Schools have now returned and I have started revisiting them after opening. I say they reopened but they are only now teaching the curriculum and assigning teachers classes. Bear in mind the schools opened on the 17^th September! Not long after opening I went on trek to the North Bank, where I had not visited since July. The landscape has changed markedly since I was last there. The river is up a lot further at the ferry.  The corn has grown everywhere so some roads were completely enclosed and barely passable on my bike. I kept wondering if I was actually on the right road at some points. The bush is so green and fertile because of the rains you would think you were in a different country at times. It was really nice and tranquil in those places.

Basse Ferry (before rains)

North Bank

I squeezed my bike through here!

North Bank

 

I conducted my first workshop at the weekend on LCM, Learner Centred Methodology. It went well and the teachers were generally receptive, but the crunch will be whether their lessons will become more active. The school has invited me back to hold a material productions workshop next month. Teachers in The Gambia do not have the luxury of being able to order any kind of teaching aid from a catalogue that would be common place in a UK classroom. They literally have nothing to use or work with. We try to encourage teachers to make use of resources they find around them; cardboard boxes, sticks, stones, bottle tops. Another problem is that teachers struggle with ideas for teaching aids and also how to use them effectively. Part of my next workshop will be to show them how to make and use teaching aids such as number cards, number squares, dice effectively and the various ways in which the pupils can use them.

Basse Ferry (after rains)

I have also become involved with a newly opened ECD in Basse. Although my knowledge is more based at primary level, I have agreed to help as the teachers are not qualified and ECD teaching is, at times, very difficult. I am using Sarah’s manual, of which I gave them a copy. I went back today to see how they were getting on but they have not been doing the activities on a daily basis as advised. It will be a long road, but the teachers are willing and receptive which is half the battle here. I have also started to tutor a young boy in Grade 3. He has managed to get through 2 years of school without learning all his single sounds. He is a bright boy and his spoken English is not too bad. Unfortunately, this not the unusual here but the usual. There are a variety of reasons for this. Teachers work long hours here, from 8.20am to 6.20pm if they are on double shift (teaching 2 classes a day) so they do not get much time for planning, class sizes can be 40+, a lack of resources, but also as teaching is mostly chalk and talk, pupils do not get much of a chance to do activities or to discuss their learning with a partner or group or even on their own. They generally copy from the blackboard. Even the boys on my compound, in Grades 7-9, copy the vast majority of the work in their jotters from work the teacher has scribed on the blackboard. They are not given the chance to think or discuss their work or learning. It actually makes me want to cry at times. Don’t get me wrong, there are some teachers who do active lessons and give their pupils the chance to think and discuss, but these are in the minority. More work is needed here to support the teachers. Giving schools a budget to work with would be a start. At present schools are funded by the pupils and other donors giving money to the school fund. This is what the HT uses to pay for repairs to the school, painting, resources (if they have any), providing food at school based workshops, basically everything bar salaries.

Well I think I have rabbited on enough for today. Till next time!

As of today schools are set to go back on the 17^th September. Fingers crossed they do, as I really want to get back visiting schools and actually doing what I am supposed to be doing. Since returning from Senegal I have been going to the office and trying to plan workshops for their return. The office staff have been and gone to Kombos and come back and as no schools are in there is not much for them to really do. The postings for the teachers are now out. Every summer, the Directors of each region meet to decide where teachers will be posted. A teacher can find themselves at one school one year and then in another the next. Sometimes these schools can be at other ends of the region. Even Head Teachers can be moved without warning. The only teachers who have any permanency in their postings seem to be the Cluster Trainers for FIOH and GATE. They have been displayed for all to see in the Education compound here in Basse, so there has been a steady stream of teachers coming to find out their fate.

