admit even I am feeling a little bit hot! A few thank-you's go out to the following "stars" of Plymouth, the wonderful, kind, supportive people with big hearts who make me realise that life is not all that bad, despite what the news and the national papers want us all to believe!
Alison White and her lovely Brownies at St Gabriel's Church Hall, Catherine Hamlyn and her fellow coffee-morning contributors, the staff and pupils at Widey Court Primary School, Sarah Prestige and family and the staff at Keyham Barton R C School (good luck with the Ofsted!).
Think I had better start another sentence! A special mention to the lovely ladies of Onward House Women's Group and to Bernie Holder and the "Notre Dame Old Girls" for patiently listening to my accounts of life in The Gambia and asking great questions as well as digging into their pockets to help with our Banana Project! I also have to mention Traci Thorn of Plympton who has been helping me now for 6 months, carting car boot stuff to car boots and generally lifting me when my spirits are low, usually due to absolute fatigue!!
Currently writing this blog from the Central Library; free internet access, free newspapers to read, slightly smelly fellow-user to one side of me but mustn't complain; if I breathe out more than I breathe in I should manage to get to the end of this blog without passing out!!
Must be the unusual heat!! Just rented out Out of Africa on DVD so going to stroll home, put my feet up and watch that with a nice cup of tea. It is good to be back!
Heading back out to The Gambia at the end of the month so if you want to get in touch about visiting, volunteering or just generally supporting, please email me at dwdebs@aol.com Would love to hear from you Until next time Debbie Williams

Hello from sunny/cloudy/hot/cold Plymouth!

I am back in my hometown for a few weeks to catch up with family and friends, fundraise and set up links with schools and groups across the city.

Had the pleasure this week of visiting Tamarside Community College and Widey Court Primary and tomorrow will be talking at Keyham Barton Primary.

Pupils of all ages have shown great interest in learning about their African friends in The Gambia.

The fundraising too is going steadily and I would like to thank some special people for their contributions.

Firstly to the forward-thinking, dynamic senior management team at Tamarside Community College who have pledged to sponsor a solar panel and transformer for our classroom/library.

This important piece of kit will enable us to open in the evenings and set up computer lessons for the children and adults too, reaching out to the wider community.

In a place with no electricity, this technology will make a massive difference to their lives and futures.

I was given a guided tour of Tamarside and was struck by the fabulous resources they have there; a hairdressing salon, construction site, wonderful textiles department to mention just a few surprises; any parent considering sending their child there should feel safe in the knowledge that their child will have access to the latest state-of-the-art equipment and a bright future.

As a qualified, experienced secondary teacher, I have only good things to say about the school and what I saw there during my visit.

The staff and students will also be helping us with our banana project in the Gambia, more about that in a later blog!

Another huge thank you to Sian (superwoman!) Retallick of Hyde Park Pharmacy whose generous donation will enable us to replace our ant-eaten wooden window frames with solid, secure metal ones.

Sian, you are an example to everyone of a successful business professional with a heart of gold. Thank you.

Thank you too to Edina Worthington, the bubbly blonde who runs Adfab Advertising and Print in Mutley. Edina is relocating to The Watermark in Ivybridge and despite being surrounded by piles of boxes and paperwork, managed to find time to support us too.

Edina's years' of experience in her field and her expert advice helped me greatly when I was promoting my former business and enabled me to sell it to carry out the charity work in The Gambia.

She continues with her support and advice and I appreciate it greatly.

My final thank you goes to all the individuals who have been slipping me a fiver, tenner or twenty pound note with wonderfully supportive and encouraging comments about the work I am doing in Africa.

Your kind comments are really cherished and make me determined to continue to do everything possible to aid poverty and help improve education in one of the poorest countries in the World.

I would love to hear from you while I am here, please feel free to contact me at dwdebs@aol.com or on my mobile 07596 249987.

I can be contacted in the Gambia on 00220 7376880. If you want to see my gorgeous husband, unfortunately I left him behind in The Gambia (still fixing the roof!) can't wait to get back to him and my huge family of pupils.

Until next time, bye for now

Debbie Williams

Hi everyone from Madiana Village, The Gambia,

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the 360 pounds that Traci Thorn brought out with her to help us with our school project.

