Debbie Williams

Fwd: CHARITY BASH AT THE B-BAR

2011-11-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

-----Original Message-----
From: dwdebs <dwdebs@aol.com>
To: neilshaw.gambia <neilshaw.gambia@blogger.com>
Sent: Mon, 7 Nov 2011 23:51
Subject: CHARITY BASH AT THE B-BAR

Join us on 24th November for our Charity Bash at the B-Bar on Plymouth's historic Barbican. This fundraising evening starts at 7.30pm and will be an opportunity for anyone who follows the work of Gambian Projects to find out what we have been doing this year and to help raise some funds for our next projects. We have the fantastic band Paisley Strays entertaining us, delicious food available to order from the Thai Noodle Bar, a raffle with lots of great prizes and an auction too. There will also be a chance to buy Christmas pressies and stocking fillers and a chance to make a difference by sponsoring a Gambian child to go to school. Tickets are just £5 available from me on 07596 249987. Please get in touch if you would like to help in any way. I look forward to hearing from you, Debbie x

A Message from Deborah Williams - can you help?

2011-10-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

I'm helping Gambian Projects at Gambia Link to raise money whenever I shop online - could you do the same?

It's very simple - just visit http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/gambianprojectsatgambialink/ to register and shop with over 2000 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay and many more. Whenever I buy something, the retailer makes a donation to Gambian Projects at Gambia Link. They've helped other causes raise over £2,000,000 so it really does work.

I'd be really grateful if you could use easyfundraising too. It won't cost you a penny extra to shop through easyfundraising and you can even save money with special offers and voucher codes.

Plus, if you register before 31st October 2011 you'll automatically receive one entry into a FREE PRIZE DRAW to win an £400 to spend with Homebase.

So please make a difference to Gambian Projects at Gambia Link and take a look at easyfundraising today - http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/gambianprojectsatgambialink/

Thanks

2011-10-16T15:42:00.001-07:00

CHARITY BASH AT THE B BAR, THE BARBICAN

Kind hosts, Dan and Colin of the B-Bar on the Barbican, Plymouth have donated the use of their lovely venue for a charity bash on 24th November commencing at 7.30pm. The Paisley Strays will be entertaining us with their 60's style music and the evening will be compered by vivacious Mama Tokus. We'd like to say a huge thank you to the band and to Mama for giving their time and energy for our cause. The B-Bar is a great venue and has the wonderful Thai Noodle Bar with a delicious menu to choose from. We will be holding a raffle and auction to raise funds for Gambian Projects, which is now a registered charity, having merged with Gambia Link earlier in the year. Tickets are just £5 available from Debbie Williams, Barry Ewart, the B-Bar or the guys in the band.

I'm also celebrating (if that is the right word to use!) my 50th birthday that week so please come along and join us and help us raise some funds to continue our work. On the night I will be giving an insight into what we have done so far this year and there will be a chance to sponsor individual children for just £2 per month.

I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and thoughtfulness of people I meet, thank you to everyone who helps in any way, even a small contribution whether it is time, energy or money makes a huge difference in The Gambia. For further details visit our website at www.gambianprojects.com or visit our facebook page "Gambian Projects". My number is 07596 249987 and email is dwdebs@aol.com

A Message from Deborah Williams - can you help?

2011-10-03T02:34:00.001-07:00

I'm helping Gambian Projects at Gambia Link to raise money whenever I shop online - could you do the same?

I'd be really grateful if you could use easyfundraising too. It won't cost you a penny extra to shop through easyfundraising and you can even save money with special offers and voucher codes.

Plus, if you register before 31st October 2011 you'll automatically receive one entry into a FREE PRIZE DRAW to win an £400 to spend with Homebase.

So please make a difference to Gambian Projects at Gambia Link and take a look at easyfundraising today - http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/gambianprojectsatgambialink/

Thanks

2011-09-05T14:50:00.001-07:00

Home Improvements

Started in June and finished in July and despite the frequent heavy downpours of rain and the problems with getting out of the village on flooded, muddy roads to get hold of building materials, we managed to construct and furnish a comfortable house to accommodate volunteers and visitors. This useful and practical addition to our projects was made possible by a generous donation of £5000 from The White Family of Exeter who donated the money in memory of their son Nick. Our first volunteer teacher, Holley Najera is pictured here inside the new hut. The second part of the building project to complete an extension to the school is nearly finished and will provide an extra room for educational activities or accommodation if needed. Also pictured is one of our pupils, Sally Njie, who enjoyed helping to whitewash the walls.

Fwd: Guest Blogger Holley Najera

2011-07-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: dwdebs <dwdebs@aol.com>
To: neiljshaw <neiljshaw@blogger.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 27, 2011 12:12 pm
Subject: Guest Blogger Holley Najera

I'd like to introduce Holley Najera from Buckinghamshire, UK, who is volunteering with us for 2 months. She'd like to offer an insight into her experiences over her first two weeks in The Gambia.

"I'm here alive and kicking, currently not in the mud hut obviously because there is no electricity there. I have been here literally just over two weeks and I can safely say that I've had more experiences within that time then I have had in my entire life. When I booked my ticket with 'Gambia Experience' let me say now I was not expecting to have so many! I've really seen it all first hand, from the poverty, love and friendliness of the village in which I'm staying to the grandness and luxuries of the 5* resorts. Coming off the plane and being greeted by Debbie and 3 vip kids from the school made me lose all of the inhibitions which I gained over the 5 hour flight. Jumping in what I'd describe as a 'safari barbie' white jeep and on the road, we then headed to Madiana. Heading to the village where I'd be living for the next 2 months, I felt like I was with the queen, little herds of kids ran from all directions of the car shouting 'Debbie Debbie' made me think how hard life must be for a famous actor attentding a premiere. Arriving at a mud hut in the middle of the african 'bush' with no expectations, mainly because of the little time I had to think about what I was going to do between finishing my PGCE and jumping on a plane to Africa which looking back now I think is the best way and potentially only way because honestly I may not have done it otherwise.
The change from using a hair dryer, ghds, make up and fake tan on a daily basis with either my phone in one hand or lappy to no electricity and having packed no make up, showering under a mango tree and the local toy being a long drop you'd imagine to be quite hard but for me it was almost natural but then again my pals always said I was a dirt queen, the proof is in the pudding that's all I'm saying. I could write an essay and have as my diary is full to the brim but my highlights have to be firstly a boy's life being saved. in fact probably a highlight of my lifetime, and going into the underground abode of an African marabout (who is known to mutate into a snake) whilst a wedding was happening - need I say more that was a trip in itself without any substance involved."