A couple of weekends ago I went to Kombos to see off Sarah, my fellow Basse VSOer, who left to fly home. This time I decided to take the gelli rather than the sept plas. I decided it would be better as could not be bothered with the Barra ferry and all its travails. I was pleasantly surprised. I was there before noon, 5 ½ hours it took. For public transport on the south bank this is amazing – AMAZING! My return journey was not quite as good. Lilli, a volunteer with Tostan who had worked here for a year before being transferred to Kombos, came back with me. We got to the garage at 7am. We were thrown off the first gelli to make room for late coming ‘pre-booked’ passengers. The next one did not leave till 8.30am. By 2pm we were still not even half way. We eventually got to Basse at 7pm! Between breakdowns, passengers fainting and being taken to health centre, checkpoints where we all had to decant and untarmaced roads, it took us almost 12hours.

Basse is only about 400km from Kombos. Tomorrow I am going back down as the new volunteers are arriving, at least one of whom is being posted to Basse to work in agriculture. I am going to get the gelli again – mad I may be but at least I do not have to worry about getting the Barra Ferry!

Alieu, friend & Lamin in Kortiteh outfits

As I am sure you aware we have just completed the month of Ramadan and being a predominantly Muslim country, The Gambia was fasting. I fasted for a couple of days and just managed it. It was for not the lack of food that I struggled with, that didn’t bother me. It was being unable to drink anything, not even water. Having to fast for 30 days in this heat is ‘not easy’ as many a Gambian would say. When Gambians break fast, it is traditionally with a cup of sugary tea and bread followed by their meal. Even though they are eating less meals during Ramadan, their spending on food goes up as they like to eat nice food when breaking fast. In West Africa the celebration is called Koriteh. In the morning, I went with Alieu and Lamin to the prayer ground along with the rest of Mansajang, for community prayers. Essentially it was a piece of ground weeded and stripped for the community to come together to pray. I found it very spiritual the way everyone came together to pray, a whole community at one. Men, women and children. Afterwards, we went home and helped Mariama cook the feast. The afternoon was dedicated to Salibo. Sailbo is celebrated over two days. Groups of children in brand new clothes go visiting different compounds looking for money from people. It reminded me of Hallowe’en back in the UK, except without the fancy dress or jokes. I am told the same thing happens at Tobaski in October. Next time will make sure I have plenty of Dalasi coins to give out.



Mansajang Prayers

Salibo group...too cool for school!






Last week, two other volunteers and I visited Senegal for a week’s holiday. We spent a few days in Dakar and St Louis. What a contrast to The Gambia and Banjul. They are miles ahead by far and we felt like we were in Europe rather than Africa. Dakar is so much more developed than Banjul. We spent a lovely time eating good food, not to mention the wine! Forgot what red wine tasted like it’s been that long! There is so much to do in Dakar, 3 days was not really long enough. We spent a day on a little island called N’Gor which had a lovely little beach where we spent the day. It is only reached by pirogue so has no cars on it and is very peaceful. The next day we dove headlong into the mayhem of Dakar and its Marche HLM. This is Dakar’s material market, with all sorts of beautiful and colourful fabrics for sale. If you every visit Dakar, this is one place to visit.

St Louis is further north and is a lovely place with lots of nice galleries to wander in and out of. It was the first French settlement in Africa and was at one time capital of French West Africa, before usurped by Dakar. It straddles the main land, and island and peninsula. It is very easy to get round and we mostly stayed on the island as there was lots to do and see. The peninsula is home to the fishing fleet of colourful pirogues, but unfortunately this has led to a very dirty beach full of rubbish, but this does not deter the local children from enjoying the surf. We had a very enjoyable time in St Louis and Dakar. Thankfully, I remembered enough French to get by as very few people speak English here.

( Sorry no photos of Senegal as took me over an hour to upload the 3 Koriteh ones!)

Now what to do with the rest of the holidays, just been told that they have been extended to the 17^th September and some rumours have it as the 23^rd! And they complain about the loss of contact hours!

Sarah making lait

I am now on my own in Basse. Sarah left this morning for Kombos and at the end of August will be flying home to the UK. Watching Spaced, Upstairs Downstairs and Lewis won’t be the same without her. I will miss her, especially round the office, even more so through the summer.

Teachers' Transport Gelli Gellis

The Gambian Government put on buses to transport teachers at the end of term back down to the Kombos. from the various regions. All the region 6 teachers left this morning from various points all over the URR and not long afterwards, virtually the entire staff of the Regional Office followed. So now it is just me, Fatu the Records Officer, Oulay the Secretary and Ali the Education Officer left. I am not sure what to do over the next 7 weeks! I do have a visit planned to Senegal with Beth and Helen and then a few days in Kombos when Sarah leaves and the new batch of volunteers arrive.

