Rainy Season Repairs at Our Gambia Nursery School
Protecting Our School from The Gambia’s Rainy Season – While Continuing to Build for the Future
The rainy season has well and truly arrived in The Gambia.
For us, that means every heavy downpour brings a mixture of excitement and anxiety. The rain is desperately needed after months of dry weather, and it’s really benefitting our ‘Emmanuel Trees’ and bougainvillea. But it also tests every part of our little nursery school.
This week we’ve been carrying out emergency roof repairs, improving accessibility around the school and continuing work on our new toilet block—all thanks to the determination of our School Manager, Lamin Barrow, and our amazing supporters.
Unfortunately, it has also reminded us that every stage of developing a school comes with unexpected challenges.
An Unexpected £100 We Simply Didn’t Have
When Lamin inspected Classroom One, it became clear that parts of the aluminium roof needed repairing before the rains became any heavier.
There simply wasn’t time to wait.
Water finding its way into a classroom doesn’t just damage a roof. It damages books, learning resources, furniture and children’s education.
So we made the difficult decision to spend around £100 on replacement aluminium sheeting and labour.
That money wasn’t sitting in a spare fund.
It had to come from money we had carefully set aside for completing our new toilet block.
It’s frustrating to have to slow one project to protect another, but safeguarding the classrooms where children learn every day had to come first.
While the repairs were taking place, lessons continued outside under the veranda, with teachers ensuring learning carried on despite the disruption.
That determination sums up everyone involved with Building Futures in The Gambia.
The work never stops.
Building Better Access One Wheelbarrow at a Time
One of the things we’ve always tried to do is make the school more accessible for every child.
Rather than allowing leftover sand and cement to go to waste, Lamin had another excellent idea.
He’s begun constructing a concrete pathway between the school building and our new toilet block.
During the rainy season, the sandy school grounds quickly become muddy and slippery.
Once completed, the new path will mean children and teachers can reach the toilets without wading through mud. It will also make life considerably easier for children with mobility difficulties, continuing our commitment to inclusive education.
It’s a relatively small project—but one that will make a difference every single day for years to come.
Here’s a video from Lamin’s home village Sankandi which he sent me last year. It is very clear to see how heavy and destructive these seasonal rains can be.
Nothing Goes to Waste
Lamin has also been busy clearing the ground behind the new toilet block.
As always, nothing is thrown away if it can still be useful.
Old rubble from previous building work will be recycled to fill the original soakaway, helping tidy the site while making use of materials we already have.
That careful approach to spending every pound wisely is one of the reasons we’ve managed to achieve so much with such limited resources.
The New Toilet Block is Nearly Finished
Progress on our new toilet block continues steadily.
We’re currently waiting for one final day of demolition work to completely remove the old toilet block.
After that, our tiler will return to finish tiling the entire front of the new building.
This isn’t simply about making it look smart—although it certainly will.
A fully tiled exterior will be much more durable than painted render, making it easier to clean and reducing future maintenance costs.
Once the tiling is complete, we’ll install the remaining two salvaged doors from the old toilet block to finish the three children’s toilets at the front of the building.
The fourth toilet, situated on the left-hand side of the building, will have to wait until we can secure further funding.
As for the side walls and rear, Lamin is currently getting costs for plastering so the outside of the building will be complete and dry before the rains get too heavy.
Like so many of our projects, progress depends entirely upon donations.
Looking Towards Electricity
We’re also beginning to investigate the possibility of connecting the school to the Gambian electricity network through NAWEC.
This would transform what our nursery school is capable of providing.
Electricity would mean:
- Lighting inside every classroom.
- Charging facilities for staff phones.
- Power for speakers during music and singing lessons.
- A water tower with an electric pump, giving reliable water pressure to the sinks and shower in our new toilet block.
- Even greater opportunities for learning in the future.
At the moment we’re gathering information and investigating the costs involved before making any decisions.
Every Donation Really Does Matter
This week’s update is a reminder that running a nursery school isn’t just about building new classrooms.
It’s about maintaining roofs.
Improving accessibility.
Repairing unexpected damage.
Making difficult financial decisions.
Planning for the future.
Every donation helps us respond when unexpected problems arise while still moving steadily towards our long-term vision of providing the children of Busumbala with the safe, inspiring school they deserve.
Thank you for making that possible.
Would you like to support the ongoing development of BFiG Busumbala Nursery School?
You can help us continue improving educational opportunities for children in The Gambia by visiting our Donate page or by sharing our posts with others.
Every bit of support genuinely makes a difference.
👉 Help Build Bright Futures in The Gambia | Building Futures in the Gambia
Read our last update:
👉 Rainy Season Repairs Needed at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School | Building Futures in the Gambia
Find out lots more about BFiG Busumbala Nursery School here:
👉 BFiG Busumbala Nursery School | Building Futures in the Gambia
And Discover 20 Amazing Facts About The Gambia at:
👉 20 Facts About The Gambia That Will Surprise You | Building Futures in the Gambia
