Monday 26 May 2008

The Gambian Experience Part Two. (Ring Ring goes the Bell...) From January 2008.

Part two.



Photo above of Ida's roadside bistro (I can recommend the fried fish).

Ida is about nine years old. She sits outside the compound, a white towel covering the pieces of fruit that she is selling today.
She is one of Mariama's best friends. A pretty girl, actually they are all pretty girls here, and they want to learn so they bombard you with questions in between being told not to by the adults.
These kids are so shy and yet so polite and if you think about it, they will be the elders of the village tomorrow and yet learning within this community comes at a premium... A price.
The schools charge for schooling here as this area is so underdeveloped that there are no state schools with free learning so the children are charged by The Church for an education.
It would seem that should you wish to learn here above infant level then one of God's representatives on Earth will take your money.
I know it goes on elsewhere but it still angers me.
Some of these people cannot even afford a bag of rice to feed their family and still The Church wants money...
I suppose it's because we don't charge for a basic education in the west ?

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