Holley just finished her PGCE at Plymouth's Marjohn and decided to get a bit of life experience before she commences her career. She has thrown herself into local life 100% and the children appreciate her lively, positive, approach. She is facing up to unexpected situations and experiences with braveness and tolerance and will teach the children here a lot while picking up useful life-skills herself; all in all her stay here will be life-changing and we are really grateful to her for choosing to come out to The Gambia to share her skills with us. We hope you have a great stay, Holley, and take back lots of wonderful memories and experiences to recount to others back in the comfort of the UK.

Until next time

Debbie, July 2011

GAMBIAN PROJECTS FUN DAY

2011-07-09T03:33:00.001-07:00

The wonderful Barry Ewart has put together a great fundraising event for Gambian Projects at the Queens Arms, Tamerton Foliot on Sunday 17th July from 2pm to 6pm. At the same time we are having an end of term party for our Gambian children and hope to link up by phone so sponsors can chat to their sponsored children and hear them sing a couple of songs. On Tuesday we welcome our volunteer, Holly Navara, a qualified teacher who is coming out to help us for a few months, can't wait to show her the Gambia!

Until next time, peace and love to all!

Debbie

WHERE DID MAY GO?

2011-05-30T08:40:00.001-07:00

I asked the guy at the internet the date today and got a real shock, I have lost a fortnight! Living in the African bush, cut off from tv and being bombarded by constant bad news of war and worldwide atrocities has its advantages but to think I have lost a fortnight I never knew had passed was an eye-opener, I think I need a calendar! I have to admit, I have been a little busy, since the container arrived and I set up the new playscheme, I have been inundated with children, babies to teenagers, coming to try out the new equipment.

I have two 11 year old girls staying with me at present while Modou is up country in his home village of Kerewan Samba Sira. I am teaching them to read, as despite having been at their school for four years they haven't been taught how to read, another shocker eh! My attempts to improve literacy are working I have to say, these kids are bright and have so much enthusiasm for learning, it is a real pleasure to be helping them achieve their aims. They are already reading simple, short books to the younger kids, already passing on their recent knowledge to help the little ones. It's the only way it will work, if they also help themselves and I have to say, I am impressed with their tenacity and patience. Wish I had a little more of it, by 9pm when they are still in full-swing, I am shattered and tend to dive under my mosquito net by then. So where did my missing fortnight go? I think I must have slept a lot of it away! Till next time, Debbie x

Visit to Monkey Park

2011-05-23T08:28:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I took a small group of children, Malang, Sally, Efo, Kuta and Maryama for a day out. As my car has been off the road, we travelled by local transport and went to Bijilo Forest Park (Monkey Park) where the children got up close and personal with two types of monkeys, saw lots of gorgeous birds, watched an artist at work and enjoyed climbing the trees in the forest. We then went to the beach for a swim followed by a meal at a local restaurant called Milly's where you can eat for just under £1! We then visited the Senegambia Craft Market where the children watched the artists and carvers at work. We finished off our jam-packed day with a visit to Tanji fishing village to buy fish for dinner. A great day was had by all and it cost less than a tenner for all of us, including transportation, meal, drinks and snacks. The Smiling Coast of The Gambia awaits!!

2011-03-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

Heading Home

My last blog had me feeling the strong pull of Africa and trying hard not to go online and book a flight back to The Gambia. When my Dad gave me his blessing and told me from his hospital bed to "get back to your husband and the children and get on with your work" I didn't have to fight the urge any longer and when a single flight came up with Thomas Cook for just £89, I booked it. A couple of clicks, an e-ticket and I'm winging my way back to the sun and smiles on 4^th April. It is personally very hard to leave my Dad so poorly but I know he wants me to get on with what I do best. I've worked hard over the past few months; teaching English at a local language school, doing Body Shop parties and holding fundraising events to raise enough money to send a container of useful items back to The Gambia. Every day I've collected donated items from many individuals and organisations who have been amazingly supportive towards our aims. I've met many kind and helpful people and several times I have shed a tear or two when someone has done something extraordinarily kind, surprised me or given up something of great sentimental value to them in order to pass it on to someone less fortunate in The Gambia. My 9 year old nephew, Owen and nieces, Paris and Vienna, have helped me pack boxes and load the storage units, giving up hours of their time each week, cheerfully talking about how all the wonderful items, toys, clothes, books and games will help the chidren in The Gambia. I will miss them and the rest of my family terribly, my lifelong and new friends more than I can describe, but I have to say that that is the only real downside of living in a different culture. Whilst definitely dreading leaving my family and friends, I am looking forward to saying goodbye to sleeping on a sofa and being back in my own bed with my mosquito net around me, even though I have to shake the sheets every night before getting into bed to check for creepy crawlies!

The photos show my shower and my mud hut. The extra plastic sheeting on the grass roof was kindly donated by Edina Worthington of Adfab Advertising and Print who kindly gave us lots of heavy duty advertising banners which certainly help keep us drier in the rainy season, which is fast approaching!

