Pageant News 1 February 2011

Yankuba Ceesay is Pageant’s assistant agent in The Gambia. He helps Wandifa cope with the increasing workload connected with the sponsored children and has special responsibility for the up-country regions on the South Bank such as Jarreng. He also provided invaluable help during the Microscopy Workshops which Pageant held in February 2010. When Pageant had its 9th Annual General Meeting on Sunday 30 January 2011, Yankuba sent us a message to be read out at the meeting. We thought we should share this with you:

"I really want to thank you and the Pageant members for all your support to the Gambia as a nation, because I cannot find a word which can thoroughly express my happiness and appreciation for you."

"However, I will start by telling you how much I feel about the things you came with during your visit to the Gambia in February, I can even say that I was over whelmed about the microscopes you brought for our people, because I am sure that this kind of gesture will always boost the development of our educational sector to the highest standard, and not only that but, it will also pave a way for the young Gambians who are willing to take science as a career or even to become a scientist in the future. Because this will enable them to have more courage in science, hence they have the materials which are of high quality which they can use when doing their practicals. Instead of drawing and labelling things on the board, they can now use the microscope to do their practicals."

"Meanwhile, I will also take this opportunity to thank you once again, for the adjustment you make for our Gambian teachers after bringing the most expensive materials for their various schools. You do not stop at that, but, you also came with the most high professional personnel, who have true knowledge about microscope and who were willing to give out all the best they can to our teachers. I can tell you that the workshops you organized for the teachers and the students will really benefit them, since they have experienced peoples during the workshops, who wasted no time, but came to insert something of great value in our teachers that they will never forget, which I believe is the most valuable gift that some one can give out to an individual or a group of people."

"I will also take this opportunity to thank you for all the support you are rendering to the other Gambians too, and I will assure you that we are very much pleased with what ever you have done for us especially in terms of education and you are always welcome at any time any moment. Beside, you have made education possible to the less privileged ones in the society who cannot afford to pay for their education, and you also provided us with artemisia in order to reduce the cost of medicine to the poor people and to contribute immensely in the development of the Gambian health sector. This is excellent to me, and we are always thankful to you and all the Pageant members."

"Finally, all what you have done for us cannot be over estimated, but, with the little I list above is some thing big for us here in The Gambia and we are all proud of you and especially myself."

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