THE GAMBIA Sunday 06/01/2019 – The Community Action Support Association (CASA Gambia) handed over the 2.6M Dalasi Rehabilitation of Brufut Lower Basic School to the authorities of Brufut Lower Basic School.
CASA Gambia has been raising funds since early 2018. Through local campaigns and international crowdfunding, hundreds of people got involved into improving the educational facilities for the Brufut children. The project is co-funded by a range of Dutch foundations such as: MRC-Holland, St. Childcare Education Foundation (CHEF), Wilde Ganzen and Elizabeth Strouven, to enhance learning in a conducive learning environment.
D 2.6 million Rehabilitation Project for Brufut Lower Basic School
This project was initiated by some natives of Brufut to improve the standard of Brufut Lower Basic School for better education. Since its establishment in 1961, the community-based school has been challenged with to little resources, prompting support from partners abroad and locals.
The chairman of CASA-Gambia, Ebrima Jatta, said since education is the bedrock of any empowerment initiative, children must be included and supported, he disclosed that through CASA’s efforts, they have managed to:
- tile 32 Classroom including their verandas,
- build 11 new toilets and renovate all the old toilets in the school,
- refurbished all the classrooms,
- paint the whole school,
- re-wire the electricity cables through the school,
- renovate the school outdoor canteen,
- build a new gate for the school at the main entrance,
- equipped the school with 364 new tables and 940 new chairs and learning materials (including library).
Better Education is Paving the way for self-driven development
Henriette Brummer Sonko, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Gambia, expressed her office’s commitment to supporting such schools; “children far from the capital are highly deprived and that’s where our assistance falls” she commended. Sonko promised to cooperate with CASA further on the construction of additional classrooms to accommodate the growing number of children.
Omar Nyassi, representative from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education appealed for a proper upkeep of the school. The executive secretary of CASA-Gambia, Mariama Kebbeh, calls for more collaboration between the school and other partners, and used the platform to stress that through volunteerism, the life of many could be changed. The representative of CASA Gambia – Netherlands, Francine Simons, was among those who spoke at the event.
School management, pupils, parents and elders of the community cheer the project, as they believe it will enhance the educational level of their children. Without CASA Gambia, numerous volunteers, donors and partners, the future of Brufut children wouldn’t have looked so bright as today.