Dear friends and family,
I hope that as you are
reading letter that all is well for you and your family. I can say that my Peace Corps adventure over
the last nine months within The Gambia has been challenging, exhilarating, and life-changing
on so many levels. My work at the Seno
Bajonki Lower Basic School continues to be a source of great joy, in large part
due to the great staff and students I am blessed to work alongside of. Since last October, school administration has
been dedicated towards fundraising to establish a Community Library and
Learning Center which will be a joint resource for the lower basic school and
community of Seno Bajonki. Our hope is
to complete construction of the Community Library and Learning Center by the
end of the current academic year on July 15, 2016. The Community Library and Learning Center will be utilized for a variety of uses. These uses include housing the Early Child Development class for the 2016-17 academic year, centralized library space for all students at the lower basic school, utilization of the library outside of school hours and over school breaks by both students and community members, locally facilitated skill trainings, and for meetings and programs coordinated by community groups within Seno Bajonki. Local fundraising efforts have yielded 17,900 Gambian dalasis, $447.50 USD. The remainder needed to fully fund this project is $1,167.38. Any donations made on the Peace Corps Partnership Program webpage,
https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/community-library-and-learning-center471/, will be tax deductible. If you are able to give it would be greatly appreciated if you could donate by April 1st in an effort for the funds to be dispersed by our tentative construction start date of April 15th. I cannot thank you enough for your consideration of this project and all your support of my Peace Corps service here in The Gambia.
With hope,
Stephen
