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At last the day had come... after the difficult Covid-19 years, our school link with the St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Banjul, The Gambia was revived. Following an exploratory trip in 2023 to evaluate our school link and look for new challenges, we set off for The Gambia with six pupils and three teachers. It promised to be an exciting trip, full of encounters.
Early in the morning of 9 February, six enthusiastic pupils were waiting on the platform of the railway station in Ostend. Ten hours later we would land in The Gambia, where Mrs Coker and Mam Marie (management team) awaited us for a warm reunion. A short drive took us to Leybato, the hotel where we would be staying. The silence in the taxi during the short journey to the hotel had already made a deep and lasting impression...
The trip was full of encounters and activities that set us thinking. We attended a lively debate on ‘gender equality’ at the school and were introduced to Robotics, a new project run by the school that encourages girls to study science subjects. Together with a few St. Joseph’s pupils, we took a boat trip to Lamin Lodge, seeing beautiful mangroves and discussing the differences and similarities in our school lives along the way.
A two-day trip to Jinack and James Island not only put us in touch with local culture, but also showed us the dark history of the slave trade. We visited a local school and Kunta Kinteh Island (James Island), recognised as a world heritage site by Unesco, that shed light on the tragic history of slavery.
During our discussions, we made plans to strengthen the school link further, with innovative ideas. For instance, we plan to create a large garden outside the school, where fruit and vegetables can be grown to be eaten at school and also sold to generate revenue for educational materials. We also intend to support the Robotics project in the short term because of its positive impact on scientific development and technological innovation for sustainability and the climate.
We were spoiled when it came to culture and nature. We learned how to play a djembé in Jinack, rowed through the mangroves in Abca's Creek, visited the fishing port and the Crocodile pool in Bakau where we even plucked up the courage to touch the animals.
After a tiring but enjoyable trip, we returned on 20 February. Special thanks go to Milan, Matteo, Anouk, Shakira, Samya and Birthe for their dedication to this project. And of course thanks to all the parents and well-wishers who supported this project in one way or another.
St. Joseph Ostend Team