I'll be happy taking a bucket shower under my mango tree and cooking rice in a big pot over a wood fire knowing that soon the container from England will arrive containing a gas oven donated by a world famous celebrity who wishes to remain anonymous but who has heard about our work and wants to make it easier for us to provide school lunch for our kids. Along with all the cooking pots, utensils, plates and cutlery we have had donated, the oven will be a really useful addition to our makeshift kitchen. I'm taking back recipes for mango chutneys and jams, orange, lime and lemon marmalades etc. I will teach the women in the village how to make these items (when I have mastered them myself; I can't say I'm known for my culinary skills, having done Latin at school while all my friends did Needlework and Cookery, hence they can cook and sew and I can't!!) Abundant fruit will then be able to be kept for longer and won't go to waste. I'll update you with our progress with this project. Maybe someone in the village will be the next inventor of the fruit version of something like the highly successful Reggae Reggae sauce!!

We've set up a committee who will continue to work hard while I am in The Gambia; organising child sponsorship, fundraising events and keeping the fire burning so to speak. We have published our constitution and I'd like to share our four main aims with you:

v The support of educational projects in The Gambia to encourage improved literacy and numeracy among people of all ages

v The support of children and their families in The Gambia to help alleviate poverty and give practical support to families in need

v The support of health projects in The Gambia to improve health care, particularly in rural areas

v The development of links between Gambian and UK schools to support educational opportunities in both locations

So, together we've set the wheels in motion. It has been a stressful, demanding few months. I am returning to a country where life is hard, much harder than here but to a place where I experience a happiness that I have never felt before. The sense of personal fulfilment I get from teaching and nurturing these amazing Gambian children far surpasses any salary and working conditions I have ever experienced here in England. I live a very simple life, I go hungry, I get bitten by nasty insects, I sometimes feel very alone and I often cry but I feel lucky. I guess it is because what I am trying to do to help them is totally and visibly appreciated by all of them. Quite simply, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to actually be able to do something which makes a difference to so many lives. Thank you for reading my blog, I hope that it will give some of you the inspiration to do something life-changing to help others or even to look at improving your own life and happiness. With love and best wishes until next time.

Debbie Williams, March 2011

2011-03-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!

Why do so many things seem to go wrong at once? Today, the little white van that Trevor Anderson lends me to rattle about in, collecting all the donations for the container, conked out (again!!). Rescued from a particularly inconvenient place where it seems to like stopping, it was towed off for a well-earned rest and I returned home to console myself with a packet of Starburst. An almighty crunch later (Starburst are not by nature crunchy!!), I spat out a mouthful of multi-coloured chews containing my gold crown and quite a significant part of a tooth. Having given away all my worldly goods, even my sole claim to having once been financially stable enough to invest in a gold crown has now disappeared! Now looking like something fallen from a broomstick at Halloween, I think I may instil fear into the children at Combe Pafford school where I am due to talk tomorrow morning! Children, I apologise in advance, I do not normally ressemble a character from a Roald Dahl book and I promise I will try not to cackle.

In the afternoon I am judging a primary school Ready, Steady, Cook competition and the dark side of my nature is toying with the idea of pretending to lose the tooth in the middle of the food-tasting, highly dramatic but maybe a bit mean!! Now if they were secondary pupils ………..!!

I have to let you know that I am missing The Gambia, the people, the children and the sun so so much. It is great to be here in Plymouth among family and friends and to be able to raid a fridge, eat fastfood and have a choice of snacks and drinks etc, but I so miss my simple, down-to-earth life in Africa. I feel a bit like an alien here (actually probably look a bit like one now with the missing tooth!) and no longer feel that England is my home, a strange situation to be in. I am hoping my Dad (who has been in Derriford for many weeks) will make a speedy recovery so I can get back to where I should be, doing what I should be doing, instead of comfort eating children's sweets to cheer myself up.

Special thanks to my dear friend Catherine this week for giving me a bottle of Kalms and several doses of Bachs Rescue Remedy. When close friends are taking steps like that, maybe it's time to go online and look at flights back to The Gambia!! Okay, I admit it, life here is stressful, I am stressed and I want to go home!!!!!!

2011-02-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

GAMBIAN PROJECTS FUNDRAISING EVENING

OUR FUNDRAISING EVENT AT THE B BAR ON PLYMOUTH'S BARBICAN RAISED A
WHOPPING £1449, SO WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO BEING ABLE TO SEND OUR
CONTAINER OUT TO THE GAMBIA. THE EVENING WAS THE RESULT OF A LOT OF
HARD WORK BY MANY INDIVIDUALS. BARRY EWART SET UP THE EVENT, SO
SPECIAL THANKS TO HIM FOR ALL HIS EFFORTS. DAN, COLIN AND KATIE AT THE
B-BAR (WWW.B-BAR.CO.UK) WERE BRILLIANT HOSTS AND WE WERE ENTERTAINED BY
THE TALENTED WILL MCNICOL, BENNY (GUITAR) CARR AND THE HOT RATS AND
ELVIS PRESLEY (ALIAS DUNCAN HIGHET). CATHERINE AND TIM HAMLYN AND TINA
BRECKONS WORKED HARD ALL EVENING SQUEEZING MONEY OUT OF EVERY WALLET
AND PURSE, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED AND SUPPORTED THIS
IMPORTANT FUNDRAISING EVENT. CHECK OUT WWW.GAMBIANPROJECTS.COM FOR A
FULL LIST OF THE COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO GENEROUSLY DONATED
FABULOUS RAFFLE AND AUCTION PRIZES TO HELP US RAISE THIS SIGNIFICANT
SUM. RACHEL TAYLOR WORKED VERY HARD RUNNING ABOUT COLLECTING PRIZES
AND DONATIONS, REALLY PROUD OF YOU!!

A SPECIAL MENTION MUST GO TO SIOBHAN LAVERY AND HER DAUGHTER SHANNON
WHO TREKKED FROM KINGSKERSWELL TO PAIGNTON AND BACK RAISING £340, WELL
DONE LADIES!!

