Mariama Mae Nursery School
The Mariama Nursery School in Gunjur (south Gambia), is the brainchild of Alison Calvert who first visited the village in 2000.
Her remit was to help teachers understand how best to help children with learning difficulties. At that time she managed to persuade the local school to accept Mariama (a severely physically disabled child) into mainstream education – a major achievement since it is commonplace in third world countries for children with physical or mental disabilities to be isolated and confined to their own homes – thus receiving no education whatsoever (click here for a 2016 update on Mariama’s story).
The nursery is now providing inclusive education for local children up to the age of seven, providing a place of learning for 140 local children aged between 3 and 6 years old. It provides employment for three local women – a caretaker, cleaner and a breakfast porridge cook. It has four fully qualified teachers. Also, Mariama Mae is now a very experienced teaching assistant.
It now has four classrooms and an outdoor learning and play area. What you see of the school today is a far cry from how it looked in 2007, and stands as testimony to a great deal of hard work and dedication from numerous people both in England and The Gambia.
Our aim is to build on this great start and ensure that the school continues to run and provide a place of education for many generations to come.
More photographs and information on the Mariama Mae Nursery:
Mariama Mae Nursery School – Construction Photos