The new school year has been underway for a few weeks now and, despite a few hiccups caused by heavy rainfall during the first couple of weeks, everything is going well.
Our children
The chart below shows our enrolment for the 2026/27 school year.
We currently have 129 children: 57 boys and 72 girls. Of these, 85 are sponsored by you, our wonderful supporters. Thank you for helping to make their education possible.
From our experience in The Gambia, girls’ education does not appear to be the major gender issue that people outside the country might imagine. Girls are keen to learn, families are increasingly supportive of their education, and girls are doing very well nationally.
The challenge now is to ensure that every child, girl or boy, has the opportunity to receive a good education.
Music brings joy to the classroom!
One of the highlights of this term has been our music lessons. Our music teacher, Tamsin (Sirtams) Saine, is now at the school two days a week, introducing the children to musical instruments and helping them learn to keep a rhythm.
This video shows Tamsin introducing one of the children to the Punjabi dhol drum, which is a new instrument for him, too!
We have also been donated two or three ukuleles. The ukulele is another new instrument for Tamsin, so I’ve sent him a YouTube video to help him learn how to play. He is also teaching himself the recorder while introducing it to the children.
It’s wonderful to see both the children and their teacher learning together!
Tamsin shared these words with us:
“Their first time touching the piano, there was some feeling of joy and happiness in all of them. Access to musical instruments is difficult for many of us, not only Western music instruments but even African ones. These boys and girls already feel lucky. Thanks to everyone who has donated.”
A huge thank you to everyone who has helped make these experiences possible. especially Arti Kumar for her monthly donation that help pay Tamsin’s wage. Music is bringing so much pleasure to the children, and we hope to build on this in the future.
Help us fill our bookshelves!
A huge thank you to everyone who has asked about donating books to Afrikaya Nursery School.
We have put together a list of recommended books, featuring some of our favourite titles that are culturally appropriate and suitable for the children’s ages.
Perhaps you would like to donate a book to the school, or choose one especially for your sponsored child.
If you shop online, Awesome Books and World of Books are both great sources of affordable, pre-loved books.
You can arrange to have your books delivered to me at the following address, ready for shipping to The Gambia:
19 Wilcot Village
Wiltshire SN9 5NN
Thank you for helping us give the children access to more books, stories and opportunities to learn.
🎄 Afrikaya Christmas Appeal 2026!
Loathe as I am to mention the C word, Christmas is fast approaching!
We are raising funds to bring some Christmas joy to families in The Gambia who are really struggling. Donations will help us provide food gifts for families, gifts for children and a Christmas party.
Every donation makes a difference. If you would like some ideas of what your donation could provide:
- £5 towards the children’s Christmas party and party bags
- £30 towards a 50kg sack of rice
- £20 towards a 25kg sack of rice
- £50 towards rice and vegetables for a family
Please donate in your usual way, or use one of the links below.
💚 JustGiving
https://www.justgiving.com/afrikayacharity
💙 PayPal Giving Fund
http://paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3202564
Donating on behalf of your sponsored child?
If you are sponsoring a particular child and would like your donation to be associated with them, please tick the box that allows the charity to see your details.
- On JustGiving: Write “Christmas Appeal” and your sponsored child’s name in the comments.
- On PayPal Giving Fund: Please message me after making your donation, giving these details.
If you would prefer to donate by bank transfer, please message me for the details.
Thank you, as always, for your generosity and continued support. Together, we can help make Christmas a little brighter for children and families in The Gambia.
With warmest wishes and heartfelt thanks to you all. ❤️🇬🇲
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September Newsletter
There has been a little less news from the school over the past month, as it remained closed for most of the summer break. However, that certainly doesn’t mean nothing has been happening!
Alimamo has made good use of the quieter period to organise essential maintenance and tackle some of the pruning around the school grounds. All 150 chairs and 25 tables have now been repaired and varnished, a job that took several days to complete.
The lovely neem trees by the front gate have also been pruned right back, with the school goats very happily taking care of the cuttings. A veritable feast!
Our wonderful avocado tree, which provides welcome shade near the main classroom, has been fruiting too. How I wish I were there to enjoy some! It will have its turn for a good prune once the fruiting has finished.
Meanwhile, here in the UK, our fortnightly fundraising drum circles have continued, but otherwise we have taken the opportunity to spend some time with our families and friends.
The trustees met recently and made the decision to increase the salaries of all our school staff by 10%, helping them to keep pace with inflation.
We have also been very grateful to receive several generous donations. These included a donation from the estate of the late Pauline McCrann, together with funds raised at an event held in her memory. We have also received a substantial grant from a trust fund that wishes to remain anonymous. Our sincere thanks go to everyone involved.
Wonderful though this support is, it doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels. We still have children waiting for sponsorship, so if you have family or friends who might like to become a sponsor, please do spread the word.