I WAS INVITED ONTO BBC RADIO DEVON EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING TO REVIEW
THE NEWSPAPERS AND CHAT ABOUT GAMBIAN PROJECTS, THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE
EXPERIENCE, MANY THANKS TO BELINDA AND DAN FOR THEIR KIND HOSPITALITY.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE PROGRAMME ON BBC IPLAYER, HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

DEBBIE

FUNDRAISE COUNTDOWN!

2011-02-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

WE'RE NOW ON THE COUNTDOWN TO OUR FUNDRAISING EVENT NEXT WEEK AT THE
B-BAR ON THE BARBICAN. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS OF THEIR
GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AND DELICIOUS THAI NOODLE BAR WWW.B-BAR.CO.UK.
HUGE THANKS TO DAN THOMPSON AND COLIN FOSTER FOR HOSTING THE EVENT ON
24TH FEB AT 8PM AND ALSO TO THE LOVELY MAMA TOKUS WHO WILL BE COMPERING
IN HER USUAL WITTY, WHACKY WAY

A SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO BARRY EWART WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA, PRINTED
THE TICKETS AND IS GENERALLY A JOLLY NICE CHAP!

WE'VE RECENTLY SET UP A COMMITTEE TO HELP ME WITH MY WORK IN THE GAMBIA
AND I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT WE NOW HAVE THE FOLLOWING LOVELY PEOPLE
ON BOARD:

CATHERINE HAMLYN, CHAIR
TIM HAMLYN, VICE CHAIR
TINA BRECKONS, TREASURER
SIAN LANE, SECRETARY
LUCY BLAKE, PRESS AND PUBLICITY OFFICER
JAYNE MADDOCKS, SPONSORSHIP OFFICER
JOHN SCOTT, SPORTS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
DEBBIE WILLIAMS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICER

SARAH PRESTIGE AND BARRY EWART HAVE ALSO JOINED US AND HAVE ALREADY
BEEN MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR PROGRESS WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY
NOW BE STRONGER AND QUICKER WITH SUCH A WILLING AND ABLE TEAM. I'D
LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS AGREED TO GET
PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH SUPPORTING GAMBIAN PROJECTS AND WOULD LIKE TO
SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO TREVOR ANDERSON WHOSE UNSTINTING SUPPORT HAS
BEEN INVALUABLE OVER THE YEARS.

SO, BACK TO THE FUN! OUR FUNDRAISER ON 24TH WILL HAVE THE TALENTED
WILL MCNICOL ENTERTAINING US ON HIS GUITAR, ALONG WITH BENNY (GUITAR)
CARR AND THE HOT RATS. WE HAVE LOTS OF SUPERB RAFFLE AND AUCTION
PRIZES SO HOPE TO RAISE LOTS OF MONEY TOWARDS SENDING OUR CONTAINER
OUT, FULL OF MUCH NEEDED RESOURCES.

ANYONE WANTING TO BUY RAFFLE TICKETS WHO CAN'T MAKE IT ON THE NIGHT IS
WELCOME TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME ON 07596 249987 TO BUY THEM. PRIZES
INCLUDE A BRITTANY FERRIES RETURN TICKET TO FRANCE OR SPAIN FOR FOUR
PEOPLE WITH A CAR AND ON BOARD CABINS BOTH WAYS, THANK YOU BRITTANY
FERRIES!! THANKS TOO TO THE ASTOR HOTEL, NU-YU, WISPY STYLER, THE
ASSOCIATES, ENVY HAIR SALON, AND GRACIOUS ME FOR HAIR-DO'S, MASSAGES,
FACIALS, NAILS AND TANNING. SOMEONE'S GOING TO BE VERY BEAUTIFUL AFTER
YOU'VE FINISHED WITH THEM! KEEP FIT ENTHUSIASTS CAN WIN GYM
MEMBERSHIPS AT MCCAULEY'S AND BODY LINE GYMS; WE HAVE FAMILY TICKETS
FOR CREALY ADVENTURE PARK AND THE EDEN PROJECT AND TICKETS FOR BOWLING
AND THE PAVILIONS AS WELL AS VOUCHERS FOR TATTOOS AND CAR VALETING. WE
HAVE HAD MANY SMALLER PRIZES DONATED BY LOVELY INDIVIDUALS ALL TRYING
TO HELP US ACHIEVE OUR AIMS; THANKS TO SHIRLEY, ALISON, DOT, SYLVIA AND
BARBARA, YOUR DONATIONS ARE ALL GRATEFULLY RECEIVED. I'D LIKE TO SAY A
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO YVETTE PRESTON AND ROSE CHALK OF BODY SHOP AT HOME
FOR THEIR SUPPORT TOO, WE HAVE £150 OF WONDERFUL PAMPERING PRODUCTS
FROM THIS AMAZING COMPANY. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING ANITA RODDICK
AND SHE MADE A GREAT IMPRESSION ON ME (AS SHE DID ON ANYONE SHE MET
PERSONALLY). I WAS SO SAD WHEN SHE DIED BUT HER LEGACY LIVES ON IN
THE BODY SHOP AND ITS ETHICAL APPROACH TO BEAUTY, FAIR TRADE AND HUMAN
RIGHTS.

ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HAVING FREE BODY SHOP
PRODUCTS OR GETTNG A JOB WITH BODY SHOP AT HOME IS WELCOME TO GIVE ME A
RING ON 07596 249987. THERE ARE SOME AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
FOR ANYONE WANTING A JOB WITH HOURS TO SUIT THEM AND A GOOD INCOME.

SO, TIME FOR BED AND A LITTLE REST BEFORE I START ANOTHER BUSY DAY
TOMORROW. THE VAN IS FULL OF DONATED ITEMS AND I AM OFF TO THE STORE
IN THE MORNING TO UNLOAD BEFORE CROSSING THE TAMAR TO BURRATON SCHOOL
IN SALTASH TO COLLECT MORE ITEMS, KEEP THEM COMING, I'VE STILL GOT A
LITTLE ENERGY LEFT!!

GAMBIAN PROJECTS FUNDRAISING NIGHT

2011-02-16T17:07:00.001-08:00

Wow!

