|
During a conversation after his arrival in UK, Bakary asked if it
might be possible to trace the sponsor, Diana Wale, who had enabled
him to finish his schooling. The last address he had for her was in
Shanklin, Isle of Wight. Pageant member Mo Dawkins, who lives on the
Island, rallied local newspapers and radio station in an effort to
trace her. The photograph that Bakary has kept of her since she sent
it to him in about 1990 was the key to finding her - it was printed
in the County Press and was first of all recognised by Diana's
brother. Diana herself then contacted Mo Dawkins, who arranged a
lunchtime meeting for Sunday 31 July.
On that Sunday Bakary Gitteh, together with Ian & Pippa Howard,
crossed to the Island by HoverSpeed (an exciting event in itself)
and were met at Ryde and taken to Mo's home, where Diana was waiting
to meet him. It was a wonderful occasion for both Bakary and Diana -
they had never met before and Diana has never visited The Gambia, so
there was lots to talk about. Bakary presented Diana with a
beautiful bouquet of flowers and Diana had brought presents for
Bakary, his family and for the school - amazingly, she had selected
a sewing box for Bakary's wife, Mariama, not knowing that Mariama
teaches sewing and other aspects of Domestic Science at Bakalarr
School. It could not have been a more welcome gift. The photos below
show some of the highlights of the day.
|
 |
 |
|
Boarding the hovercraft |
Bakary and Ian on board |
|
 |
 |
|
Diana Wale with Bakary |
Diana and Bakary look at
Pageant web pages |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Diana gives Bakary a
sewing kit, and other presents |
|
As Diana said, it was such a pleasure for her to find that the child
she had sponsored had succeeded so well in his career - she had
never dreamt that she was helping a future headmaster! For his part,
Bakary said that meeting Diana was one of the best moments of his
trip to UK - he had hoped, but not really expected, that they might
meet and he was delighted to be able to thank her personally for her
kindness and to be able to renew contact with her. |
|
|
Bakary gives Diana a
bouquet |
|
 |
|
A world map for the
classroom wall |
Bakary's story is a marvellous example of a
child who has benefited from sponsorship and has made the most of
his opportunities.
Find out more
about how you can sponsor a child's education through Pageant.
|