The new school year began last Monday, and Alimamo and Baboucarr have been busy registering the children. Those of you waiting to receive details of your new sponsored child should hear from us this week.
We now employ 16 members of staff, three of whom are part-time. Among our full-time staff are four qualified teachers and three teaching assistants.
The rainy season isn’t over yet either. While parts of the UK remain very dry, The Gambia has been experiencing flooding. Last Wednesday night, heavy rain began and continued throughout Thursday. It was so severe that only two children and two teachers managed to reach the school.
Thankfully, our flood defences held, and the school, along with the roads immediately outside, remained safe from flooding. After all the work that has gone into protecting the site, that was very welcome news indeed.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to every one of you for the support you have given Afrikaya over the past year. Whether through sponsorship, donations, fundraising, attending our drum circles or simply spreading the word, your continued support makes everything we do possible.
Thank you.
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Newsletter August 2026
Thank you, as ever, for your on-going support whether by monthly sponsorship, donations, attending our events, or following our progress online.
Many of you have generously responded to our request, a year ago, to increase your donations to £15 a month (or £180 per year). We wholeheartedly thank you for this. If you haven’t done so yet, please consider doing so. Not only have staffing costs increased, but we are also now facing much higher food bills. You may not have seen in world news that The Gambia has had a deluge of contaminated rice and flour hit the markets. Also, other contaminated food stuffs. The Gambian Government are aware but are not acting very quickly. As a consequence, Alimamo is being very careful where he buys and what he buys. Inevitability at extra cost.
I don’t have a lot to report for this month as it’s been school holidays. In fact, school doesn’t start again until towards end of September. Academic years are planned that way in West Africa to avoid the rainy season. Thanks to some very generous donations of wellington boots, the children should cope with the wet roads if the rains carry on into October as they did last year.
0n the subject of rain, I am happy to report that the roads around the school and the school infrastructure have all stayed flood proof thanks to your generosity.
Although it is school holidays, staff have kept themselves busy:
Demba continues studying for his BA in English Literature.
Mamu has been attending college for her Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Development (as well as looking after her own 3 children under the age of 6).
Baboucarr has been back to his own village where he farms, as well as travelling to the school a couple of days a week to hold study classes.
Modou Lamin has been holding study classes for new students transferring from other schools. The school had several requests from parents of children at other schools to transfer to Afrikaya as they weren’t happy with the quality of education they were getting. Modou Lamin has been working with them to bring them up to speed and identify areas of weakness so their new teacher can help them when school starts.
Alimamo has been overseeing all the maintenance work on the buildings and the gardens. Lots of trees and shrubs have been pruned back. Remember the fruit garden behind the classrooms? It had apparently become ‘a bit of a jungle’. It all needed to be thinned out. Much of it was taken up by banana plants. The stems that produce fruit only do so once, then die back. The plant itself is spent within 5 to10 years. Therefore, a lot needed clearing. The goats are very happy! Banana plants for dinner!
We have been working hard in the UK. Or monthly drum circles continue https://afrikaya.co.uk/afrikaya-drum-circles/ If you live nearby, why not come along and give it a go. I’m sure you will enjoy it. Sanjeen and I have been completing the end of financial year accounts with the help of Alimamo and Binta. They all went to our accountants and have now been submitted to and accepted by the UK Charity Commission. This is my very least favourite part of running the charity.
Geoff and I have been gathering together musical instruments, t-shirts, school jumpers, and school supplies. One shipment sailed off last week. Another is due to be picked up from us in about 10 days time.
It would be wonderful if you could consider donating to help us with the costs of shipping. It costs us around £200 each time. Please donate in your usual way, or via http://paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3202564
It’s the easiest way to donate. You don’t need a PayPal account.
A little reminder of where it all began. Five People. Five Journeys. One Shared Vision.
This wonderful mural celebrates the unique alliance behind the founding of Afrikaya Nursery School — five people from different backgrounds, countries and cultures, brought together by a shared belief in the power of education and opportunity for children in The Gambia.
🇬🇲 Alimamo Ceesay — The Gambia
🇬🇧 Geoff Miles — Wiltshire, UK
🇬🇧 Di Miles — Wiltshire, UK
🇳🇿 Helen Payne-Kumar — originally from New Zealand
🇮🇳 Sanjeen Payne-Kumar — of Indian heritage
Five different journeys. Five perspectives. One shared commitment: to create something lasting and positive for children in The Gambia.
The flags and imagery in this mural are a beautiful reminder that friendships and partnerships can cross continents and cultures — and that when people come together with a common purpose, wonderful things can grow.
Afrikaya was born from this alliance — and its story continues. 💚🇬🇲🇬🇧🇳🇿🇮🇳
It remains for me to again say a massive thank you for your support.
