PAGEANT stands for
Projects
Aiding
Gambian
Education
And
Natural
Talent. We are a small
UK-registered Charity, providing urgently needed help for education solely in
The Gambia, West Africa. We rely on donations from individuals and
organisations, and you can help us by making an
online donation.
All of our running costs are covered by our members' modest
annual subscription,
so 100%
of donations goes to our projects in The Gambia.
Education is one of the most powerful and cost
effective means for improving living standards in developing countries. The
Gambia has a well structured education system, but pupils must bear some of the
costs. This limits the opportunities available to less well-off children. Schools have
dedicated teaching staff, whose efforts are greatly enhanced by
improvements to buildings, facilities and equipment.
Pageant works with its agents in The Gambia to provide help with
construction projects, and provision of furniture and equipment for schools in
several villages. We also help with education and self sufficiency projects in
village communities.
Pageant runs a
sponsorship scheme enabling students
to complete their education when parents are unable to pay school fees, and you
can be
sure that ALL the money actually goes to help the student.
Take your time to explore our website. We
hope it will help spread the word,
both to all those people who have experienced the delights of The
Gambia and to those who wish to help in any way to improve the
educational opportunities for those currently excluded. We are
keen to hear from you with further ideas or requests for
information. Our
contact page
gives you our telephone number and postal address.
Alternatively you
can send us an email by clicking on this link.
Background
The Gambia is a small narrow country in West
Africa, along both sides of the Gambia river. Although there is considerable tourist development on the
coast near the capital Banjul, most of the country is relatively
poor and under developed. Primary education is provided free,
but after that fees are charged. Pupils are also expected to
bear the costs of all food, travel, books and materials.
Education is seen as the way out of the poverty trap. For many
years, tourists have been encouraged to provide help to schools
near to the tourist areas, but most up-country schools get
little help. Pageant was started by Ian and Pippa Howard in 2002 to provide assistance
to these schools. It is a registered UK Charity (Charity No.
1093963). The trustees are Ian Howard, Tina Boswell and Andrew
Groves.
