How to Help
Thanks to all those who have made kind donations to this charity we have already achieved a great deal, including the construction of the GOVI Resource Centre (school).
Whilst it is wonderful to see the children happy and working hard in the school the list of needs to ensure its continuance is very long: not only the supplying of equipment but also to make sure it is maintained in a good condition. The harsh sun and heavy summer rains requires the school to be constantly painted and the general day to day repairs all require a stable and regular supply of funds. We also want to make sure that the children are fed each day as many come from very poor homes. For information about the history of the Friends (formerly The Friends of GOVI) and how the school was built see The School for the Blind.
In the next few months we will be posting reports on other projects we hope to support.
For information about different ways to help please explore the tabs below.
Become a Friend
The most effective way to help is to become a Member of Friends of Visually Impaired Children in the Gambia.
Your Membership fees will be used wisely for the benefit of visually impaired and blind children and young people in the Gambia. The charity continues to support the school run by the Gambian Organisation of the Visually Impaired (GOVI) by helping to pay for specialist equipment, supplying braille books and stationery, healthy meals at breakfast and lunchtime, uniforms and ongoing maintainance of the school buildings, grounds and water supply. In the Spring you will receive the Annual Report, which will include a full financial statement. You can also confirm our status on the Charity Commission’s website.
Download the Membership Form and return it by post.
It is enormously helpful when members pay by Standing Order, as it saves us the time and expense of sending out reminders. If you would like to pay in this way, please remember to complete the relevant section of the form.
You will need Acrobat Reader to view the form. If you do not have Acrobat Reader you can download it from Adobe's website free of charge.
Alternatively you can download the application form and standing order form in Microsoft Word format here.
Make a Donation
Make a secure donation with your Credit Card by clicking the spinning icon. Please note that we keep our administration costs to the minimum, and the trustees pay for their own transport and accommodation costs when visiting the Gambia. We are a charity eligible to take part in UK Gift Aid. We can reclaim basic tax on all donations.
A new browser window will open at a secure website. All payments are made via charitychoice.co.uk and securely processed by The Cooperative Bank plc.
The money we collect from donations will be used to support the school and other projects which help visually impaired and blind children and young people in the Gambia. The assistance the school will need varies from year to year dependenting upon government grants, other charitable donations, the ongoing maintainance of the school, and particular requests from school staff. Part of the proceeds may be used for a contingency fund whenever money is required for welfare and relief in order to ensure that all the children are able to remain in education.
We would like to reassure you that we will consistently do everything in our power to ensure that your sponsorship contributions are spent wisely for the benefit of blind and visually impaired children and young people in the Gambia. You can be sure that we will not permit the mismanagement or misappropriation of your donations to this charity. Please feel free to contact the Chairman, David Pointon, if you have any concerns about your contributions and how they are being used.
Book Holidays to the Gambia Here
If you are planning a holiday in The Gambia why not make your booking though us. Click the icon for further details:
Send Gifts to the School
Should you wish to send gifts to the school this can be arranged, but we recommend that certain guidelines are followed. Firstly, please call us to discuss your options. There is a constantly evolving inventory of requirements, and you may be able to select something from the current list or suggest an idea of your own. Suitable gifts include educational gifts, from braille paper and tactile puzzles to Brailler machines, things to play with (e.g. plastic animals, skipping ropes, jingling footballs) and items of clothing such as T-Shirts and flip-flops. Avoid expensive or expensive-looking gifts which might arouse jealously or invite theft.
Gifts should not be posted to the Gambia. We need to confirm that the gift is suitable before posting or delivering it, as appropriate, to the Gambia, and it may be more beneficial to send gifts grouped together. Sometimes it may be more economical to source your gift in the Gambia than to post it from the UK. School staff in the Gambia reserve the right to exercise discretion in handing over of your gift to the school, in terms of timing, tact or privacy.
Many thanks to you all.
