Phil and Joan Feller found there was plenty to do when they visited the school in November.  When they arrived the weather was hotter than usual but there was a lengthy shopping list from the school and its garden. These were provided by the head teacher, Ali Sallah.

Left: Students at the school learning to plant out seedlings.

The garden had benefitted greatly from the donation from Seeds for Africa and a large selection had already been purchased in the UK.

It was already looking very productive with peppers, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lettuce and cassava.

The banana plantation had benefitted from the wetter than usual summer and there was an abundance of fruit.  The surplus of fruit and vegetables is providing much needed cash for the school.

We are very grateful to Christ Church, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield for a gift of £250 towards the feeding programme at the school. This was the proceeds of the church’s harvest supper and free will donations from church members.

This has come at a time when the World Food Aid assistance to the school has been stopped as that funding has been diverted to assist those affected by the severe floods in Eastern Gambia. Crops have been damaged and some people have been killed, mainly around Bassa we understand.

It is also expected that food prices will rise by a further 15 per cent next year  - so donations to the feeding programme at the school are essential if we are going to ensure that the children receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch each day.

We have received a grant of £200 from Seeds of Africa for the school’s garden.

Lamin Saidy has been informed that his son, Modou, has been put on the operation list at Aswan, Egypt, for March next year - but the date and location of that could still be changed.

Phil Feller

Report from Phil Feller:

Modou Lamin Saidy:   The Chain of Hope committee has now met and after studying  all the medical reports agreed to accept Modou  and placed him  third on their list of children requiring surgery.  This should mean that the operation will take place at the beginning of 2013. As he  is so young it was decided it would be wiser to repair the heart valve rather than replace it.  The professor who the committee believes is one of the most experienced in this field is currently working at the Aswan Heart Centre, Egypt, which was opened in 2009.  This will double the cost of air fares  but thanks to the generosity of Eastern Daily Press readers and other donors this has already been covered.  There will be post operative costs to be funded but this bridge will be crossed when I have more details.

Mohamed Kora:  Our condolences to GOVI on the loss of their chairperson, Mohamed Kora, who worked tirelessly for so many years on behalf of the blind and visually impaired in the Gambia.

Lamin Saidy’s son, Modou has now returned from Dakar in Senegal where he had a full medical and new scans to show the function of his heart. These were sent to the charity, Chain of Hope, which requested them. The charity is pleased with them but because of the Olympics its committee did not have a meeting in July. We are very hopeful that when it does meet this month Modou will be selected to come to England for surgery. Phillip and Joan Feller are raising funds to cover the cost of airfares etc and have created a separate FGVI account for that. That fund will be used to cover the cost of Modou having an operation in Dakar if he is not accepted by Chain of Hope.

Donations can be made via Charity Giving by going to the  How You can Help page and clicking on the revolving card. Do then inform Phillip Feller whether that donation is to help Modou or is towards the support we give to the school for the blind in the Gambia. (See link on Contact page)