Some pictures of the sponsorship money hand-over:-

Good and bad news

First the good news. The books and equipment sent to Mackumbaya School have arrived and have been presented to the school by our representative Talibo Saidy along with sponsorship for school fees for all the pupils that we have sponsorship for at the moment, ( More donations always welcome). A ceremony was held at the presentation and some pictures will be put on the blog asap.
The bad news is that our vehicle in the Gambia has broken down and needs major surgery. Without this vehicle on the road it is very difficult for Talibo to get around the villages to check progress for us. We found out today that he has been walking to some places as there is little or no transport between the villages. Donations to our transport fund are desperately needed and would be so welcome.
Just to top off the bad news we have heard that the back wall ofTalibo's house collapsed in the middle of the night due to the mass of water in the ground during the wet season. Luckily no-one was hurt but to rebuild would cost £250, not a great deal in the UK but a fortune to a Gambian.

Books to Makumbaya

A consignment of books and equipment has been sent out to Talibo, our Gambian rep., for distribution to the Makumbaya Junior School. This will give the school a start in their quest to have a library that pupils can use to assist their education instead of absolute learning by rote which is the method used in most Gambian schools. The shipment should arrive in time for the new school year.

Fund raising

Our charity has now signed up to www.everyclick.com to assist in fundraising. All money donated via this website comes direct to the charity plus gift aid if appropriate. We recommend all of our followers to use this easy method of donation.

The B-B-Q took place although the weather could have been better, what happened to our predicted hot sunshine? About 40 people attended over the afternoon and evening and we raised about £300. The smoked mackeral seemed to do a vanishing act and the donated apple pie did not stand a chance. Many thanks to all those who came and to those who donated even if they could not be there in person. Some of the money will be used to transport school books and clothing to the Gambia in the next couple of weeks the rest will be used in general funds.

Future Plans

Looking further into the future there are two main fundraisers planned.
In 2010, hopefully in July, a show at the Little Theatre Torquay starring local entertainer Andy Oakley with the format "An Audience With"
In 2011 a grand concert is planned at the Fernham Hall in Fareham with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir.

The date for the Barb-E-Q has been set for 18th July.

We hope, in the near future, to arrange a fundraising Bar-B-Q in Torquay. This will be on a Saturday in July. If anyone has any prizes that they could donate towards a raffle we would be most grateful

Our needs at the moment

We have 20 children on our most needy list at the moment. These children need sponsorship to start their education in the Makumbaya Lower Basic School. It only costs £35 per year to guarantee their full education including fees, books and uniform. If you can help please e-mail us now.

Sponsorship

Many thanks to Dawn & Paul McCafferty for sponsoring two pupils at the Makumbaya Lower Basic school in memory of " Nana"

Up to Date Info on Harmony Gambia

This blog will be used to update any followers on the activities of Harmony Gambia. If any of you have ideas about helping us to do our work in the Gambia please feel free to add them to the blog.