Pageant projects in Bakalarr - supporting education in The Gambia

PAGEANT - "Education is the future"

Pageant projects in Bakalarr

Bakalarr Basic Cycle School was the first school that Pageant started to help and has been the focus of many Pageant projects. Ian and Pippa's first visit in 2001 took place before Pageant was set up. Bakalarr [MAP] is located north of the Gambia River. As with many Gambian villages, there are alternate spellings and names; Bakolar & Bakalari. It is reached from the capital Banjul by a ferry to Barra, followed by a road journey of some 15 km. Five villages are served by this school.

Classroom Floors Although the classrooms at Bakalarr were largely in buildings constructed of concrete (rather than mud) blocks, the floors were just natural sandy earth. Pageant paid for concrete floors to be laid in these classrooms. (more details and pictures)

School Kitchen The school kitchen at Bakalarr provided meals for more than 300 children a day, but was very dilapidated. During the summer of 2001 Pageant donated money for building materials, whilst parents and villagers provided most of the labour. (more details and pictures)

the new kitchen is finished with rendered walls and currogated iron roof

Bakalarr Kitchen

Boundary Wall

When Ian and Pippa first visited Bakalarr school, there was no perimeter fence. Traffic could just drive across the school playground and the school garden was also unfenced. Children, visitors and wildlife could roam the area unchecked.

the two artists, Ousman and the art teacher, stand on either side of the painting on this panel which is the school badge

Pageant paid for the construction of a new boundary wall. (see pictures of its construction) The outside of this wall has since been transformed into an 'art gallery', with numerous paintings by a Grade 9 pupil, Ousman F Sowe (and some help from the art master). (see the pictures)

Ousman has since moved on from Bakalarr school, but his interest in art is undiminished and he intends to partly finance his education by selling his pictures. (more of his work) and (exhibition at Horsham)

Vegetable Plots

Bakalarr school always had a vegetable plot, producing food for the kitchen, and also for teaching science and agriculture.

After completion of the new boundary wall, a much larger area could be cultivated, safe from marauding goats. Seeds were donated by Unwins and Suttons, and there were sufficient seeds to supply several schools including Bakau New Town and Sinchu Baliya, as well as Bakalarr school and village community.

See the following pages for more details and pictures: preparation and planting at Bakalarr;
first harvests at Bakalarr, Bakau & Sinchu Baliya, further harvest at Bakalarr.

an impressive row of vegetables (type of cabbage?) at Bakalarr school

New Toilets

the toilet block has been completed, painted white and finished with doors and a corrugated iron roof

The old toilet had to serve the needs of both pupils and staff, and was obviously inadequate. Pageant has helped in the construction of new toilet blocks, with design assistance from WaterAid.

With scarce water and no main drainage, flushing toilets are impossible, so the effluent is contained in underground chambers to prevent contamination of the groundwater. These pictures show the toilets under construction, and the official opening of the toilets is covered by this news item

Bakalarr Nursery Class

Mr Gitteh, headmaster of Bakalarr school decided to establish a nursery class. (see the pictures) As nursery education gets no official financial support in The Gambia, Pageant has helped with repairs, refurnishing and redecoration of the nursery classroom. Pageant also supplied them with a selection of ride-on toys donated by Bramley Nursery School in Surrey. There are two videos clips, one showing the nursery class in February 2004 before the redecoration, and the other showing the children in October 2004, trying out their new toys. (view these clips via the clips index page)

Staff Accommodation

In 2008, work was started on a staff accommodation block, with the intention of completing the main building work before the rainy season starts. The work was progressing well in June. (see update)

Other Projects at Bakalarr

Bakalarr School has a number of other projects in hand or completed. Two new classroom blocks containing seven classrooms, the headmaster's office and a storeroom were funded by the Scandinavian based charity Future In Our Hands .

students in the new Joan Saward Home Science Lab

Pageant helped with a multipurpose court for basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton, and a concrete play area outside the nursery classroom so the children can ride their new tricycles.

A dedicated home economics classroom was financed by donations in memory of a Pageant member, Joan Saward, who died in 2004. (see details and pictures) By February 2005 both the multipurpose court and the Home Science Lab had been completed (see details and pictures).

For further information about all the schools and educational institutes which Pageant is associated with in The Gambia, please look at our Schools Index page.

Pageant is a UK Charity - Registered No 1093963