Trek through the Lower River Region

Publish Post

The Trek around the Lower River Region

In my role as Education Advisor, I am working with the Lower River Region Education team to implement the Whole School Development Strategy in selected schools. The WSD strategy is changing the structures, management, organisation and practices within each school. It is a huge inititiative being sponsored and driven by the World Bank and other large organisations (Difid, Besfor).

I have spent the last 5 days on Trek through my region with my Gambian Colleague. We have stayed in small rural communities, which have been extremely hospitable. Principals have organised food and accomodation, often vacating their homes to provide a place for me to sleep.

The first stage of the initiative has been for communities to elect a School Management Committee, the communities have met in large gatherings to elect members. Our role was to observe the Principals/Deputys deliver training to 3 school communities about their role as a committee member, information about WSD and developing their school vision. The training was conducted in Mandinka (one site Mandinka and Fula) and information discussed was written in English. We went to 4 sites and participated, gave feedback and recorded what the community ideas were.

It has been a wonderful trek, meeting teachers, school children, community members and principals. I have spent quiet evenings chatting outside under that stars as there has been no power in the towns visited. I have shared a food bowl for each lunch and dinner. This has consisted of a huge rice bowl with a domoda (peanut gravy, often eaten with goat meat) or fish benechin (dried fish with cabbage due to limited vegetable supply). About 5 people ear together and share the food bowl usually without cutlery. Each breakfast has consisited of sardines, onion and mayanaise to a bagette with really sweet tea, both condensed milk and sugar added.

My thoughts about the project so far are positive, even though it is such a huge project. It had been wonderful seeing the parent community having a say and contribute ideas in their local language. Most parents are illiterate and it has been powerful to hear their thoughts and to indicate what they have to say is important.