This is a first grade classroom at Jarumeh Koto Primary School. This is their first year of school. Most primary schools in The Gambia have classes from Grade 1 to Grade 6. I counted 90 students in this classroom one day. They all sat on narrow wooden benches and were seated 4 to a bench. These four students share one long table. The school building is very strong. Unlike their homes, the school was made out of cement bricks. The windows were open and covered with wire. The roof was made of corrugated metal. There was only one teacher in this class and she spent most of her time disciplining the children. This class was equally represented by boys and girls which is quite uncommon in later grades.

This was a sixth grade classroom. It had about 22 students in it. There were only 6 girls in this class. Many girls are forced to drop out of school in order to help their mothers at home. If a family can only afford to send one of their children to school, it is most often a boy instead of a girl. In order for sixth grade students to continue onto seventh grade at a middle school, they must first pass an exit exam. The exam covers many subjects and was quite difficult for limited English speakers, such as these children.

The left picture shows Sulay planting seeds in the school garden. Many schools in The Gambia had a garden. In our garden, the children grew tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, and carrots. After planting the seeds, the children would water the garden beds twice a day. These vegetables grown in the school garden were sold in the village community. Then the money could be used to buy the school things it needed. In the United States, we would call this a 'fundraiser.' The right picture shows two students walking in the garden after the plants have started to grow.

These girls are just hanging out during the school lunch break. During my first year at Jarumeh Koto Primary School, rice and canned meats were supplied by a charity organization for the lunch time meal. Unfortunately, the school didn't receive any goods the following year, so many students went home to eat lunch with their families. Jainaba, from the Women in The Gambia section, is in the center of this photograph in the red shirt. MaJula, also from the Women in The Gambia section, is seated on the far right.

These girls are eating their school lunch in the traditional Gambian style. In the traditional Gambia style, everyone squats around the bowl and eats using their right hand, never their left. It is also traditional for men to eat separately from the women and children.  These girls are eating a favorite Gambian lunch called 'Domoda.'

This is the room I was given to start my Resource Center in.  Notice the boarded up window, the single ramshackle table, and oh, the bat on the wall! 

These two pictures are of the Resource Center I started for the school. Many of the books you see on the shelves in the right picture were donated by The World Bank. I also wrote letters to private organizations to request donations. One that responded was called the Darien Book Aid Plan, based in Darien, Connecticut. They sent me several boxes of great books. These books were available for teachers and students to check out and take home.

Update:  During my visit in 2002, I was told the Resource Center is usually locked up and not used.  I would suspect that things had not been returned or cared for since my departure.

Many boys in The Gambia spend their free time playing football. In America, we call this same sport soccer. Since many of the boys have flip flops for shoes, they leave their shoes behind when they play. Have you ever tried to play soccer with no shoes? They are used to doing it, so it doesn't bother them. Isn't that amazing?

Each school day begins with a lineup of all the classes.  Don't be late or one of the teachers will use one of the branches from the bushes you see here to flog you with.  Unfortunately, this practice is still used.  At the end of each school day, as you see here, the students are all praying.