Teachers' Transport

I am now officially the last VSO Education volunteer left in the URR. Hopefully, there will be some of the new volunteers posted to Basse but at present I have no idea where they are going, what they are doing or who they are. It would be nice to get some volunteers up here, but I am not all that lonely as I have made some friends here and with my compound brothers disturbing me every night to use my gas, get some tea, have some sugar or just for a chat I don’t get much time on my own anyway! How I long for my lovely, little, quiet flat at times where I could get some peace and time to myself. They just don’t seem to do that here. There is always someone around and solitude is not really an option.

Recently I visited Wassu, a little village on the North Bank about 130km west of Basse. The village itself is nothing remarkable, but is renowned in West Africa for its stone circle. Think Stonehenge but on a much smaller scale. There are thousands of these stone circles all over West Africa built to the much the same scale as one another, even though they are hundreds of miles apart. Wassu is by far the most well known.  It is the most peaceful place I have been to for a long while. Nothing around but the birds and insects to disturb you. We were the only visitors to the place. Visitors place small stones on top of the larger ones, reminding me of cairns back home. Anyone who visits The Gambia and makes the break from the Kombos, this is one place you should visit.

Wassu Stone Circle

Wassu Stone Circle

Me at Wassu Stone Circle

Wassu Stone Circle

Well we just had the 3^rd Annual Teachers’ Awards here in Region 6 at the weekend. Winners were only picked the Wednesday before and certificates were only being organised on the actual day! As with all things Gambian, events never start on time. It was due to start at 9am, but guess what didn’t start till 11.30am! When it got going, it started well. The speeches were all nice and generally short. The audience enjoyed the Martial Arts display buy the local all girl’s school. Then the Minister of Education got up to talk. Even when food was being handed out to the audience she kept talking, infact she talked for an hour. She talked for that long, Jallow (our PEO) missed out the segment where some schools were to perform plays as it was way overtime. However, they did not let this deter them. St Georges Upper Basic (Primary 7 to 2nd year) burst into the hall at just the right moment. Jallow never knew what hit him. It was a very funny moment. I am so glad they did it as the play all about FGM which is a big issue here and is still widely practised. The kids were great and they wrote it all themselves. Another school who had missed out also did the same, didn't have quite the same impact as the other one, but still quite good as Jallow was really sideswiped each time. Unfortunately, the last school to perform tried it too, but this time he was ready and sadly they never got to perform.

All in all the, thing never finished till gone 3.30pm. Not sure how the VSOs managed last year, but am informed it was just as long.

Sarah & I in our finery at RED 6 3rd Annual Teachers' Awards

Oh and forgot to say I was on GRTS, Gambia’s only tv station. The 10pm news broadcast a bulletin about the shebang and there I was sitting quite happily in the audience. Thankfully wide awake and bushytailed, even if it was the briefest of glimpses!

A couple of weekends ago, I rode my bike to Sapu (town 90km east of Basse). I rode all the way on my bike without incident. I never told my mother before hand as it would only have worried her, but she knows now! Thankfully the road out of Basse is finished so tarmac all the way! Believe me it makes a big difference riding on tarmac to laterite. It only took me just under 2 hours. (It’s not a very fast bike!!) One of my group of vols is posted there and it was a birthday party. Sapu is a little village beside the river and is where the Taiwanese have an agricultural project to grow rice. It is beautiful and full of wildlife. On my way u p to the highway, a group of monkeys crossed my path. It was incredible, but unfortunately I never had my camera to capture the moment. Sometimes I have ridden along the highway and passed groups of them sitting in the trees or at the side of the road. There is hardly any traffic on the highway here that they are rarely disturbed. Anyway, back to Sapu... David (birthday boy) is a fabulous cook so we were well catered for and good conversation. Sapu has also been visited by the ‘great’ man himself, President Jammeh. Infact we dined in his house on Saturday night. It was indeed a nice place, but getting slightly tatty and in need of a paint. However, it was nothing in comparison to our dwellings! They were of such beauty and comfort, the Ritz would pale beside it!!! I mean where else would you share your bedroom with a rat, actually make that 2 rats!! I was sitting in our communal area when I saw this little pink nose with whiskers poking out our bedroom. Beth and I quickly decided to vacate that room. Fortunately for Beth, but not for me, she managed to change houses completely, so Helen and I were left to keep the rats company!!