2011-02-11T11:52:00.001-08:00

My faith in human nature is soaring after the events of the past couple
of weeks. To help raise money to send out a container of useful items
to The Gambia, our fundraising night at the B Bar on 24th Feb includes
a raffle and auction. I've been emailing and knocking on various doors
to request prize donations and have been overwhelmed as only one place
said no (will not mention them!!), every single one of the following
wonderful organisations have donated an amazing prize to help us in our
quest. I have to say a special thank you to Rachel Taylor, an
energetic whirlwind who has zipped around Plymouth collecting prizes
too, totally amazing! Thank you to the following and apologies to
anyone not listed yet, there will be a roll of honour on the night!!
Brittany Ferries have offered a return ferry crossing from Plymouth to
Roscoff or Santander for four passengers and a car including a four
berth cabin each way, The Body Shop at Home have donated £150 of fab
products, The Barbican Kitchen a voucher to dine! Anyone needing to
beautify themselves can buy raffle tickets for fabulous hair-do's, nail
treatments, facials and massages or sun tanning, care of The
Associates, Gracious Me, Nu Yu and Wispy Styler. The Eden Project and
Crealy Adventure Park have given family tickets and Superbowl and the
Pavilions have also made us proud! With gym memberships for McCauleys
and Body Lines up for grabs along with a £100 tatoo and car valeting,
we have loads of great prizes to offer our winners. So, where can you
buy your tickets? Get in touch with Debbie on 07596 249987 or
Catherine on 700579 and be in with a chance of winning one of the great
prizes mentioned or keep updated on here for additional prizes not yet
mentioned!! Tickets for the event still available (only a few left!)
at just £5. Thanks to the B Bar, Katie Thompson, Will McNicol and Benny
Carr and the Hot Rats for all their kindness too, it's going to be a
great night!

2011-01-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

On 24th February, we are holding a fundraising evening at the B Bar on
Plymouth Barbican from 8pm. Kind hosts Dan Thompson and Colin Foster
have loaned us the venue for the night and we have the talented Will
McNicol on guitar and lively band Benny "Guitar" Carr and the Hot Rats
and funky Mama Tokus MCing for the night. With a raffle and charity
auction and tickets at only £5 we're in for a great night. We are
raising funds to send a container of donated items over to the Gambia
to help improve the lives of many more of the children there. We need
your support so if you would like to buy a ticket or raffle tickets or
donate a raffle or auction prize then get in touch with Debbie today on
07596 249987. All donations will be acknowledged and we will promote
any businesses or services that help us in our efforts.

Gambian Projects Fundraising Night

2011-01-28T06:41:00.001-08:00

2010-12-29T06:09:00.001-08:00

What a contrast!

Leaving the beautiful Gambian sunshine and azure blue skies to arrive
48 hours delayed in frosty Britain was hard. Having just spent
Christmas with my family, I have appreciated all the food, drink and
goodies on offer but have to say that I find it all slightly crazy.
The sheer amount of food (and waste) is just baffling. I watched the
Band Aid documentary a few days ago and just cannot comprehend the
misbalance and unfairness of the distribution of food in our global
world. The Herald ran an article on the homeless living in Plymouth and
I realised that if they were living in The Gambia, they would not be
living on the streets. In spite of the poverty of many Gambians, they
would always offer someone a bed and food, never leaving anyone outside
to sleep, even a complete stranger. Given the recent weather
conditions I cannot fathom how we let this deplorable situation happen
in our
so-called civilised community.

I'm going to be here in the UK for a while as my dear Dad is in
Derriford, having had his leg amputated in Spain a couple of months ago
and now suffering complications. Get well soon, Dad!
On February 24th, our kind hosts Dan and Colin, along with Mama Tokus
who will be compering, are holding a fundraising event for Gambian
Projects at the B Bar, on Plymouth Barbican. It starts at 8pm and
tickets just £5 are available from Debbie on 07596 249987. The
proceeds of
the event will help pay for another container of useful items heading
out to
The Gambia in the Spring. A huge thanks to Reg Hackworthy of Plymouth
Self
Storage who has again sponsored a storage unit for us.

If anyone has any items they would like to donate please get in touch
with Debbie
by email on dwdebs@aol.com. We are also looking for sponsors for the
event as
we will be holding a charity auction and raffle to boost funds. So if
you had too much
for Christmas, feel free to donate anything you don't want/need as
auction or raffle
prizes!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the Editor and all the
staff at The Herald who
have been great supporters of Gambian Projects since we started.
Wishing you all
a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year and all the best in 2011.

Until next time

Debbie

2010-11-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

Update on Gambian Projects Fundraising Fortnight

A huge thank you goes out this week to the following people:

Catherine and Tim Hamlyn for collecting items, packing boxes and
transporting them.
Reg Hackworthy and his team at Plymouth Self Storage who have loaned us
a storage unit while we collect all our donations together.
Bandvulc who have agreed to collect children's shoes at their tyre
factory.
Trevor Anderson for lending me his white van and for continued support
with collecting books to ship over to the schools in the Gambia.
Eve-lynn Weekes for knitting her socks off!
Paris, Vienna and Owen Read for fund-raising by organising a Where's
Santa competition.
Shirley for her continued support in many ways.

A special thanks goes out to those who have pledged to sponsor a child
throughout the year. Just £2 a month will enable a child to go to
school, have uniform, school bag, exercise books and pencils. Regular
updates on the children's progress and photos will be sent to keep the
sponsors informed of their child's progress. This is a great way for
children in this country to learn about the lives of children in Africa
and have real contact with them. Please don't hesitate to get in touch
with Debbie on 07596 249987 for further information on sponsoring a
child or email her at dwdebs@aol.com or visit the website at
www.gambianprojects.com.

