'I feel as it we have won the lottery' Those are the words of Mr Solomon Colley, a teacher at the tiny, Roots Nursery School in the isolated village of Madiana in The Gambia. Twelve months a go . the school consisted of a single, small classroom and just twenty pupils,. 'Although there were many more nursery-aged children in the village, our classroom couldn't take any more.' said Solomon. Understandably, the parents did not want their 4 year-old children to walk several miles through the bush to the next nearest nursery and, as a result, most children were getting no education until they were seven years old.' In November of last year, Sergeant Ronnie Wallace and his team of Gambian. soldiers built a main school hall, using funds provided by Gibraltar's SG Hambros Bank and in March 2010, they were funded by a British charity to build two more classrooms. But in the current project, Ronnie used sponsorship money provided by the Royal Gibraltar Police to construct a further two classrooms and to level the bare earth playground. Two new shaded seating areas have been built, the original old classroom has been repainted and flowerbeds have been planted. 'By sponsoring a skydive by PC Sacramento we raised enough money to build these classrooms and to provide exercise books, pencils, rulers, chalk and even a few footballs.' said Inspector Ian Howes of the RGP. 'It is very. emotional to see how much they value these things. Everything is hugely appreciated, no matter how small it is.' The school can now accommodate 85 children and, in addition to its three employed members of staff, it has also attracted two volunteer teachers. RIVER CROSSING. To accomplish all these tasks, Ronnie was faced with several difficulties. Madiana is four miles from the nearest tarmac road and this journey across the bush also involved a river crossing. His nearest builder's merchant's yard was a thirty mile round trip away. Helping Ronnie to solve some of these difficulties was a team of military tradesmen from the Gambian Army. 'We all. know what a good person Ronnie is,' said W02.Jammeh who was in charge of the soldiers. 'And it is obvious that he is a very, good man to work for - after all, I have worked for him three times now! We all enjoy this work and we enjoy giving a helping hand to these communities.' The feeling is clearly mutual - a couple of days before the official opening of the classrooms, and helped by some of the ladies from the village, Ronnie made a huge paella on an open fire for everyone who had helped with the project. The school's headmaster, Mr Momodou Colley, said to Ronnie that 'An overwhelming dream has come true. It has all been a dream. Thanks you for coming all the way from Gibraltar to do this for us - it mist be God's plan.' On the day of the official opening ceremony, everyone from the surrounding area was there, including the 'Alkalo', the head of the village. Using the headteacher as an interpreter, the Alkalo spoke in the local Madinka language to welcome parents, teachers, local police officers, British aid workers and representatives of British charities and soldiers to the school, Unfortunately, the British High Commissioner had been called away following the sudden death of a Gambian Minister of State. Despite the intense heat, the whole village sat quietly through speeches from the Alkalo, from aid workers and from teachers, Everyone spoke of the need to educate Gambia's next generation and everyone sang the praises of Ronnie Wallace for his ability to work miracles in just a matter of days. in an emotional address, Solomon Colley thanked Ronnie for his 'dedication, his hard work and his enthusiasm.' ACHIEVEMENT A few days later at the BMATT Passing off parade, the British High Commissioner said, This has been another remarkable achievement. Ronnie Wallace is a member of the elite folklore in The Gambia. He has undertaken so many community projects that his name is known throughout the country. |
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Banjul |