Warmest wishes
Di, on behalf of the trustees, the staff and the children of the Afrikaya Nursery School.
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July Newsletter
July has been another incredibly busy month at Afrikaya!
Graduation Gifts
This month we contacted sponsors whose sponsored children were due
to graduate from Afrikaya Nursery School. A number asked how they could gift the child with a leaving gift. So many of you responded with wonderful
generosity. Thanks to your support, every graduating child whose sponsor
contributed received a copy of Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke—a delightful
chapter book celebrating the joys of growing up in a loving African family.
We hope it will encourage a lifelong love of reading as the children begin
their exciting journey into primary school.
Inside each book was a personalised bookplate, like the one shown
below, making it a special keepsake that we hope they will treasure for
years to come.
Music at Afrikaya
Some of the children are now enjoying music lessons one day each
week.
Over the past year we have been fortunate to receive donations of quite
a number of musical instruments, for which we are extremely grateful.
However, we still need more, and we also need help to cover the cost of
our music teacher. Music is far more than an extra activity. Singing, drumming, playing music, and moving together help children develop language,
concentration, confidence, creativity and emotional resilience—all skills
that give them a strong start when they move on to primary school.
A small monthly donation can help us buy instruments, support our
music teacher and keep music alive at Afrikaya. If you would like to help,
whether with a one-off or regular donation, please visit:
If you have a musical instrument that is no longer needed, we would be delighted to hear from you. Your unwanted instrument could inspire achild’s love of music.
End of Term Success
As is customary in Gambian schools, every child sits end-of-term assessments. While we firmly believe that every child is unique and has talents that go far beyond academic achievement, we are always delighted to celebrate their successes. Once again this year, many of our sponsored children achieved places among the top three in their classes. We say this every year because it remains true: without the generosity and commitment of our wonderful sponsors, many of these children simply would never have had the opportunity to attend school. Because of your support, our graduating children leave Afrikaya with a strong educational foundation, ready to take the exciting next step into primary school. Thank you for helping to change lives, one child at a time.
Caring for the School Environment
Afrikaya is about much more than education. We believe that the environment in which children learn is just as important as the lessons they are taught. When children see adults caring for their surroundings, they learn to respect their environment—and themselves. Now that the rainy season is beginning, all the trees and shrubs are being carefully pruned back. This will be repeated once the rains have finished and everything has grown again.
This is also the time of year when the school buildings, furniture and play equipment are repainted. The fresh paint not only keeps everything looking bright and welcoming but also protects it from the slightly acidic rains that arrive during the wet season.
Prize Giving Ceremony
The school year ended with our annual Prize Giving Ceremony, held on
Thursday, the day before the school broke up for the summer holidays. It
was a wonderful celebration of the children’s achievements and a fitting
way to mark the end of another successful year.
It was a lovely way to mark this special milestone, and I was especially
pleased to see a return to a simpler celebration this year, following the
Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education’s directive that graduation
ceremonies should no longer include caps and gowns.
As well as prizes for the top three pupils in each class, special awards
were presented to children who had shown other positive qualities
throughout the year.
Some received the “Neat Child” award, which in Gambian schools
recognises children who are well-behaved, polite, tidy and respectful.
Others were presented with the “Regular Child” award. Although the
name may sound unusual to those outside The Gambia, it recognises
children who attend regularly, behave consistently well and are
dependable members of their class.
It was wonderful to see so many children recognised and celebrated for
their achievements, effort and positive attitudes.
The school is now closed for the summer holidays and will reopen in
mid-September for the start of a new academic year. Our graduating
children will move on to their local primary schools, while we look
forward to welcoming a new intake of children to Afrikaya.
Sponsors whose sponsored child has graduated will soon be introduced
to another child from our new intake. As soon as I receive their
photographs and information, I will send these on to you.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to every one of our sponsors. Your kindness
and generosity have given these children a wonderful start to their
education and opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed. Every book, every lesson, every smile and every success has been made possible because of your support.
On behalf of all the children, staff and trustees at Afrikaya, thank you for
being part of our journey. We wish you a wonderful summer and look
forward to sharing more news with you when the new school year
begins.
Di Miles 28 July 2026
June 2026
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June Update
🌞 June Update from Afrikaya Nursery School
As June draws to a close, the UK and much of Europe have been sweltering in a heatwave — a small reminder of the temperatures our friends in The Gambia experience daily. I hope you’re all managing to stay cool.
A Little Joy to Start
I can’t resist sharing a photo of little Miss Ceesay — Alimamo’s daughter and my namesake. A true cute alert.
Back to School After Tobaski
The children returned to school on 1st June after their week’s break for Tobaski. We’re now in the final stretch of the school year, with exams underway and our 2026 graduates preparing for their move to Primary School.
We’re also continuing our big push to help the children care for their environment by using the litter bins provided around the school.
