Thankful for Amazing Progress at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School

There is a great deal to be thankful for in this latest set of photos and videos from teacher Mariama (Sibo) Fatty and School Manager Lamin Barrow at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia.

Every update from Busumbala Village reminds me just how much can be achieved when kindness, hard work and community spirit come together.

First of all, we need to be incredibly thankful to School Manager Lamin Barrow for continuing to push forward with the completion of our brand new toilet block.

The new sink in the new toilet block at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia in West Africa. We are thankful.

The new shower in the new toilet block at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia in West Africa.

Take a look at the latest videos and you’ll see that the first cubicle is now fully operational — and it looks absolutely fantastic. The cubicle is fully tiled, completely plumbed in and now includes a working sink and shower. For our nursery school children, this is not simply a building project. It is about dignity, hygiene, safeguarding and creating an environment where young children can learn safely and comfortably.

The transformation really is remarkable.

We are currently waiting for updated costs to complete one or more of the remaining cubicles and to fully tile the front of the building so the entire structure looks bright, modern and welcoming. We would love to continue pushing this project forward.

If you would like to help us complete the toilet block, please consider visiting our donation page.

👉 Donate | Building Futures in the Gambia

Thankful for Our Growing School Garden in The Gambia

We also need to be extremely thankful to our wonderful School Nanny, Mero, for helping bring our school garden to life.

The latest photos and videos show onions, hibiscus and other healthy crops beginning to flourish within the school grounds. In The Gambia, school gardening is far more than decoration. It supports practical learning, environmental awareness and gives children a direct connection to the world around them.

The school garden at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia

Gambian nursery children standing in their school garden at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia.

Gambian nursery children watering their school garden at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia.

The garden is rapidly becoming one of the most beautiful parts of the school.

We also need to be thankful to teachers Mariama (Sibo) Fatty and Mariama (Aja) Jaiteh for organising the children into joyful watering parties. In the photos and videos, you can see the children proudly watering the school garden and caring for our growing collection of trees.

The ‘Emmanuel Trees’ Continue to Thrive

And those trees are thriving.

A young banana tree at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia in West Africa.

A young umbrella tree in BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia in West Africa.

The “Emmanuel Trees” — as I’ve now started calling them — are looking healthier and stronger every week. Thanks to the generosity of pupils and staff at Emmanuel School in Walsall, we were able to plant orange trees, umbrella trees, banana trees and more around the school grounds.

Seeing them grow so quickly in the Gambian sunshine has been genuinely uplifting.

A young Gambian school boy watering a tree in the school garden in Busumbala Village in The Gambia.

Smiling Gambian children in their school garden by a young tree at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School in The Gambia in West Africa.

Smiling Gambian children by a young tree in their school garden in The Gambia in West Africa at BFiG Busumbala Nursery School.

The bougainvillea is especially stunning at the moment, adding beautiful colour to the school site and helping transform the nursery school into a bright and joyful place for young children. In one of the videos, you can even hear teacher Mariama (Sibo) Fatty proudly talking about the flowers while the children work around her.

Thankful for the Kindness of Our Supporters

And finally, we need to be thankful to the many people whose kindness and support continue to sustain both BFiG Busumbala Nursery School and Building Futures in The Gambia.

In a recent post, I thanked the wonderful people whose monthly donations pay for our teachers and staff. Without those monthly supporters, our school simply would not exist.

Today, though, I want to add three more names to that growing list of kindness.

Huge ongoing thanks go to Sharon Walcott, Matthew Wilmot and Stuart White.

Over recent weeks, their generosity has helped place us in a much stronger position as we continue developing the school. Their kindness means that, hopefully, we will be able to employ a third teacher in September while also continuing work on our beautiful new toilet block.

Every act of kindness — no matter how large or small — helps create brighter futures for the youngest children of Busumbala Village.

Abaraka bake.
(Thank you very much.)

If you would like to help us continue building opportunities for children in The Gambia, please visit our donation page below.

👉 Donate | Building Futures in the Gambia

Find out lots more about BFiG Busumbala Nursery School here:

👉 BFiG Busumbala Nursery School | Building Futures in the Gambia

👉 Why Nursery Education in The Gambia Matters | Building Futures in the Gambia

👉 Makumbaya to Busumbala – An Amazing Journey That Built Futures | Building Futures in the Gambia

And Discover 21 Amazing Facts About The Gambia at:

👉 21 Facts About The Gambia That Will Surprise You | Building Futures in the Gambia