Location
Jamaly Ganyado, Central River Region, Sami District, The Gambia
Community Description
Jamaly Lower Basic School is home to students from seven villages in the Central River Region of Gambia. One hundred and eighty students from Kindergarten to grade 6 attend the school. The school is located in the central village of Jamaly Ganyado, limiting students’ commutes to under three kilometers. The students are a mix of Fulas and Wolofs and most of the instruction is done in English.
Going to school is a privilege for most students whose families struggle to pay the small fees for tuition, uniforms, and school materials. Most families rely on subsistence farming and not every child in the area is able to attend school due to the cost. Students take their education very seriously; they value learning and study in groups most nights.
The teaching staff at Jamaly Lower Basic is great. They work hard to provide quality education for their students. Often the teachers are at school until dark working on visual aids or helping students. In addition to classes, the teachers run a health club, a study club, and a scouts club.
The students and staff work together in a garden where they grow vegetables to add to their lunches. Jamaly Lower Basic is doing very well with the limited amount of resources they have.
The school has one hand pump that is used for drinking water, hand washing, cleaning, and watering the school garden. After school, the pump is open for the villagers to come and fetch water for their own households. Unfortunately, the pump was constructed in the early nineties and is in need of repair.
While the pump currently works it has broken parts that cause it to break down every few months. When it breaks down the teachers pay to fix it out of money from their paychecks to get it working again. But without being able to replace the expensive broken pieces in the pump it is not long before it is broken again. A breakdown causes the garden to suffer and causes students to miss valuable class time fetching water from the faraway village pumps.
Project Description
This project is to repair the hand pump at Jamaly Lower Basic School.
Under the direction of the Jamaly Lower Basic School and the Jamaly Village Development Committee, the old, broken parts in the hand pump will be replaced so the pump will work like it is new again.
The project will be overseen by the headmaster, Mr. Bohejon. The repair will be done by a trained local man, assisted by members of the community.
Project Impact
180 students and 9 teachers at the school and 1,000 villagers will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Stephanie Starch
Comments
This project will bring much-needed stability to the school’s water needs. It will give the teachers peace of mind and allow both students and teachers to focus on education. By doing a complete overhaul now, the school and the village will avoid breakdowns in the near future, and be able to accumulate funds for long-term maintenance.
Stephanie previously completed the Jamally Ganyado Pump Repair Project – The Gambia.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00 from Michael Starch, of Pasadena, CA, USA, plus the last $55.00 from Susan Smith, of Rockville, MD, USA.
Any contributions in excess of the Dollar Amount of the Project will be allocated to other projects directed by this PCV and/or projects of other PCVs in this country.
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Stephanie Starch of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Stephanie and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.