Books for Gambia 2019

Members and friends gathered to pack more than 2,000 books into boxes which have gone in to schools in the West African country which have none.
The town has long-standing links with The Gambia through the Darwen Spartans Junior Football Club which made several trips there to deliver sports equipment and is twinned with its town of Lamin.
Organiser Les Frankish, chairman of the club’s international committee, said: “We had a marvellous response from Darwen schools when we told them about our project".

Update 14th October 2019

BOOKS FOR THE GAMBIA PROJECT: THE ROTARY CLUBS OF BIJILO AND DARWEN

23 boxes of children’s reading books were received by the Rotary Club of Bijilo from the Rotary Club of Darwen for Tendaba School and other identified needy schools in The Gambia.

On Tuesday, 6^th August 2019, the books were presented to the National Library Services Authority for immediate storage and eventual onward transmission to the identified schools. Distribution will take place by endOctober now that schools have resumed from the summer holidays and therainy season is ending,for ease of access to the remote schools.

The media article in one of our widely read newspapers can be accessed online http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/darwen-rotary-club-of-england-donates-reading-books-to-gambian-schools

President of the Rotary Club of Bijilo, Head of the National Library and other Rotarians

On 21^stSeptember, a team of Rotarians stamped the books to show that they were donated by Rotary.

 Rotarians stamping the books

Plan

Short term:

- Some of the books will be donated to local schools in Bijilo where the Club is located

- Club members plan to join the National Library in distributing the books to other Regions
- This Club shall organize free weekend reading sessions for kids
- Stock the “Rotary Corner”, within the National Library, that has been allocated to the Clubby our request

 Long term:
- Collect and distribute more books to other schools

-Organise visits to schools that have been donated the books to monitor storage and usage
- Raise funds to support the National Library in digitalizing the recording and lending systems as they are still using the manual card system