A Big BFiG Busumbala Nursery School Update – Powered by Emmanuel School!
🌍 A Big BFiG Busumbala Update – Powered by Emmanuel School, Walsall!
Time for another Building Futures in The Gambia (BFiG) Busumbala Nursery School update – and this one is all about the amazing children and staff of Emmanuel School in Walsall, UK. Prepare yourself… this is a feel-good story with real impact.
🤝 A Special Connection with Emmanuel School
Since September 2024, I’ve been incredibly lucky to spend a few hours each week working at Emmanuel School. During that time, the children and staff have learned all about Building Futures in The Gambia and our growing nursery school in Busumbala.
When they heard about our work, they didn’t just listen politely… they asked how they could help.
🌱 The Idea That Took Root
In July 2025, I delivered an assembly to a brilliant class of thirteen children from Years 4–6. I told them about the wall being built around BFiG Busumbala Nursery School and explained that once the gates were installed, the next exciting step would be planting trees around the school grounds.
I suggested that they might like to fund the trees.
We talked about how trees bring shade, colour and beauty, but also how planting and caring for them helps Gambian children learn vital skills from their school curriculum – including how to grow fruit and vegetables. In The Gambia, food, farming and sustainability education matter deeply to families and communities.
You can read more about that assembly here:
👉 https://www.bfigcharity.org/inspiring-young-entrepreneurs-at-emmanuel-school-an-exciting-assembly/
💡 Young Entrepreneurs in Action
The children loved the idea – and their teacher took it one step further by launching business enterprise projects.
Each child was given £2 of the teacher’s own money and challenged to create a business. At the end, they had to return the £2 plus any profit they made. Those profits would pay for the trees at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School.
What happened next was nothing short of inspirational.
🍰 Big Ideas, Big Hearts
The children threw themselves into their projects with enthusiasm and creativity. They:
- sold sweets
- baked cakes and cookies
- collected and sold poppy seeds
- cleaned cars
- made bookmarks
- and came up with all sorts of wonderful ideas (check out the photos!)
One child even donated £10 of her own pocket money, purely as a gift from the heart. These children were extraordinary.
🎉 An Incredible Result!
Just before the end of the Summer 2025 term, I was invited in to receive the profits from their businesses. In the photos, you can see me receiving the cheque – and you can also see the incredible total raised by just thirteen children aged 8–11…
£224.74 🎉
Absolutely stunning.
As a thank you, I gave them all a great BIG group hug.
A small group of children from a small school in Walsall is now having a BIG impact on the lives of young children thousands of miles away.
🌳 From Walsall to West Africa – Trees Are Being Planted!
The money raised will be used to buy:
- mango trees
- orange trees
- avocado trees
- banana trees
- umbrella trees
We’ll also be buying flowering plants such as bougainvillea – because teacher Mariama has asked for lots of flowers! 🌸
📸 A Milestone Morning in Busumbala
This morning, 12th December 2025, the first trees were planted – and the nursery school children helped! Check out the photos.
School Manager Lamin Barrow has also recorded a special thank you video for the children at Emmanuel School. Please do watch it below.
Once our new toilet block is complete, we’ll be planting even more trees – and I’ve asked Lamin if we can plant some together when I visit in January 2026.
🚧 More Progress on the Ground
There’s more good news:
- The final gap between the new wall and gates has now been filled – no wandering cows or sheep will be munching our baby trees
- Trenches for the new toilet block foundations have been dug (with help from the Emmanuel School donation)
- Construction will begin over the next few days
Lamin is hopeful we can plumb the toilets into our water supply so that each cubicle has a tap and a shower – which would be absolutely fantastic.
❤️ How You Can Help Us Keep Going
We need ongoing financial support to continue developing BFiG Busumbala Nursery School.
You can donate directly to our charity bank account:
Building Futures in The Gambia
Sort Code: 77-33-04
Account Number: 34015368
Lloyds Bank
Or via:
👉 PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bfigcharity
👉 Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/bfigcharity
Setting up a small monthly standing order would be incredibly helpful. We have teachers’ wages to pay every month – and we’ve just taken on our second teacher, with a third needed soon.
🎁 Don’t Forget Gift Aid!
Because ‘Building Futures in The Gambia’ is a UK registered charity (no. 1159520), if you’re a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid allows us to claim an extra 25% from the Government.
A £10 donation becomes £12.50 – at no extra cost to you.
Just send me your address and postcode.
🌍 Stay Connected
🌐 Website: https://www.bfigcharity.org/
📘 Facebook Groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/gambiaschoolsproject
https://www.facebook.com/bfigcharity
🔗 All our socials: https://linktr.ee/buildingfuturesinthegambia
🙏 Abaraka Bake – Thank You Very Much
On behalf of myself, Lamin, the children and the entire community at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School, I want to say abaraka bake (thank you very much) to the children and staff at Emmanuel School in Walsall.
You are incredible.
More news very soon! 🌱
