Project Gambia – Day 7
Our final day in The Gambia was every bit as busy, brilliant, and slightly glitter-covered as the rest of the trip. It was a day filled with creativity, community visits, and a few emotional goodbyes to the wonderful schools that have welcomed us so warmly this week.
The morning began with visits to three local schools: Wisdom Nursery, Bright Minds Nursery, and St Peter’s. Before long, our students found themselves leading some very energetic arts and crafts sessions. Glue pots were in high demand, colouring pencils were passed around like prized possessions, and masterpieces began appearing faster than anyone could keep track of. The younger students brought endless enthusiasm, and our group quickly discovered that glitter, stickers, and enthusiastic high-fives are a universal language.
After a busy morning of crafting (and possibly wearing just as much glitter as they used), we stopped for lunch, giving everyone a chance to refuel and proudly compare their artistic creations.
In the afternoon we returned to Omega School, where our students joined the class for even more arts and crafts activities. The classroom was buzzing with creativity as everyone worked side-by-side, sharing ideas, laughter, and the occasional glue stick emergency. By this stage of the trip, our students had firmly established themselves as confident and enthusiastic classroom leaders.
Later we travelled to Kotusilo Village, where the group helped distribute hygiene kits and mosquito nets. It was a really meaningful part of the day and a chance for students to see how small acts of kindness and support can make a real difference within a community.
After such a full day, it was clearly time for something equally important: a supermarket stop followed by ice cream. Spirits were high, and the ice cream disappeared at a speed that would impress even the most experienced dessert enthusiast.
Next came some well-earned swimming pool time, where students cooled off, relaxed, and attempted a range of pool jumps that may or may not have been Olympic standard (judges are still reviewing the technique). Special mention to Amelia for her interesting diving technique, and Megan for her patient coaching.
The day finished with our evening meal, where everyone swapped stories from the day, reflected on their favourite moments from the week.
Tomorrow brings a slightly different kind of adventure as we begin our journey back home to the Earls. We’ll be setting off at 2:30pm, which means one final morning in The Gambia before packing bags, saying some fond goodbyes, and starting the trip home. It has been an incredible experience for the students—full of learning, teamwork, and memories that will last a lifetime. We suspect there may be a few very tired travellers on the journey back… although we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s still some lively debate about who truly won sports day.