Pictured are Paris, Owen and Vienna Read packing boxes into Trevor's
van and some of the girls at Debbie's school proudly wearing their new
school uniforms

FUNDRAISING FORTNIGHT Call Debbie on 07596 249987 or 01752 670858

2010-11-05T04:05:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, today we have launched a two-week fundraiser to raise
money for Gambian Projects with three particular aims in mind:

1) Sponsorship of individual children. This will help children attend
school and pay for their uniform, exercise books pencils and a school
bag. Just £2 per month or £24 a year will fund this and sponsors will
be kept up to date with their child's progress, receiving news and
photos throughout the year.

2) Having a school lunch is a luxury for some village children, so we
want to ensure as many as possible can have one. Just 50p will feed a
child for a week so please consider this option when you donate. It's
awful visiting local schools and seeing some children eating and some
going hungry.

3) Our third aim is to raise funds to be able to ship out to The Gambia
all the items people are kindly donating to us on a daily basis. We
currently have lots of children's clothes, shoes, books and toys ready
to go. It costs £130 per cubic metre (actually quite a lot of boxes,
works out to about £15 per large box and does not depend on weight) to
send them via an excellent company called Wynot in Exeter. If we could
raise enough money we could send out another container which works out
to approximately £50 per cubic metre which is much cheaper but costs
about £2500 in total.

Any donations, even a few coins will help us to achieve these three
current aims and really do something concrete, visible and measurable
to help these wonderful children. I will be heading back to the Gambia
on 21st November, please help us to achieve our aims by doing something
really worthwhile today. Pick up the phone and call Debbie on 07596
249987 today. MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Some Pics To Cheer Us All Up!

2010-11-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

The front page of yesterday's Herald carried two stories, one of a man
accused of being a paedophile and the other of a school dinner lady
accused of stealing children's lunch money. Here are some photographs
from The Gambia simply to spread a bit of happiness in this current
climate of doom and gloom. These people are incredibly poor and are
getting on with their lives the best they can.

Life In The Gambia Is Fragile

2010-11-04T03:45:00.000-07:00

Life In The Gambia Is Fragile

Life in The Gambia is more fragile than here in the UK. This hit home
to me more than usual when I was informed two days ago that my 16 year
old next door neighbour, Musa Touray, had suddenly passed away. Musa
was a wonderful boy, polite, respectful and highly intelligent. He was
always offering to help in the school compound, was so gentle in nature
and had the most amazing smile. Age expectancy in this country, one of
the smallest in Africa and about five times the population of Plymouth,
is low, around 54 for men and 57 for women. Around 8% of new born
babies don't make it to a year old, and approximately 10% of children
die before their 5th birthday. For this lovely boy to die at 16 of
unexplained causes is just so sad for Musa's extended family and many
friends but death is such a common occurrence in The Gambia that people
accept it as part of life and Allah's will. I am lucky to have a deeply
strong belief in a life after this one as have the vast majority of
Gambians and Christians in this beautiful but hard country. I am eager
to get back to The Gambia to give my support to those close to Musa and
to try to make life better for the children who are there. I know many
of you read my blog and I would love to hear your comments. Until next
time, love Debbie xx

A visit from Plymouth

2010-10-26T04:58:00.001-07:00

August saw Adrian Miles from Plymouth, along with his daughters Madz
and Jordan and her friend Sinead visit The Gambia during their summer
break. They divided their time mucking in with work in the school
compound and visiting places of interest around the Kombo area of The
Gambia. They constructed a new support for the well, helped repair
parts of the rain-damaged house, organised resources and spent time
teaching and playing with the children. The girls cried when they saw
a beautiful sea-turtle which had been caught and stuck in a plastic
bucket. They negotiated with the owner to release it and half an hour
later it was swimming to freedom in the warm seas off Tanji beach. We
hung around for some time to ensure the turtle didn't get caught again
by some local boys intent on re-capturing it.
Our visitors toured the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul,
Tanji Health Centre and donated some of our medical supplies to
Africmed Medical Centre in Bijilo. We visited the SOS Children's
Village and donated a huge bag of soft toys and teddies for the
children there, most of whom are orphans. Unfortunately we arrived
outside visiting hours and the children were taking a post-lunch nap.
I
wish my children would do that, they have so much energy they exhaust
me! We also sorted lots of books and toys and presented them to
various family compounds near Ghana Town, a very poor area inhabited
mainly by Ghanian fishermen and their families. The smiles and whoops
of delight when presents like this are received make all the hard work
involved worthwhile and I wish I could bottle the smiles and give them
to the wonderful people here who have donated all these things to
enable this to happen. Their smiles are priceless!
It wasn't all work for our guests. They went to Bijilo Forest Park and
saw monkeys and birds in their picturesque natural environment right
next to the beautiful sandy beaches. I took them to Katchikally Sacred
Pool to visit Charlie the Crocodile and his pals; yes you really can
touch the crocs here with guidance from the locals. At Kartong, we
crossed the stunning Alahein River in a rickety, leaky pirogue and set
foot on Senegalese soil just as the sun was setting over the river,
truly beautiful. At Lamin Lodge, a stilted bar/restaurant set among
mangroves, our intentions to take a boat trip were thwarted by a sudden
dramatic thunderstorm which is a common occurence during the rainy
season. Many thanks to Diane Billington of Mandinka Lodges who
provided the group with comfortable accommodation and friendly service
during their stay in her lovely African lodges.

For further info on visiting Debbie's school or helping with the projects please contact her at
dwdebs@aol.com or call 07596 249987.

Focussing on training support in Gambia

2010-07-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I did an excellent NVQ course in Management with Focus Training based at Plympton. My tutor at the time, Jayne Maddocks was very supportive and got in touch with me via The Herald article a couple of years back offering to help me with some school resources for the nursery school.

Focus Training donated a hundred pounds worth of nursery resources and their staff donated bags of children's clothes, toys and other useful items, all of which were shipped out here and went to needy causes.

When I was back in Plymouth in April, I popped in to see Jamie Rail, Director of Focus Training and Jayne, now promoted to manager, and told them about a new project I'm involved in here setting up a tertiary educational establishment called Chosaan Academy, owned and run by Gambians and a really forward-thinking charity organisation.

