Club members make Gambia school reality

A DREAM of the Lancing & Sompting Lions Club finally came true as a new nursery school was launched in The Gambia.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Feb 2015, 05:30 BST
W25643H14 Lancing and Sompting Lions Pics. Yvonne Prosser Tony Redhead and Sandy Redhead outside the Lions Charity Shop in South Street Lancing SUS-140621-102140001W25643H14 Lancing and Sompting Lions Pics. Yvonne Prosser Tony Redhead and Sandy Redhead outside the Lions Charity Shop in South Street Lancing SUS-140621-102140001
W25643H14 Lancing and Sompting Lions Pics. Yvonne Prosser Tony Redhead and Sandy Redhead outside the Lions Charity Shop in South Street Lancing SUS-140621-102140001

Lions member Sandy Redhead and her family have been working on the Big Smile Project for eight years, but now their hard work has paid off as The Gambian Education Authority opened the new school in January.

Almost 100 children will benefit from free education, giving them a step up on the ladder to learning.

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The school currently has two teachers, a nursery assistant and an administration officer.

It costs £30 a year to educate a child in the school and they also get two uniforms, books and pencils.

There are currently plans in place to enlarge the school as there are 46 children in each class.

The Big Smile Project Gambia is registered as a community based organisation and work is being done to acquire charity status in the, UK.

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As well as the nursery, the project is raising funds for gardening, helping hospitals with medication and equipment, and sourcing uniforms for football teams.

The project is shipping two cubic meters of goods to The Gambia every month, including children’s clothes, shoeboxes of everyday items, baby boxes, hand knitted jumpers and more.

Most weekends the Lions can be found fundraising at car boots, jumble sales and other events.