I am so happy to report, on behalf of Rotary Club of Edmonds, and the Inauguration team of Lamin Manneh, Suzanne James and myself, that after five years, the Bridge to Success project is now completed. We were able to go beyond the scope of our original project expectations thanks to the incredible partnerships with MRC Holland Foundation, The Rotary Club of Brusubi and the Ministries of Education to create not one, but two science labs in rural Gambia.
Lamin, a native of Gambia, was keenly aware of how the lack of science education in rural Gambia adversely affected young people in those communities. If students wanted to pursue higher education in the sciences, and if their parents could afford it, they had to travel West 154 km from Kaur to the capital city of Banjul. Aside from there being no infrastructure for such travel, they had to live with “host” families while going to school and often were taken advantage of, if not abused. This was a particularly perilous arrangement for girls. Many students simply gave up and made the dangerous journey to Europe in order to try to find work.
MRC Holland has invested heavily in education in Gambia, particularly in the rural areas. They built a lab on the Campus of the Gambia College School of Education in Basse in 2018, but had not yet found a partner to outfit and supply the lab, so it sat dormant, much to their frustration. MRC Holland can only build, they cannot outfit and supply the labs. With funds remaining from Global Grant GG2098519, Rotary Club of Edmonds was able to commit to this project as well. This lab will not only serve Senior Secondary Students in the area, but will also serve as a training site for Science Education Teachers. One of the teachers at the college said he “was sad that this was not there for him, but is so grateful that now he will be able to teach his brothers and sisters practical science”.
The transformation of lives has already begun. Though only in operation for a year and a half, students at the Kaur campus are competing in science competitions with the larger, established schools in the urban areas, and winning! They are planning for careers in medicine and engineering. Enrollment, attendance and retention at both campuses has skyrocketed. The impact these two labs will have on not only the rural areas, but the entire country, is profound.
This was made possible with the support of District 5030. Rotary Club of Edmonds received a district grant in November of 2019, and Global Grant #2098519 in October of 2021.
We sincerely thank our District 5030 partner clubs for believing in us when we were just dreams and passion. They are:
- Edmonds Daybreakers
- Shoreline Rotary Club
- Rotary Club of Renton
- Alderwood Terrace Rotary Club
- Rotary Club of Lake Forest Park
- Rotary Club of Ballard
- Bellevue Breakfast Club
- Rotary Club of Auburn
- Rotary Club of Kent
- Lake Union Neighborhood
- Lynnwood Rotary
- Emerald City Rotary
The press impact with this project was also covered by the local news. Check out the TV news!