Jamie and Jayne soon collected up loads of useful training resources, books, videos and dvds, and I shipped them out using a shipping company called Wynot in Exeter who are always 100% reliable and really helpful.

When the items arrived here in The Gambia the trainers were so excited.

They are really looking forward to using the new materials with the brand new intake of students in September.

Jayne is hoping to organise a trip over here to give us some more training support and for Focus' personnel to gain experience of working in a developing country.

Thank you to everyone involved in enabling this to happen, especially to The Herald for reporting the story which enabled Jayne to get in touch with me.

Pictured here are Jayne Maddocks and Jamie Rail with just a few of the resources they donated.

Kanilai International Cultural Festival

2010-05-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone in sunny Devon and Cornwall from sunny Gambia!

It's great to hear you've had some sunshine. Thought I would tell you all about an amazing weekend I spent down in Kanilai, the home village of The President of The Gambia.

The Kanilai International Cultural Festival started last weekend and runs until 7th June. It is a showcase of the best of African culture along with other invited performers from overseas.

His Excellency generously throws open the gates of his grounds and offers this free festival to everyone.
I saw troupes of Gambian singers, dancers and performers representive of all the tribes along with the National Troupes from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali and Mauritania.

It was simply amazing, a fantastic experience to be recommended to anyone visiting The Gambia.

This week Jermaine Jackson is performing a tribute to Michael Jackson at the Independence Stadium, another popular venue in the Gambia for National and International stars.

Tending the compound

2010-05-13T00:07:00.001-07:00

Spent Saturday weeding, watering, sweeping and planting my very neglected compound. Sunday saw me with a dozen children sorting out boxes of books and resources, spring-cleaning the classroom and finding items to donate to other schools. This morning at the crack of dawn 20 bright faces appeared to carry 500 books to their school, Madiana Primary. I have donated lots of books to them and the teachers have organised a library system which is working really well. I also dropped off two huge boxes of Maths resources to Brufut Secondary School this afternoon. This is all possible due the continued support of Trevor Anderson and the ladies at Oxfam on Mutley Plain who send us out boxes of books to help in our quest to improve literacy in The Gambia. Thank you Trevor and Co, it really is working!
Till next time
Debbie

The treats of home

2010-05-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous treat on Friday, courtesy of the lovely Adelia Chamberlain at Amber Health and Beauty, Mannamead. In my previous life, I used to visit Adelia frequently for relaxing massages, highly-effective but not quite so relaxing waxing and the most amazing pedicures. Since I moved out to The Gambia I have totally abandoned such wonderfully indulgent experiences and so I was ecstatic when Adelia invited me over to sample some of her latest treatments. Here is a picture of me being pampered with a delightful facial, which I have to say has visibly rejuvenated my sun-baked skin. With deft hands she cleverly reshaped my slug-like eyebrows using the threading method which was highly effective and made a dramatic difference to my droopy eyes. After a totally relaxing aromatherapy massage, I felt like a new person. Thank you Adelia, you knew how much I needed a treat after all the hard work in The Gambia and I enjoyed every moment. The treatments available at Amber are too numerous to list here but check out their website at www.amber.gb.net.
I can't write about Adelia without also mentioning her husband Frank and son Kieran. When we were organising the first container of charity goods going out to The Gambia in 2008, Kieran turned out loads of his unwanted clothes, books and other possessions and donated them to Gambian Projects. Frank made sure the whole family had helped us by selflessly giving up several hours of his time and energy to help pack the 40ft container. Frank, being Frank, took over the organisation of the packing and did a sterling job in half the time it would have taken had he not been present.
My heartfelt thanks to all three of you. If there were more people like you in the world, it would be a better place!

Friends get together after 29 years!

2010-04-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

When I was at Uni in London many moons ago I spent my first year in a hall of residence and then later shared a flat with Helena Meineck who is now Manager of All Saints Pre-School in Exmouth.

After finishing her Dance studies, Helena moved to Italy where she lived for about 25 years.

She returned to England a few years ago along with her husband and gorgeous son Tommy. We got in touch via Facebook after a 29 year gap in communication.

Today, Helena drove Tommy down to Plymouth where he donated loads of his clothes, books and toys for the children in The Gambia.

Helena and I are going to link the two schools giving the children lots of opportunities to find out more about their counterparts living in vastly different countries.

We're both excited by the link and looking forward to providing lots of interesting joint projects for the children to experience.

Pictured here are Helena and Tommy with just a few of the items Tommy generously gave to the children of Madiana village.

Sunshine and smiles?

2010-04-13T01:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I definitely brought the sunshine back with me from Africa but unfortunately as I flit around Plymouth I am struck by the lack of sunny smiles I am used to in The Gambia.

So, as a treat for those of you who enjoy a sunny face, I hope you will enjoy these photos shot by Lucy Blake, Herald Photographer, during her trip to our projects in February. Keep smiling!!

Best wishes

Debbie

Try a smile!

2010-04-07T01:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

It seems very strange to be blogging from Plymouth Central Library rather than a hot, internet cafe in The Gambia, but here I'm enjoying sitting on a comfy chair with plenty of personal space around me and not having to pay for the priviledge either.

This morning I went to the doctors to have a few minor medical issues investigated and came away with the treatment I needed and a couple of future appointments.

I cannot blog without saying this; we are so so fortunate in this country to have all these facilities (yes, I know we pay heavily for them with taxes) and yet nobody seems to be smiling.

I'm trying to work out why the Gambians spend all day smiling and laughing with so little and yet we have so much here and walk around as miserable as sin.

Anyone got any ideas to cheer up the nation? (I know there is the General Election on May 6th but will that change anything?).

I'd like to bottle up the smiles and giggles from the children I work with and send them over here.

It is impossible to feel sad there when you see their faces and sparkling eyes. I love it there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm going to appreciate every moment I am here for the following month as it is great to open up a fridge or freezer and choose yummy food or munch on crisps and junk food.

