The Spring of Life School is in the Sinchu Alagie area, and was founded in 2015 by 3 friends Joseph Mendy, Andrew Mendy and Paul Gomez. Their aim was to give children who would not otherwise be able to go to school a chance to access an education and in their words “to narrow the gap between the have and the have nots and help give them a springboard into life”.

There are 225 children in the school which caters for Pre-Nursery to Grade 3 (ages 4-8). The area around the school is very poor and the school itself has very few resources. Classrooms need refurbishing and some of the children are being taught in classrooms that have corrugated metal sheets for walls and roofs.

To support the school over the past few years we paid teacher’s salaries during COVID lockdown in addition to providing reading books, pens, pencils and other school equipment. The children have been provided with school bags full of school equipment and each year the children receive Christmas shoeboxes.

During visits to the school students and adult volunteers from King Edward VI College Stourbridge and The Royal School Wolverhampton engaged the children in a range of activities and games. Students also painted and decorated the outside of the school and some of the classrooms.  

The school is currently looking for new premises as the landlord has given them notice to leave. At present half the school are having lessons on the old site while half the school are having lessons in a new building which is being rented. Unless the school can raise the money to purchase the new building they will have to move again.

Project Gambia will continue to support the school as much as we can and in doing so help to make a difference to these children’s lives.

Andrew Mendy one of the founders writes: “Project Gambia, you are truly dedicated to making a difference to the lives of children in The Gambia. The children and staff at Spring of Life Nursery School have greatly loved interacting with the teams that have visited. We value your friendship and support in helping us to continue impacting and shaping the lives of children. Thank you for all you do!”