Last year, we once again packed a container with donations on behalf of the Dresden-Banjul Organization (DBO) and sent it on its way. The transport was successful and the donations are on site.
The Healthpost in Gunjur now has new windows. DBO writes: “Our new project deals with the topic of educating young people and adults about sexuality, health, hygiene, circumcision, contraception, puberty and vaccinations, as these ‘shameful’ topics are not discussed in school lessons. A 20-year-old girl does not know why she is menstruating, except that she is not allowed to pray to Allah during this time, to name just one example. However, there is a huge amount of interest in the natural context.
Our employee Sol used to work as a nurse and has acquired his knowledge over many years. It is good that these topics, which are incredibly sensitive for Gambians, are explained by a Gambian who is familiar with the country’s traditions and is therefore taken seriously. He goes to the villages and schools and finds the right people there to pass it on to the others in the village. School classes are also invited to the courses. The first course organized by the DBO took place in Brikama in the governor’s office with 25 participants.
Floor tiles were provided for the Lambai Nursery School, a pre-school kindergarten: the school is located just outside Sukuta and is run in a former store owned by Lamin Samanteh. So far, 70 children aged 4-6 are being taught a basic vocabulary in English. This is a prerequisite for being able to follow the lessons at school later on. The children learn the Mandinka language in their families, but the official language in The Gambia is English. That is why we at DBO are very keen to make this time in the nursery schools as pleasant as possible for the children.”
