Six months ago there was a barren piece of land next to the playground in Sohm Lower Basic school, and the first activity took place around building the new multi-purpose hall. Progress has been swift, as these photos show, and all will be ready for the official opening of the hall, when we visit the country in January.
Stuck for a present idea, for the person who has everything?
Help someone who has nothing
Make a name for your recipient in Africa
Since we launched our "chair naming" initiative, as a fund raiser, supporters have donated money to name over 100 chairs!
Imaginative people have come up with a whole range of interesting ideas for chair names. Some, as we had originally hoped, have named chairs after themselves; others, after grand children, other family members or well-loved, deceased relatives.
Some donors have wanted to celebrate figures who may be inspirational, or role models for the students; figures from black African history, inventors, pioneers, African musicians and writers etc.
There are a number of chairs dedicated to our only two "institutional" sponsors - Beech Hill Primary School, in Luton and Redbridge Rotary Club - without whom this new hall would not be possible. So - a very big "thank you" to them from us, and from the youngsters in The Gambia.
We have now got all the chairs to The Gambia, and our friends out there have stencilled the nominated names on the requisite chairs - as some of the photos show.
But - hurry, while stocks last!! We still have some sad looking chairs with no names - just waiting for your choice (and £25!). There are less than three weeks to Christmas and you know you are struggling for ideas for some "difficult" people.
Your dilemma is solved! Send us you "name" by Christmas Eve, with the £25 donation, together with the e.mail address of the person to whom you are sending the named chair as a gift. We will send them an e.mail with a photo of a named chair (not their name), but with a promise to send a framed print of a Sohm youngster, sitting on "their" chair, in the new hall, in February.
Two bites at the cherry! They get a "gift" promise on Christmas Day and the framed photo two months later. Two gifts for the price of one!
Simple! A quick way for you to solve a dilemma of a gift, we do the work for you, and the youngsters in Sohm get the benefit. Sounds like Christmas, to us!
Roll up - with role model footballers
John is a Crystal Palace supporter and has named a chair after every African footballer in the current squad; see below for a couple of examples.
As an extremely generous Christmas offer, we will be prepared to name other chairs after other African footballers, playing for other clubs - at no extra cost!!!
For just £25, you could inspire up to 300 African youngsters who, on a daily basis, could see the name of your team's African all-star!
To "Name that chair"
Simply pick a name of your choice, and drop us a line to that effect, with a £25 (or more, if you like!) donation to Sohm Schools Support - see below for bank details.
If you want us to write to the recipient, telling them of your gift, just drop us their e.mail address, too. And consider it done!
We really do need the name before Christmas, as we have to get the stencil of the name made, before we leave for the Gambia in mid January. We will then have get the chair painted in time for the opening.
We will send you, or your nominated person a framed photo of one of Sohm's youngster's sitting in the chair, in the hall, rather like the mocked-up one below when we return from the country in February.
We are creating a "Scroll of Honour", which will be displayed in the hall, saying a few words about the named person on every chair, to let the youngsters know a little about the people. You may wish to send a few words about your nominated "chair" person.
The bank details are:
Bank: Santander
A/c name: UK Sohm Secondary School (The Gambia)
Sort: 090128
A/c no: 04453414
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