Sapu Rice Fields

The Gambia River, Sapu

Sapu Rice Fields

The rains have finally come. Although they are not coming every day at the moment. We had a heavy down pour last night. It relieves the heat for a bit but then it’s back up in no time at all. I’ve not really been up to all that much work wise recently. I was part of a Learner Centred Methodology workshop last week. The PEO ‘asked’ if I would volunteer to be part of it. Who was I to refuse! I was nothing more than a glorified Carole Vorderman, writing on the flip board. As this was to encourage teachers to be more child centred, it was rather ironic that the workshop was mostly ‘chalk & talk’.

Since then I was down in Kombos for my 3 month placement review, which I will not bore you with, but certainly did not entertain many of us! It’s hard to believe I’ve only been in Basse for just over  3 months, feels a lot longer sometimes! Obviously I had to visit the beach whilst I was there, really my arm was twisted and I was forced to lie by the ocean by some of my fellow volunteers!! It also seems that Sundays are when the Gambians come out to play. The beach was rammed full of folk playing football and volleyball. I’ve never seen a beach so busy, my photo does not capture the real extent of how busy it was.



Sunday at the beach

I did my workshop on Saturday, and amazingly and I do mean that, all the teachers turned up on time. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I realised that. Most other workshops I’ve been to have always started late with some teachers turning up an hour late, some even come half way through. But no, mine all turned up on time! I thought it went ok, but at times they did struggle with some of the tasks. I thought they were quite straightforward, but some really struggled to grasp some of the discussions, especially the one about assessment. As far as I can see they don’t seem to do much of that here, at least not anywhere near as much as back home. They barely seem to use any formative assessment strategies and rely on end of unit/term tests. The DHT was the best participant by far and I was really impressed by him. I am not sure why the school is in such a mess when he is clearly a very capable man. However, it doesn’t help that he is class committed and is also away a lot with other duties. I am due to go back next week to see how they are getting on, hopefully there will be some positive moves forward. All the staff said they found it very useful and they wanted more and at the start of the term. The feedback was good, well mostly. Some complained that the workshop was too long, it was shorter than their FIOH phonic trainings! Some wanted money to attend, which is the norm. Others wanted it during school hours, although what would happen to the children at this time is not clear. Probably leave them unattended which happens here all the time.

The number of times Sarah and I have been to various schools and found the teachers missing or gone to their house or on other errands whilst the children are left to run riot in the classrooms or school compound. It is very frustrating as they don’t seem to understand that they really shouldn’t be doing this and the HTs don’t do anything about it, but then they are guilty of this themselves. On Wednesday I went off on my bike back to Wulli West where I’d not been to for ages. Some of the HTs and teachers have been in and out the Education Office telling me how much they miss me, which is nice! I forgot how bad the roads on the North Bank are. I decided to visit 3 schools and only managed to do 1 observation so a bit of a waste of time and petrol. Some teachers were travelling, others were doing tests. Not a successful trek.

It has been really hot here the last few days, we are praying for rain to try and relieve the pressure. I am sitting here typing my blog and the sweat is dripping off me. I am lucky as my compound usually has power as it is on the Governor’s line, so we get power pretty much every night and I get to use my fan. However, Sarah is often without power. She either gets in the day or evening and then the opposite the following day. Sometimes she has no power at all for 2 days in a row. I am very glad to be on the Governor’s line, but it is really not fair on the residents of Mansa Jang that are not. They really should swap it around to make it fair or alternatively sack NAWEC and get someone else in who can actually provide power to everyone. Despite what it may sound like I am still enjoying Basse and loving everything here. The people are really friendly and welcoming wherever I go.