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Hi everybody! Firstly, thanks for visiting my Just Giving page. As you can see I'm hoping to raise £500 for the Banjana Nursery School Fund by jumping out of a plane at around 10,000ft!!! I've been assured that there will be parachutes which makes me slightly less nervous, although It will be a tandem jump (meaning that I'll be strapped to some guy - that's the scariest part for me)! All joking aside, this is an excellent cause and any money I manage to raise here will go directly to help build a new nursery, continue to help train teachers and help give the kids an excellent start in life. Time to swallow my pride and ask you all to give generously! Read more about the Banjana Nursery Fund below if you still need convincing....Charity Background The Gambia is a third world country located in West Africa which is one of poorest regions on the planet. Visitors on holiday to the country may associate it with beach holidays. However, when you step outside the tourist hotels you will see the poverty that exists. 82.9% of people earn less than £1.50 a day. Rising inflation has meant that a bag of rice (that will feed an average family for a week) is £20. Nursery education (3-7 year olds) is an effective access route to primary education as it ensures children have the required basic skills. Nursery education is critical as children receive little stimulation at home. Give a twelve-year old child a toy that a two-year old British child would play with and they will be engrossed for hours. As English is the official language it's important they get a head start as early as possible. In rural areas like the one we operate in, children only hear English when they are at school. The government does not cater for nursery education. We have demonstrated that children who attend our nursery do better in primary school. They are able to concentrate better, learn more quickly and have higher attendance rates. The school opened in November 2004 and we have with 61 children (50% boys, 50% girls) and 3 teachers. It is the first nursery school in the entire region. We have a small well and a kitchen so the children get fed every day. We have 7 staff including 2 cooks and a nanny. The area where the nursery school is located rates statistically as the most deprived area in Gambia. Information taken from the Participatory Poverty Assessment report on the area 2001-2004 shows adult literacy to be only 20%, and local life expectancy to be 44.7 years. Due to political and tribal issues the region is devoid of NGO's and charities that could provide much needed development. Prior to the school opening, only 6 children on average were attending the primary school located in Jiffarong village. 61 children now attend the nursery school and will transfer to the primary school at the age of 7. Forty children from the village are attending the local primary school every day. We pay for their school fees, food, uniform and learning materials (pencils, jotters). This will increase to 70 children in September 2009. We are also providing first aid supplies and first aid training for our head-teacher at the nursery school. In a rural area where the nearest clinic is 20km away, these supplies are vital for being able to treat emergencies and fever (often caused by malaria) and infections. Malaria is a serious health risk to young children often resulting in death. Cholroquinine is the standard medication but resistance to this is high and is often ineffective. Plasmotrim is an excellent treatment for children but is expensive for most Gambians to buy. There is no NHS! Obtaining clean water in adequate quantities is always a problem for everyone in the village. There are 2 wells in the village including one at the school for 900 people which is totally inadequate. If you get a cut the last thing you should do is wash it with water as water in the open well is poor quality and it is likely to get infected. So imagine what it is like to drink. There is also an insufficient quantity of water to water animals and farm effectively. Having to pull water up from 35m, one bucket at a time takes a lot of time and effort. A borehole is a deep underground water source which pumps water through a tap by a generator. A borehole would provide lots of opportunities for development for the school and the village such as the creation of a vegetable garden. There is no electricity or sanitation system. Fires are used for cooking which often results in children having accidents and burns. Candles provide light at night. Toilets are deep latrine pits which are very hygienic. Thank You! Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.So please dig deep and donate now. Thanks everyone! David

David Malone's Skydive for Banjana Nursery School Fund

David Malone's Skydive for Banjana Nursery School Fund

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