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on Lynn Sellwood (The Gambia), 19/Oct/2010 21:58, 34 days ago
                                                                The vision statement of  VSOis“Sharing Skills, Changing Lives” and it all makes so much sense in the training, the literature, and the vision you have of yourself as a person who has something to offer after a long professional career. The truth is a little different, at least for me it is. I am the one learning new skills and it is my life that is being changed at the moment.This blog entry is more disjointed than previous ones because it contains so many contrasts. To start with I have a few pictures of a workshop I attended this week. The workshop was to introduce an appraisal system into the schools by way of a pilot in five schools in the greater Banjul area. Most of you are fully aware of an appraisal system and have experienced it at its best and worst.John Jatta The Co-ordinator of this initiative is a rather impressive guy called John Jatta, who has retired (but as he says of himself, not tired!) from being Headteacher of the School for the Deaf and having spent a couple of years living abroad reflecting on education, has conceived a Gambian style appraisal system for all staff in schools. It is a Gambian system because it acknowledges the fact that in such a small country where people are tied by tribe, marriage, blood and village, it is difficult to be objective. This system requires a panel of three people to independently score performance criteria and come to a consensus based on evidence. It would not have worked for a non-Gambian to impose a European system on the schools and we have to be humble enough to accept that at times.I love these outfits, this is Fatou Touray, senior manager of schoolsThe five pilot schools were enthusiastic and full of questions. It was while meeting one of the schools that I have decided on my personal mission which is to raise funds to support this school which is suffering from falling rolls, under-trained staff, large classes of 45-50 children and scant resources. The school is called Campama Lower Basic School (primary school) and this is a picture of the head, Mrs Jatta, (no relation to John Jatta) and some of her staff.Mrs Jatta, in pink Orpington College is going to help raise funds and I want any of you with the contacts or inclination to raise some money or send wall posters or story books for young children. I shall set things up properly so that the money is administered with transparency. My inclination is to raise funds to support the in-service training of staff. For some of them, having to teach English when it is not their own first language to children for whom English is not their mother tongue either, causes huge problems. Also, maths is difficult when you find out that in Wollof the counting only goes up to five and after that it is five plus one, plus two etc so English counting is different too! These teaching staff really struggle to teach well, wages are very low and funds and equipment are very scarce. If you have an idea which might include raising the money to send a teacher to the school for a week that would be good too! As I get my thoughts straight, I’ll dedicate a blog to the campaign.Then in total contrast, I have been enjoying myself as the Wide Open Walls project really gets going. See latestWide Open Walls blogI was invited to The British High Commission for the official launch of the project. Unfortunately the pictures aren’t great because there was a power cut (no-one is exempt) and the generator does not burn lights as brightly!Phil Sinkinson and Eelus Mr Phil Sinkinson is the Commissioner; he and his wife were really friendly and were very supportive of VSO too! I met Eelus (who now lives in Hastings) and managed to persuade him to sell me a limited edition print of his African“Ravens”....I met several other people that night and it just feels so exciting to be involved with such passionate people. Again it’s my life that is being changed.The pirogues at Denton BridgeOn Sunday, a few of us went out on the Gambia River for a day’s fishing with lunch and drinks thrown in. Tops, fantastic, amazing! I caught four fish and was complimented by a young Gambian fisherman on my casting technique!!! He did explain to me very seriously that normally women don’t fish, that is men’s work. Women collect oysters only! I tried to explain that things were different in England but he was entirely baffled and just smiled at the “boss lady”!I'm just so lucky I did have to re-enact the scene from Titanic (which also appears on an earlier blog on a boat on the Thames) but I am not sure you can see I have lost that much weight. I can assure you that ten pounds has gone since then.  I nearly shed the weight when a sudden thunderstorm appeared and we were stuck on the river for 20 minutes with lightening all around and claps of thunder so loud you couldn't hear me scream.I couldn't get it all in the frame! The most excitement was when Denise thought she had caught a whopper and the guys on the boat were getting nets ready to land her “biggun” which turned out to be a poisonous sea snake. So scary, but not as scary as the big spider found in a restaurant.Scary spiderVSO is not the only NGO in action in The Gambia. There is a sizeable contingent ofPeace Corpspeople too. Many of them are younger than typical VSO volunteers but there are an enthusiastic bunch and really engage with local people by learning local languages and getting people involved in World issues. One impressive group were marshalling a load of kids from a local secondary school to clean up the beach in order to raise awareness of environmental issues as part  of350.orgOne of these is a New Yorker! The beaches here are often full of the flotsam and jetsam of the Atlantic and local people do not have regular or reliable waste disposal systems. It is shocking to see so much litter and most of it is in the form of plastic bags.So, I am still coping with thunderstorms, intermittent electricity, humidity, mosquito bites, poor roads, no resources, no car, but I am learning a new patience with life and learning new skills of resourcefulness. I can even cope with the chicken tethered in the compound waiting for its turn to be killed for supper!DinnerFish for supper VSO is giving me such an opportunity to reflect and meet great people, especially my Gambian work colleagues. Ida  is fantastic and has become a friend for life. She is taking me shopping soon for fabric so I can have a new outfit for Tobaski. What is that? Well tune in to future blogs and you’ll find out.Keep posting your comments or send me emails.....