In the summer of 2018 a group of young people from Wirral and Halton aged between 16 and 17
completed their National Citizens Service (NCS) programme undertaking projects in their local
communities. They became so motivated and empowered by the experience that they requested to
continue with similar projects as NCS Graduates. The group has supported local charities through
fund raising activities including Charlie’s Chance, a children’s cancer charity and Clatterbridge
Cancer Care.
In late Autumn they heard a presentation by Andrea Thompson Morris, the UK Coordinator for the
Gunjur Project in Gambia, West Africa. This project provides children with equal access to
education, health care, decent work and representation in decision making processes. After
listening to the presentation and becoming aware of the desperate need that children and woman
face in their every day lives the group decided that they would like to become volunteers and
supporters of the Gunjur Project. As an example, it costs £30 a year to both educate and provide a
school uniform for a child.
In January this year the group, Ashleigh, Rebecca, Bonnie, Dayna, Maizi, Abbie and Lucy started
fundraising to enable them to both sponsor the education of children and to visit the Gunjur Project
themselves in February 2020 as volunteers. By visiting the project they would undertake
volunteering in the Mariana May Nursery School brightening classrooms with art work inside both
the pre-school and nursery. Teachers will be able to use the artwork as teaching tools. The
volunteers will engage the children in learning using art, books and games. The volunteers will also
take part in developing children’s conversational English which is an important requirement for
attending school. Four of the group are currently involved in training in first aid to enable them to
pass these skills on to both children and parents. A new development are links with 2 local primary
schools in Wirral that will be able to show pupils the difference in cultures and opportunities for
children in Gambia. This will be most effective through the use of FaceTime.
The group’s fundraising activities have consisted of organising an afternoon tea party, regular
monthly raffles at a local social club, sponsored walks (including going up Snowdon), prize bingos,
attending summer fairs offering face painting and in the near future a race night, a Halloween
themed fund raising meal and a Christmas prize bingo. By the beginning of September enough
money had been raised to enable the purchase of flight only return tickets to Gambia at a cost of
£400 each total cost £3600.These were purchased on 6th September 2019. Nine tickets were
bought for the group of seven young girls and two adult support workers. Unfortunately the only
airline with direct flights to Gambia was Thomas Cook and subsequently these flight tickets have
been lost. Although efforts are being made to recoup the money from HSBC the situation does not
look hopeful.
The group are so committed to volunteering at the project that they have decided to continue with
fundraising while alternative travel arrangements can be found. It has now been found that there is
another airline with flights to Gambia, TAP Air Portugal but this necessitates a 9 hour stop overs in
Lisbon to change flights. This airline has been very accommodating by enabling payment to be
made with a £20 deposit per person and the balance to be paid 30 days before travel.
As a result the group are requesting any help that can be provided through financial assistance,
support with fundraising or advice and guidance to enable them to still volunteer at the project in
February 2020.