Once again a Pageant team were in The Gambia for the regular February visit. There were several different strands to this visit, and a number of people were in The Gambia at different times for various projects:

• As usual, Pippa, Ian and others visited schools and villages to monitor progress of several Pageant projects. They visited sponsored children to check on their progress at school, and distributed a number of 'gifts' bought through Pageant's Ethical Gift Scheme.
• There were two one-day Microscopy Workshops for student teachers at Gambia College. Pageant purchased 10 Apex Examiner microscopes through Brunel Microscopes, and we would like to thank them for the generous discount they allowed us. Pippa and Ian, as well as Kathy, Ian and Helen Groves were all involved in these workshops.
• Four students from Christ's Hospital (CH), Arthur, Daniel, Luke and Oscar, had an ambitious programme planned in a number of different schools (see below)

Members of the Pageant team attempted to post their news from The Gambia on the Pageant News Blog. However, there were considerable difficulties with internet access during the visit, so the posts listed below were made before and after the visit.

• On this page
• 5 February Christ's Hospital visit to The Gambia
• 9 February Preparing to go workshop-wise
• 13 February Christ's Hospital Pageant Trip : 1st Post
• 17 February First Microscopy Workshop
• 24 February Back from The Gambia (workshop report)
• All of these links are also available from Menu 2

Update April 2013 - Newspaper Article

The Horsham local newspaper, the West Sussex County Times, published this article on 21 April, describing the visit of the Christ's Hospital team.

5 Feb 2013 - Christ's Hospital visit to The Gambia

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A team from Pageant are shortly leaving for their regular February visit to The Gambia. As well as Pippa and Ian, four students from Christ's Hospital (CH) will be going. We are recruiting them as members of this blog, so we hope for up-to-the-minute reports on their activities.

Arthur, Daniel, Luke and Oscar are all senior boys in Peele B at Christ's Hospital. Peele A & B (there are two houses in each 'block') have been raising money to sponsor Gambian students since 2004 - in latter years they have raised funds by holding the 'Peele Arts Festival' at school, which is an evening of music, sketches, video clips and other entertainment for which the rest of the school can buy tickets to attend. It is always entertaining, always a sell-out and organised by the boys themselves.

At the start of the current school year the Peele B housemaster suggested that it would be a good idea for some of the boys to visit The Gambia, meet the students that they have been helping and organise some supportive activities that they could do at schools and in village communities. Arthur, Daniel, Luke and Oscar have thrown themselves into the project with great enthusiasm and a rather ambitious programme has been mapped out, for which the boys have done some fund-raising to provide all the materials. The programme includes:

• decorating school classrooms
• art lessons and a sports day for nursery schools
• science, maths, drama and music sessions with Primary schools
• practical science for trainee teachers
• football and rugby coaching
• meeting 'their' Gambian students
• ... and a couple of 'tourist attraction' visits.

As we said - rather ambitious!! They are intending to write some blog entries during the trip, if they have any energy left at the end of the day!! They also want to include video clips from their trip in the next 'Peele Arts Festival', which will be in the coming summer term.

9 Feb 2013 - Preparing to go workshop-wise

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Andrew and I went over to see Pippa and Ian last night. We picked up microscopes and stuff to take with us next Friday. Can't believe we are going again but really beginning to look forward to it. The group sounds interesting, with the lads from CH coming but we will miss Joe and Katie and the others as well as Bob and Anne and Sally. Looking forward to seeing Wandifa and Abdoulie as well as Yankuba and Fatou and Ebrima, Lamin and maybe Ousman. It is really good that Helen can be with us this year and she and Ian (Groves) can help with this blog.

13 Feb 2013 - Christ's Hospital Pageant Trip : 1st Post

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17 Feb 2013 - First Microscopy Workshop

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Back from the first microscopy workshop. This went well but a long day. 20 trainee teachers and lots of microscopes and samples of local flowers, sand etc to look at. Also Andrew, Ian and Helen ran two chemistry experiments. These were the flour bomb and chromatography of felt pen ink. Both a huge success. The CH boys were helping out as well so lots of pageant shirts. Linda came and joined in and talked to them all about teaching. Tomorrow we run another and Yankuba is coming to help. Tired now so will sign out. More news Tuesday.

24 Feb 2013 - Back from The Gambia

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Well we are back in the UK and it is very cold! 35 degrees difference from when we left.

It was very difficult to get on to the internet when we were in The Gambia so I have had to wait to let you have some more news on our trip.

We spent a week over there and actually had two rest days so they were really appreciated. The first full day we spent visiting compounds. It was lovely to see the "children" we sponsor (they are 20 and 21) and I was delighted to see the garden that Ebrima had made- lots of salad, cabbages, carrots and also two large banana trees. We visited Abdoulie's compound and met his mother. She is a very keen gardener and had a large plot very neatly kept with lots of vegetables growing well. Then we visited Wandifa's family and met Mariama and his two sons Mo Lamin and Ebe.

Hopefully the trainee teachers will then go out to schools and pass on some practical teaching of science with the microscopes and equipment we have left them.

The two microscopy workshops on Sunday and Monday went very well considering we had done very little to prepare for them. Andrew and Ian (Groves) did some chemistry with cornflour making a "bomb" which went down well and Helen did a chromatography session with different coloured pens. The idea that a red pen had three colours in the ink was a surprise for the student teachers. For the microscopy we looked at flowers, leaves, fabric and anything we could get hold of including a piece of termite mound and several insects. We also looked at human hair and compared it to the synthetic hair that some of the women were wearing. The student teachers (and science club) presented us all with gifts and also with a marvellous large picture of a carved stereo microscope. Hopefully Pippa can get it back as it was too large for our cases. Look out for it when you visit Pippa and Ian.

After the workshops we had a day at the hotel and then on the Wednesday we went with Pippa, Ian and Wandifa to the North Bank. For those of you who haven't done this, the trip involves catching the first ferry at 7 in the morning. It left on time and the crossing in the dark was very cold. Once the sun was up it soon became too hot though. We had a session at Barra Essau upper basic school with microscopes as we were leaving them two and some lenses for the science classes. A very impressive school and high quality teaching was evident. We then drove on to Bakalarr and left Pippa and Ian to discuss the school projects while we went with Wandifa to visit a new child we had sponsored. The family were so lovely it was a real pleasure to meet them. Finally back to the ferry picking up Pippa and Ian on the way. Got back to the hotel at 6 and had a welcome beer. Even after three washes we were very orange from the red sand.

Finally another day off and then back on the flight home on Friday. On this final day we had a some time with Yankuba who was working at the hotel.

A lovely, if a bit hectic, week and we all really enjoyed meeting many Gambians as well as the lads from Christs Hospital who worked very hard with their sports and art sessions at the schools. Thanks to Wandifa, Abdoulie and Yankuba as well as Pippa and Ian and all those who helped out. Looking forward to going next year although sadly without Helen and Ian who will be at University all being well.

Apologies for all misspelling! Kathy (Andrew, Helen and Ian Groves)