We were up with the sun and had packed all our things into
the truck before the first of the pupils arrived with Deja. Baatchi was already there, filling up the
buckets for drinking water and getting the classrooms ready for the day. Alieu, Lamin and Mr Sowe arrived to start the
academic week. We had a meeting with Mr
Sowe whilst we could hear the sound of Jolly Phonics coming from Lamins’ class
and singing from Dejas. We then visited
the classrooms and watched the teaching for a while before deciding to leave
for Loumen. Not so far between the two
schools, 3 or 4 kilometres at most, we arrived mid morning and found everything
in full swing. Mr Bah knew we were in
the country but not that we were visiting.
The classes broke for mid morning break and we were able to take photos
of the pupils washing their hands before eating lunch. This school is run by the Government and
there are posters everywhere about Ebola, how to recognise the signs, what to
do and what not to do if you suspect anyone of having the disease. Posters about hand washing and the importance
of keeping yourself clean not just with water but also with soap. We were introduced to the new teacher, Mr
Barry, and chatted with him before taking photos of his class. The school is now hosting nursery and grades
1 and 2 in the building on a double shift system. The ladies garden is looking superb and also
the cashew nut tree in the school grounds has its’ first fruit. We delivered some boxes of resources and then
took our leave to continue our journey.
In the village we visited Maimoona and her family, a young promising
student who is being sponsored by an English family. When we arrived we were met by a small boy
who should have been at the nursery school but had suffered a bad burn to his
foot. We were asked advice on the burn,
which looked to be severe, but covered with sand and dirt as he had no shoes
on. Our advice was to take him to the
clinic, so having loaded Maimoonas’ damaged bicycle on the back of the truck we
squeezed Maimoona inside and the uncle and the boy on the back and set off to
the clinic. When we arrived they asked
when this had happened, and were told 2 weeks ago! We understood it was that morning. An injection was given for tetanus and a
dressing applied. Omar then took the boy
and the uncle back home, whilst Steve and I went to the bicycle repair shop
with Maimoona. We arranged the repair
and then waited on the roadside for Omar with our truck, he was stopped at the
police checkpoint and pulled to the side of the road. We walked down to meet him and apparently
they wanted the insurance for the car and Omar didn’t know where it was. Steve produced it and we were allowed to
travel on our way.
The new headmaster at Jamwelly had asked me what time we
thought we would be arriving and I had said about 2pm. We were still a bit early and had arranged to
meet the cluster monitor at 2 at the junction of the road to Jamwelly, so we
went to a café we know and had coffee.
(a tin shack at the side of the road, but he sells Nescafe!)
The cluster monitor (Mr H Sowe) rang and we met him as
arranged, he was on a motorbike, and went in front of us on the road. Halfway to Jamwelly we were met by a donkey
cart full of pupils from the school and in the next minute there were dozens of
children with banners all chanting Welcome, Welcome. A tall man was waving a bundle of leafy twigs
in the road and other teachers appeared all clapping and chanting, they slowed
our progress to the school, but kept at the side of the truck all the way to
the playground. We were met with a
beaming caretaker, and many of the mothers who performed an impromptu dance and
drumming session using upturned cooking pots.
The noise was terrific, the welcome overwhelming.
Eventually the head teacher, Mr Sawaneh introduced himself
and quietened the pupils and audience down.
We were asked to sit under a shady tree and a long introduction took
place, the National Anthem was sung and then the song which Channeh had taught
the pupils thanking the charity for all the building, food, resources etc. The Iman said prayers and we were told that
the whole village had been praying for Steve’s recovery!
At last we were able to enter the office where we had a
meeting with the cluster monitor and the head teacher, who had a long list of
requests for the charity, some practical and some in his dreams!
Time was getting on, it gets dark here very early, just
after 7 and we were asked to accompany the head to visit the Alkelo of the
village who is not well enough to walk to the school. We walked through the village, greetings made
to each and every compound as we passed and reached the Alkelo who was quite
emotional at seeing us, again he has been praying for Steve………
From there we went to visit the head teachers’ wife and
family. They are being housed
temporarily in a cement structure which is also part of an agricultural project
which is happening in the village. They
have two rooms, Mr Sawaneh and his wife in one room with the baby, his two
children and his deceased brothers’ children in the other. The Government are building a new two
classroom block within the school grounds and teachers’ quarters for all the
staff, this being a rural school, none of the staff are from the immediate
area.
Chargi, a teacher at the school was cooking our dinner, and
so eventually we made it back to the classroom, just in time to get our bed
ready for the night before it got dark.
A delicious meal was provided which again we shared with Omar, and then
retired for the night, only waking when the school dog was scratching at our
door in the morning.
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