Help Spring Gate Preschool (Gambia)
Donation protected
It’s been an extremely productive period for Spring Gate Preschool (The Gambia) thanks to your support! You basically saved the school by helping us raise $3,440 in 2015 and an additional $3,030 in 2017. With improved management, the school has become more financially viable on its own now but still needs your support. Funds are close to being used up and the school now faces another existential challenge. Spring Gate Preschool runs out of money to pay its teachers at the end of February 2019 and needs your immediate support. We all need to step up once again to keep this school open and thriving for another two years. Please help us now raise another $3,000 to fund the school through 2019/2020. (Note: The already spent funds from previous years are included in the $9,370 goal total).
Let's see what the Spring Gate students are up to this morning.
Outdoor games played on last day of school for the year.
How this got started.
While visiting The Gambia in West Africa in 2014 and 2015, my wife (Kelly Faughnan) and I (Bjarne Holmes) were moved to establish a non-profit foundation to help raise funds for educational and empowerment projects. We were inspired by witnessing the dedication of many Gambians who volunteer their time and resources to improving the lives of the children in their communities.
Your contribution is direct and very impactful.
We know the school's founder, the teachers, and many of the children and their parents. We have stayed several times in their community. We're considered so much a part of the community that our Gambian family re-named us Ansatta Bah (Kelly) and Yugo Bah (Bjarne). We have a network of trusted community leaders on the ground to monitor activities and we travel back regularly to ensure funds are spent in an effective way. We will personally oversee continued projects at the school while visiting Gambia Jan through May 2019, including working with school leadership on improved financial viability, improved pedagogy and training for the teachers, and improved infrastructure.
What was accomplished in 2017-2018 with your funds
1. We continued to rent and upkeep the new and much larger school building that we acquired in 2016.
2. We continued to provide scholarships and reduced tuition costs to all students by 50%.
3. We continued to pay livable salaries in full to two teachers. Our support allowed the school to hire a much needed third teacher from its own funds, reducing the overall student/teacher ratio.
4. We paid for continuing education tuition for the teachers we supported.
Spring Gate's children thank the donors!
Spring Gate's new two room school house.
Spring Gate student Fatima Jallow tried on my sandels.
A $50 contribution covers all school fees and uniform costs for a full school year.
Act NOW (December 2018) for this school to survive. Without your immediate support, Spring Gate will run out of funds to pay its teachers February 2019.
What your NEW contributions for 2019/2020 will cover.
1) Livable salaries for two teachers= $2000
2) Continued scholarships for students = $300
3) Investment in additional desks and chairs for students = $300
4) Investment in new books, toys, pens, paper, chalk, and other teaching supplies = $200
5) Investment in repairs and infrastructure updates = $200
How else you can help?
Not able to donate? Wish you could help more? Help us spread the word by sharing a link of this page on social media.
 Wow Wow Foundation.
To support small scale high-impact projects in The Gambia, we chartered a non-profit organization registered with the Gambian government in June 2015 with the mission "to contribute to the development of The Gambian people with a focus on access to education and human rights, while respecting the cultural norms and values." We have multiple local volunteer foundation board members as well as a volunteer project coordinator in The Gambia and we travel back to the country regularly to ensure the funds we've raised are being put to use effectively and with accountability. Wow Wow means "Yes Yes" in Wolof, one of the many languages spoken in western Africa.

With gratitude,
Bjarne Holmes (Yugo Bah), Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Kelly Faughnan (Ansatta Bah), Secretary and member of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Samba Bah, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Yerrow Sowe, Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Mafugi Bah, Project Coordinator, Wow Wow Foundation
Let's see what the Spring Gate students are up to this morning.
Outdoor games played on last day of school for the year.
How this got started.
While visiting The Gambia in West Africa in 2014 and 2015, my wife (Kelly Faughnan) and I (Bjarne Holmes) were moved to establish a non-profit foundation to help raise funds for educational and empowerment projects. We were inspired by witnessing the dedication of many Gambians who volunteer their time and resources to improving the lives of the children in their communities.
Your contribution is direct and very impactful.
We know the school's founder, the teachers, and many of the children and their parents. We have stayed several times in their community. We're considered so much a part of the community that our Gambian family re-named us Ansatta Bah (Kelly) and Yugo Bah (Bjarne). We have a network of trusted community leaders on the ground to monitor activities and we travel back regularly to ensure funds are spent in an effective way. We will personally oversee continued projects at the school while visiting Gambia Jan through May 2019, including working with school leadership on improved financial viability, improved pedagogy and training for the teachers, and improved infrastructure.
What was accomplished in 2017-2018 with your funds
1. We continued to rent and upkeep the new and much larger school building that we acquired in 2016.
2. We continued to provide scholarships and reduced tuition costs to all students by 50%.
3. We continued to pay livable salaries in full to two teachers. Our support allowed the school to hire a much needed third teacher from its own funds, reducing the overall student/teacher ratio.
4. We paid for continuing education tuition for the teachers we supported.
Spring Gate's children thank the donors!
Spring Gate's new two room school house. Spring Gate student Fatima Jallow tried on my sandels. A $50 contribution covers all school fees and uniform costs for a full school year.
Act NOW (December 2018) for this school to survive. Without your immediate support, Spring Gate will run out of funds to pay its teachers February 2019.
What your NEW contributions for 2019/2020 will cover.
1) Livable salaries for two teachers= $2000
2) Continued scholarships for students = $300
3) Investment in additional desks and chairs for students = $300
4) Investment in new books, toys, pens, paper, chalk, and other teaching supplies = $200
5) Investment in repairs and infrastructure updates = $200
How else you can help?
Not able to donate? Wish you could help more? Help us spread the word by sharing a link of this page on social media.
 Wow Wow Foundation.
To support small scale high-impact projects in The Gambia, we chartered a non-profit organization registered with the Gambian government in June 2015 with the mission "to contribute to the development of The Gambian people with a focus on access to education and human rights, while respecting the cultural norms and values." We have multiple local volunteer foundation board members as well as a volunteer project coordinator in The Gambia and we travel back to the country regularly to ensure the funds we've raised are being put to use effectively and with accountability. Wow Wow means "Yes Yes" in Wolof, one of the many languages spoken in western Africa.
With gratitude,
Bjarne Holmes (Yugo Bah), Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Kelly Faughnan (Ansatta Bah), Secretary and member of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Samba Bah, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Yerrow Sowe, Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Wow Wow Foundation
Mafugi Bah, Project Coordinator, Wow Wow Foundation
Organizer
Bjarne Moon Holmes
Organizer
Essex, VT