It has been amazing to meet up with friends and family and share hugs and cuddles with those I love; it makes me realise how much I miss all those things when I am away.

However, my life still belongs in The Gambia for the forseeable future and I have lots to do there before I will consider my work done.

I really look forward to hearing from anyone interested in coming out to volunteer their services.

Particularly any teachers graduating this summer who have no jobs lined up.

We can offer free accommodation and food allowance in exchange for your time and energy. All you have to do is pay your fare.

Gap year companies charge a small fortune for such an experience so have a think about it and get in touch with me at dwdebs@aol.com or check out the website www.gambianprojects.com It is good to be "home".

Until next time

Debbie Williams

Back to reality

2010-03-31T00:41:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know that I will be back in Plymouth for a much-needed break for the month of April. Look forward to hearing from all our supporters and meeting up with as many of you as possible to show you all the pics and tell you about my experiences here! Please email me if you would like to get together. dwdebs@aol.com Will try to bring some African sunshine back with me!

See you soon

best wishes

Debbie

Thank you Tamarside

2010-02-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

Hi to everyone from a baking hot Gambia

This week has seen me rushed off my feet, teaching in the mornings and out every afternoon supporting local projects run by other organisations.

Very happy to be supporting a new library facility in Bakoteh run by Sheikh E T Lewis and his team.

They also run an International Centre for Street Children and Child Trafficking.

Modou and I went along to visit the place and had no hesitation at all in donating a variety of reading books at all levels to support the facility.

Mr Lewis is a Human Rights activist and very interesting person to talk to.

I shall enjoy my visits there. A small delegation came to us from Gambia College, the teacher training institute here.

We filled their truck with boxes of text books and teaching materials donated by Tamarside Community College.

I'll be visiting the College tomorrow to see the items on site and to meet the Head of Education. Suleiman Bah, one of the students I sponsored for three years in Kerewan Samba Sira is now training to be a teacher at the college so the link is especially important for me.

That's all the hard work we are doing, the fun stuff is blowing bubbles with the children in the mornings!

Pictured is Hildegard Thaler, one of our volunteers, back again this year to help us. We all love her!

Until next time,
best wishes
Debbie

Visitors Galore!

2010-02-10T00:02:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have seen us welcome lots of visitors from Plymouth escaping the cold and enjoying the guaranteed Gambian sunshine. Simon and Heather Judge donated much-needed gardening tools last year and came to see them in action. Heather had all the children dancing and Simon added a few more snaps to the 700 he had already taken on their visits around the local area. Tracey Thorn and her daughter Perrie Renzi and friend Keira Wilshaw, Year 9 students at Ridgeway School visited the school and taught the children with some brilliant resources they had prepared back in Plymouth. The children loved it and I think I may have found replacements for me when I go back to the UK in the Spring!
A special visitor who spent two weeks living in a mud hut on our compound was intrepid Herald photographer, Lucy Blake who conquered her fear of monkeys and crocodiles by photographing them up close and personal! Lucy was amazing, the children are still asking for her and I, personally, miss her cheerful nature and "muck-in" approach. She fetched water, lit fires, painted the school door and ably assisted with the children.
I look forward to meeting up with Lucy back in Plymouth in the Spring; she's promised to cook me a meal (in an oven I think, not on an open fire!). I've just dropped a further 3 kilos, having had malaria twice in two months. I think I'm over it now but it's been a long haul getting back to normal (well as normal as I'm likely to get anyway!).
Have had a few blips with the numbers of children attending school as a new nursery school opened in the village and many parents sent their children there to get the free uniform and school lunch, even though they were already registered with our school. I felt disappointed initially and then realised that it is far nicer teaching twenty to twenty-five rather than trying to manage forty-plus. As long as they are all in school, I don't mind where it is.
Till next time,
best wishes
Debbie

Happy New Year from Gambia

2010-01-04T01:38:00.001-08:00

A cheery message from The sunny Gambia to wish all the Herald readers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and to thank you for your continued support in 2010.
We are lucky to have Lucy Blake, Herald Photographer joining us for a couple of weeks later this month.
You'll be able to read all about how she gets on on her adventurous trip to the African bush when she returns with lots of wonderful pics to show you all.
Here are a few of my amateur efforts, hope they bring a smile to your faces.
Lots of love and best wishes from Debbie, Modou and their friends and family in The Gambia.

Blogging from a dry, sunny Gambia.

2009-11-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-16T04:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-08-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-07-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-06-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

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,

2009-04-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

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

A big thank you to everyone

2008-08-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's Saturday evening and since last Thursday when the Herald ran the story of my move from Plymouth to The Gambia my feet haven't touched the ground.

I have been totally overwhelmed by the warm and generous response from the people of Plymouth and Saltash.

I have been driving around from morning until evening every day collecting bags and boxes full of books, children's toys, games, clothing, shoes, bedding, computer equipment and sewing machines taking them down to our storage units and packing everything carefully ready for the long sea voyage to The Gambia.

I have been touched by the thoughtfulness of young children giving up well-loved toys to the Gambian kids who are far less fortunate than themselves, I've nearly cried when pensioners have selflessly donated money to help me enable those who cannot afford an education to learn to read and write.

Residents of Greenbank Court you are absolute gems.

I have photographed all the people who have donated items and will display these photos on the walls in the classrooms in The Gambia.

I will also be snapping the happy recipients of all these wonderful gifts, surplus to Plymouth's requirements but essential additions to progress in The Gambia, a developing country.

The kind sponsors in Plymouth will have photographs and updates sent to them so they will be able to see their kindness in action.

The beautiful toys and books will give hundreds of children opportunities to learn and have fun that they would otherwise not experience.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your actions.

My favourite saying is "the smallest deed is better than the grandest intention" and I thank all of you who have picked up the phone and responded.

If you haven't yet managed to get through to me please call or text on 07739 797059. Until next time, Debbie x