Independent · Volunteer-run · Since 2002
Butterfly Friends — Schools and health care for children in The Gambia
Butterfly Friends is an independent charity. Since 2002 we have built and run schools and health services in The Gambia — together with Gambian teachers and nurses, and sponsors in Norway.
All work in Norway is unpaid · Org. no. 985 457 840
2002
Founded in Vikersund
5
Schools in The Gambia
1,500
Pupils, aged 4–14
124
Gambians in permanent jobs
01 — The work
Three things we do, every single day
We don't build and leave. The schools and the health centre keep running, year after year, staffed by people who live there.
School meal, ABC school 01School
Nine unbroken years of schooling, nursery and primary school. Free tuition, books and equipment — and a hot meal every school day. In every school we work to keep eight out of ten pupils girls.
Infant check-up at the health centre 02Health
The health centre handles more than 10,000 patient visits a year: antenatal care, malaria treatment and around 300 births.
The Sunflower Women in class 03The Sunflower Women
Adult women who never got to go to school learn to read, write and count — and to run a business of their own.
02 — Sponsorship
300kroner a month
That is the whole price of a sponsorship.
As a school sponsor you help very poor children get free schooling, learning materials and a meal every school day.
- Schooling, books and materials
- A hot meal every school day
- Medicines and health centre operations
- The chance to visit the schools and the health centre
Gifts to Butterfly Friends are tax deductible in Norway. If you provide your national ID number, our accountant reports the amount straight to the tax authority and it appears on your tax return automatically.
03 — News
Latest news
All news →
October 10, 2026
One less problem
Young people in The Gambia are just like young people here at home. They don’t think much about the consequences of their actions, especially if it means they have to go out of their way. That’s why it was necessary to install a new gate between the students’ dining hall and the neighboring building.
October 9, 2026
"You have to bend it while it's young..."
The old saying, “You have to bend it early to make a good hook,” doesn’t quite apply to what’s happening in our schools in The Gambia, but we’re seeing a welcome development. Before, we had to come from Norway and take care of almost everything ourselves, or pay for services from professionals in The Gambia. We no longer need to do that.
October 8, 2026
Repairs and Renovations
Over the past few months, repairs and improvements have been made at both the schools and the health center. Here are some of the things that have been done.
04 — The story
It started with one school in Ebo Town
In 2002 Anbjørg Juliussen from Vikersund set herself a single goal: raise the money to build and run a school in Ebo Town, The Gambia.
Today there are 5 schools with 1,500 pupils aged 4 to 14 — plus a health centre. 124 Gambians hold permanent jobs in the organisation.
We receive no government funding. Everything is carried by sponsors and supporters, bazaars, flea markets, Christmas markets, gifts from anniversaries and weddings — and the second-hand shop in Vikersund.
05 — Photographs
From the schools and the health centre
The preschool in Ebo Town 
Maths lesson 
The school day begins 
The school kitchen 
Upper secondary school 
At the health centre 
Classroom in Bakalarr End-of-year ceremony
06 — Other ways
More ways to help
Sponsorship is not the only route. Everything goes to running the work in The Gambia.
Vipps 12648
Search for Butterfly Friends in Vipps and give a one-off amount.
Account 2200 13 70123
Transfer directly to the organisation's bank account.
The second-hand shop
Since 2011 the shop in Vikersund has given its profits to pupils in The Gambia.
Visit the shop →Gifts and markets
Bazaars, flea markets, Christmas markets and gifts from anniversaries and weddings.
Bequests
A legacy that pays for children's schooling for many years to come.
Join a trip
Twice a year sponsors travel to The Gambia to meet the children they support.