The trustees of the Friends were so saddened to hear that the eldest son of  Lamin Saidy, the charity's representative in the Gambia, passed away on Tuesday, February 21. Ebrima, who was 18-years-old, had been ill for some time and Lamin was about to take him to a hospital in Dakar, Senegal, for treatment. The funeral was at 11am on Wednesday, February 22. The trustees stated: "We offer our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to Lamin, his wife Haddy, and their five other children. We will be thinking and praying for them during this time of such great loss." Their 11-year-old son Modo has been at the hospital in Dakar with his aunt due to a heart problem.

When we arrived in The Gambia on November 18 we were so looking forward at last to viewing the completed goalball court. It was virtually two years to the day that we had received an invitation from Tony Wright, then the MP for Great Yarmouth, to attend a reception hosted by the UK Parliamentary Football Club at Portcullis House in London. At that reception we received on behalf of what was then the Friends of GOVI (now the Friends of Visually Impaired Children in the Gambia) a cheque to help develop sports facilities for disabled children in Africa.

 

April found Phil and Joan back in The Gambia, the main reason being to see the progress of the construction of the goalball court. But they also saw how the pupils were learning to care for the new vegetable garden at the school. Phil reported:

The goalball court was originally entirely funded by the UK Parliamentary Football Team but unfortunately two years passed before the GOVI Board agreed to its construction and where it would be sited. In that time the cost has rocketed and it will require additional funds from the Friends. Lamin Saidy has worked very hard in arranging and organising its construction. (Left: Phil and Lamin checking on the progress of the goal ball court.)

 

When we inspected the site with him we found that an impressive area had been cleared and the foundations had been completed ready for the installation of reinforced steel and the final covering of concrete. The interior netting and exterior fencing will then be erected. It looked as if the court will be built to Para-Olympics standards.

Another year gone and the work has continued. I must say thank you to several people: Lamin Saidy who, as ever, has given his time and effort unstintingly and unselfishly to keep the Gambian side operating smoothly and monitoring our interests extremely well; Phil and Joan Feller for their tireless efforts in all the charity’s activities; Frank Whitfield for keeping our bank balance healthy and sorting out the money; Carol Haynes for providing us with and maintaining our superb website; and last but not least Pip Land for her help and support.

 

 

All those involved with the charity make it effective in fulfilling our aims and objectives which are primarily supporting the blind children and young people in the Gambia. So on their behalf I add my thanks to you all.

The head teacher, Ali Sallah, is very grateful for all the donations which have been made to the Govi Resource Centre by the Friends of Visually Impaired Children in the Gambia and others this year. In November he pointed out that the  Centre was the only special school in the Gambia for blind and visually impaired children and so needed more specialist equipment including tactile toys. He especially thanked the Friends and other groups and individuals who have donated items, including the staff and students from Stoke-on-Trent Youth, Play and Outdoor Education Services and Glynis and John Howard who visited the school at the end of November. Above: Momodou Lamin Njie and Binta Drammeh in the Nursery Class playing with a musical toy.