Lorraine and Rob wrote on 4th February 2011

We can never say a big enough 'Thank You!' to Sandy, Fansu, Bliss and Lamin for the amazing day we spent visiting both the nursery at Basori and the Arabic school. We have just returned from a wonderful first visit to The Gambia and the day spent with them was definitely the highlight. Thanks to Thomas Cook airline we were able to take an extra, fully laden bag of materials,toys,first aid materials etc which we gave to Sandy before the trip.

First highlight of the day was finding out that the children's' books we'd taken had already sold in Sandy's shop. The amount they'd raised didn't matter, though every little helps; what was so rewarding was understanding the importance the local people place on education. Being given something is great - being able to afford something is an achievement and therefore highly valued.Our day was much like those already described on here - definitely an experience that money cannot buy. Everyone we met was so full of gratitude for what Sandy and her team are doing,not only for the children but also for themselves.From her encouragement and example the villagers at Basori have put a water pump into the school grounds and the staff at the Arabic school have made a tremendous start on digging the soak away for the toilets themselves. On the day of our visit, the nursery teacher was there with her 3 week old baby.....named Sandy. 

Something tells us that could well become a popular name in the future!