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Sheik Hatab Memorial Nursery School is the
only Islamic nursery school in the village of Gunjur [map]
in the south of The Gambia. The school has its own excellent
website.
It is open to all three and four year old
children and also teaches conventional education. The school is
operated by a charitable organization 'Success Foundation of Gunjur'
It was designed for 100 students, with equal numbers of boys and
girls, four qualified teachers and a teaching assistant.
The school is located in the middle of Gunjur,
and has a single building with two classrooms, a hall, an office, a
store, three toilets, and a shower.
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Sheik Hatab Memorial
Nursery School |
After receiving a plea for help,
Pageant first visited in October 2008, having sent enough
furniture in the summer 2008 container shipment to enable the
founder, Ahmed Manjang, to open the school. In January 2008,
Pageant provided a further shipment to complete the nursery
classroom requirements.
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Finger painting February
2009 |
Frances and Tina with
the children, April 2009 |
Pippa, Ian and a group of
Pageant members then visited the school in February 2009
to see the fully-furnished classrooms and introduced the
children to finger-painting, which was much enjoyed by
everyone..
Update April 2009 - Singing,
storytelling and finger painting In April 2009, Pageant
members Tina and Frances spent a morning with the children of
Sheik Hatab Memorial Nursery School singing, storytelling and painting
- and all had a marvellous time.
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Frances and Tina with
the children, April 2009 |
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Update October 2009
- Bookshelves and Classroom Furniture |
top of page >> |
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Pageant members Pippa, Linda and Ian
visited the school in October 2009, together with Pageant agents
Wandifa and Yankuba and driver Abdoulie. The school had received
40 chairs and 3 bays of double width shelving from the recent
container, and the men set to work assembling the shelving.
The shelving (see example on the right)
was donated by Novartis in Horsham. All the classroom furniture
at this school has been donated by Pageant - in all
156 children's chairs, 41 children's tables (seating 3-4), 8
teachers'
chairs, 3 large classroom storage units and the 3 bays of shelving.
Meanwhile Pippa met members of the
school's Mother's Club to set up a Pageant Loan Scheme. (see
details on our
Loans Page) |
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Update February 2010
- Wall and Bananas
Pageant gave Ahmed Manjang £800 for building
the perimeter wall. When Pageant visited the school in February
2010, they were pleased to see that the wall had been completed and
painted. (The Gambians call this a fence despite being built from
concrete blocks.) They also saw the plantations of bananas and other
fruit around the school.
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Ahmed Manjang shows off
the new wall |
alphabet and number
snake |
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bananas planted all
round the school building |
Ahmed Manjang & bananas
at back of school |
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potting up some
seedlings |
they hope to grow these
orange pips into trees |
Update May 2010 -
The New Kitchen
Manjang Ahmed, the school's founder, has just
sent us some photos of the newly completed kitchen. It is positioned
on the corner of the main classroom building, with a tiled pathway
which should minimized dust entering the kitchen during lunch times.
The kitchen range is a new invention in The Gambia which uses a very
small amount of firewood and is virtually smoke free. This greatly
reduces the carbon footprint and the plantation of bananas
surrounding the kitchen compensates for much of the greenhouse gas
emissions.
Pageant provided funding for the materials
for the new kitchen at a cost of 62,900 dalasis (about £1,480),
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entrance to the kitchen |
side view of kitchen |
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kitchen range (above) &
storeroom (right) |
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