BASIG principle Martin Englefield has been in The Gambia during February checking on build progress and finalising advance preparations for when the team and volunteers arrive in force during the month of April to help with completion of the main build.

Martin was pleased to witness continued good progress with everything on schedule to meet the planned objective of a school opening later in the year, he said “the build schedule going to plan is a great relief for all concerned given the teething problems experienced early on in the project, this will now enable us to focus more clearly on the education processes that have to implemented”.

Thus far the voluntary services of approximately 10 – 15 expert UK tradespeople have been secured in the form of plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, painters and decorators all of whom will be travelling out for periods of at least a week each. Charity Trustee Alan Seager said “we are extremely confident given the skill sets of volunteers that a significant amount on the build cost will be saved, this will be of huge benefit to the charity and will undoubtedly help with the running costs going forward. We are very grateful to these individuals who have given up their personal time to help us”.

BASIG would like to thank everyone that has made a donation to date, items received include various school equipment donated by Suffolk County Council, building materials from merchants local to the Ipswich and Colchester areas and also the many household items and clothing donated by ordinary local people. These items and equipment have all been dispatched by container to The Gambia and are expected to arrive about the same time as the volunteers. It is hoped the household items and clothing can be sold locally into the Gambian community with any money raised going into the school fund as a direct contribution.

Mr Drammeh from the local Gambian SOS schools project has made excellent progress helping the charity to meet its education objectives, the school is now registered with Gambian authorities which means progress can start on the education curriculum processes and administration. It is hoped these matters can be finalised during the charities visit in April.

Watch this space
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100% of all BASIG donations go to the building cause with none of that money going to administration or travel costs, we thank all of our sponsors who have helped the project to evolve this far.