Overall 2007 was a very successful year. The school with its surrounding buildings and grounds were looking extremely good and sufficient money had come in to cover the cost of food for the feeding programme.

A major aim of the Friends of GOVI during the year was to raise funds for food for the children at the school. They are provided with a small breakfast and a substantial meal nearer to the end of the school day. This was identified as being necessary as many children come to school hungry.

Our thanks to Joan Feller who on about 80 occasions during the year set up a stall at a car boot sale near her home. From this she raised sufficient funds to cover the cost of food during that school year. She spends a considerable amount of time sorting and sometimes washing and ironing donated clothes.

Lamin Saidy, our representative in the Gambia, has battled hard to provide money fortnightly for fresh food, rice and cooking oil at an agreed rate. As Lamin took on more responsibility the trustees were able to make less visits to the school. He has the authority to carry out minor requests and always provides detailed accounts. He works closely with Pa Gira Lamin, the new treasurer of GOVI and with Karamo Keita who is with the Community Blind Rehabilitation Office on the GOVI site. Karamo has generated well-prepared reports and proposals and assists with enquiries.

A new Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up between GOVI and the Friends during the year. Under this the GOVI Board will send a written request via Mr Saidy to the Friends for any work deemed necessary. Mr Saidy can also initiate requests for work to be done.

A big thank you to David Pointon and his fellow Yorkshire travellers who successfully delivered two mini buses and lots of equipment just before Christmas 2006. Some returned in April to carry out training programmes.

Reports of these visits by Pip Land were swiftly added to the Friends’ website thanks to Sheridan Hudson. We also thank Sheridan for setting up the donating via CAF which recently has seen a large increase in donations to the Friends.

During the year Sara Dyer from Gloucestershire, who is partially sighted, worked at the school voluntarily having raised her own funds. She was busy teaching Braille to both pupils and staff and made an impressive impact on the library. Students can now find any books they require which has become more important since the West of England College in Exeter began sending a regular supply of Braille and large print books.

The store room was converted to a high standard into two rooms, one for basket weaving and the other as an office for the treasurer. Pa Gira Lamin also repairs the Braille machines.

A new store room was also built. This released space in the room used for adult education especially useful as the number of enrolled adults had increased to 22. A nursery class was established thanks to a donation from the Commonwealth Fund. It was necessary to closely follow up the progress of those students who had "graduated" from the school and had been integrated into government schools.

The dining hall, handed over to GOVI to use for income generation by hiring it out to various groups and individuals, at last appears to be successful. An extra standpipe was installed to allow the very successful banana plantation at the school to be extended.

We are very aware that without the wonderful donations and interest there would be no school, no dining hall, office for the GOVI Board and the many other projects. In 2007 the Friends passed a milestone by having raised over £100,000 through one way or another since it was registered as a UK charity.

A special thanks to Archant Newspapers and to Steve Pullinger who, since the first block was laid, has ensured regular articles in the Eastern Daily Press and Yarmouth Mercury which has generated continuous interest and local funding. (The Darlington and Stockton Times has also given considerable coverage to the fund raising efforts of the team from the Yorkshire Dales since 2006.)

Phillip Feller
You can read the report in full here. (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)