November 2022 marks two years since our New Yundum school opened its doors for the very first time. This small village is near to The Gambia’s only airport and yet, until 2020, there was no primary school for local children.
Fundraising to build a school in Yundum, The Gambia
We started fundraising for Yundum back in November 2019 and managed to raise £13,000 thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters. However, as for so many charities, the pandemic put a stop to fundraising. We continued to support our other schools with money for food and learning resources, but we had to press pause on Yundum.
Thankfully, we were able to restart fundraising after a few months and work began on the new school. We hired a local construction company and the Yundum community pulled together to offer their support. Finally, by November 2020, the school was ready to welcome its first pupils.
Yundum school today
We last visited Yundum in the summer of 2022 and were thrilled to see the difference the school is already making to Gambian children. The school has 150 pupils, aged between three and nine. Early education like this can make a huge difference to children’s long-term schooling. It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, there was no local primary school, so most of these children were unable to access education.
As you can see in this video, the children now love learning!
Yundum school has three classrooms, all of which have electricity and fans to keep the children comfortable. (The average temperature in The Gambia is 29°C to 34°C.)
Child malnutrition is a serious concern in The Gambia. There isn’t space for a kitchen at the school, so we’re in negotiations with a local company to cook the children’s lunches. As well as paying for food, Africa Angels also supports the school with essential learning supplies, such as posters, notebooks and pens, most of which we buy from The Gambia to help the local economy and reduce delivery costs.
While we will always support the school, it’s run by the local community. Most parents pay 100 dalasi (around £1.60) for each child, but if they can’t afford the fees the children are still allowed to attend.
Sheriffo Hydara is the headteacher. He told us, “The community can't thank Africa Angels charity enough for their benevolent efforts in ensuring education is accessible and affordable in The Gambia. The school appreciated and is grateful for your support in terms of human resources. Ever since 2020 till now, the demand for the admission of pupils has surpassed the capacity of the school. All of this was achievable because of Africa Angels charity. Thank you once again!”
Help to build and support schools in Africa
Our goal is to make education a reality for many more children across The Gambia. But we’re only a small charity, so we need your help.Just £20 would pay for a whole month of nutritious school lunches for 10 children. Every £1 you give us will be used to fund our work.
Please do consider making a donation today.
Visit The Gambia
Would you like to see the real Gambia? We’d love to invite you to join us on our next trip. You’ll visit Yundum and the schools that your donations are supporting and experience this beautiful country for yourself, far away from the usual tourist traps. Get in touch to find out more.