We now have two lovely loos which the children seem to use far more frequently than is normal!! We are also going to sort out the water pump and buy some extra chairs and tables.

All that will be done this week and it is thanks to your contributions that we have been able to make these improvements.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I had enough furniture for 25 children but usually more than 40 turn up!!

Traci is over with us at the moment and has spent lots of time helping out with the children. It is nice for me to have the attention on someone else for a while as it can be a little overwhelming at times.

I was sad to see a lovely German volunteer, Hildegard Thaler, leave last week after spending 3 months in the village living with a local family.

Hilde is in her 60s and is a total dream with the children, having worked in Kindergartens in Germany for many years; she will be sadly missed until she returns next January.

Thank you Hilde for your kindess and time, you are missed every day!

Over the past week Modou and I have been trying to combat the termite problem which has hit us hard. The little blighters have been munching away at the wooden window frames in the school and on the roofing sticks too.

We have also lost two boxes of books that were in storage as the ants ate through the cardboard and damaged them beyond use.
I couldn't believe it and am now open to any suggestions from those educated in the field of termite destruction as to how we can permanently solve this problem.

Suggestions happily accepted by email at dwdebs@aol.com. Hope I won't be reported to the RSPCA!

A few people have been in contact with me about the possibility of coming out to The Gambia to do voluntary work with us. We are keen to have anyone involved in teaching or healthcare or any students who would like to gain experience abroad whilst improving their cv.

There are lots of Gap-Year opportunities available with many different organisations but they usually involve very high costs running into thousands of pounds sometimes.

We can offer placements here at very affordable rates so that everyone benefits from the experience.

If you or anyone you know is interested in finding out more then please do not hesitate to contact me by phone/text 00220 7376880, via this site or by email.

Signing off now and looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again, without you this would not have been possible.

A day in the life of an escapee teacher...

Thought I'd blog today about a typical day in the life of an escapee teacher from Plymouth living in the African bush.

I am woken at the crack of dawn by numerous cockerels letting people know it is approaching morning.

Unfortunately my body cannot and will not rise at that time so I fall asleep again until around 7am.

I get up, feed the chickens, fetch water from the well, water the garden (that takes at least an hour and is back-breaking work) and sometimes go and fetch firewood.

I then take a bucket shower and walk to the local market to buy fish, bread and fresh vegetables.

This is all local produce and helps the villagers to eke out a living.

The availability and price of fish depends on the wind, sometimes it is too windy for the boats to go out but sometimes when the fish is plentiful it costs just 2p for one fish.

A bit cheaper than Perillas but without the gorgeous batter and the chunky chips (gosh I miss that!).

I go back to the compound and open up the school until lunchtime when I have a short break to cook lunch and wash up.

After lunch the children come back and I teach and play with them again until about 6pm when some of the older ones help me water the garden again.

After this final task of the day, Modou and I sit round the camp fire and reheat any leftover food from lunch which we share with anyone sitting with us.

It gets dark very early (around 7.30pm) so I usually head for my bed at about 9pm, read for a bit by torchlight and sleep under my mosquito net (there are no mozzies at this time of year but I like to feel protected from any flying visitors!). So that is my typical day.

You might wonder what Modou is doing whilst I'm juggling my daily tasks. Often he goes to the bush before I have got up, he fetches grass or sticks for fencing.

He has been building chicken huts, walls, has started the school loos and is currenty building a guest house for visitors (sounds posh but is a simple mud hut, but we will make it comfortable for any intrepid explorers when they arrive).

He works from dawn till dusk too. We also spend our time planting the garden (loads of bananas and fruit trees and vegetables coming along nicely) if we have any "free time".

The last time I went to the beach with him (only 10 minutes away) was on 28th November, my birthday. We never have time off and that is a difficulty but I am sure we will manage to have a bit of respite when the building work is finished.

We desperately need to be able to pump water from the well for the school and so that we can have some reasonable sanitation as the dirt gets everywhere especially when the wind blows and we are hoping to raise enough funds to instal a solar panel and battery as then I will be able to teach in the evenings and provide computer training to the locals.

I have set up a library scheme which is running really well and some of the teenagers lucky enough to go to secondary school about 10 miles away are helping adults who never had the opportunity to go to school to read.

I can only do so much so it makes me so happy to see the people helping themselves too.

I hope to be able to employ some local teachers very soon.

If anyone would like to help towards the cost of the loos and the solar or would be willing to sponsor a teacher's salary, I would be happy to hear from you. Teachers are paid around 30 pounds a month.

You may recall that Modou's Mum passed away just after our arrival here. His sister, Fanta, died last Wednesday after a long illness.

This has hit Modou particularly badly and I am trying my best to support him through his grief, having to contain my sadness to stay strong for him.

Thank you again to all the readers of this blog and to our supporters.

We couldn't have done this without you. Best wishes until next time, Debbie Williams

Hello, from sunny Gambia

Hi everyone!

Blogging today from an air-conditioned internet cafe in sunny Gambia, the sun is glorious and I know you will all be shivering away in Plymouth and wrapped up in winter coats and boots yearning for the Spring and a little warmth.

However, this morning I had to fetch 12 buckets of water from our well just to do the washing, all by hand and when I hung it to dry (super quick in this heat!) the washing line broke, the clothes fell on the sand and I had to rinse the whole lot again.

So, Plymouth may be cold but gosh it would be nice to have one of your washing machines or even a quick fix of electricity to charge my mobile phone without having to travel for half an hour to do it!

The classroom/library roof is now finished and the exterior walls are being plastered over the next few days.

I'm getting excited now as I can see an end to the hard building work. My husband Modou has been on site from dawn till dusk working incredibly hard to see the building work succeed.

I've set up a play project in Madiana and from morning to early evening there is a constant stream of 30-40 children aged 3-15 in the compound playing with some fantastic outdoor toys and games, donated by many of you.

We have a sports day set which I finish off with at the end of each day (a hint to the kids to go home when we've finished!), the children whoop with delight as they compete with egg and spoon, sack, three-legged and bean bag races.

They get prizes of books, pencils, soft toys etc, again donations from Plymouth.

Last week I had a visit from Traci Thorn of Plympton who came down for the day and saw the project in action, it was lovely to chat and catch up with a fellow Plymothian.

I'm sure Traci will be back again, the Gambia is like that, kind of gets you hooked!

I am particularly interested in linking up with any teachers in the UK who would like to set up a link here or even organise a school trip to The Gambia. I would be more than happy to assist and feel that the UK children would really gain a great deal and learn a lot from visiting Africa. I certainly have.

I'm hoping to come back to Plymouth in the late Spring to give talks in schools and to fundraise for the projects.

Meanwhile if anyone has any ideas or words of encouragement, feel free to contact me on my email, dwdebs@aol.com

Until next time, Debbie Williams

Hi everyone, best wishes to everyone for a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year!

Apologies for not being able to update this blog sooner but life in Africa is certainly nothing like the UK.

My husband's Mum passed away just three days after we arrived back here so we have had a deeply sad start to our time here.

The container arrived three weeks late and finally we were able to unload, re-pack and distribute many of the items donated.

The old people, babies and children in Kerewan Samba Sira have benefitted from blankets, adults jumpers and cardigans (it can be really cold at night), children's clothes, shoes, toys and books.

Another sad incident happened when one young Mum, Meta, left her baby and young son alone in their hut while she fetched water from the well early in the morning.

The son lit a match, set fire to the hut and the baby girl, just a few months old was burned to death.

The family have lost everything so the villagers have donated clothes and essential items to help them through their ordeal.

I have beautiful photographs I took of the children just two days prior to this horrific accident which could so easily have been avoided.

On a far more positive note, the nursery classroom/library in Madiana has been built and only the roof remains to be completed. I'm hoping to have it up and running by April.

Terry and Marilyn from Plymouth are coming over to visit in February so they will be able to see the progress we have made.

Our banana garden has been a great success, masses of bananas and shoots.

Our chickens remain healthy and incredibly noisy and we have set up a tailoring workshop with two of the donated sewing machines, providing income opportunities for the local people.

So, all in all, a successful three months.

I will miss Christmas and New Year in the UK, but wish you all every happiness. Thank you again to all those of you who have supported us in the past.

Best regards