Letter from Anbjørg

Vikersund, September 2021

Dear sponsors and supporters!

I’m happy to be writing this letter to you.

Once again, I traveled to The Gambia😊 It’s been 14 months since I last met all of Butterfly’s students and staff, so it was a great joy to see them all again. COVID-19 puts a stop to many things, but with two vaccine doses and face masks, I was able to travel once again to The Gambia, the “Land of Smiles,” on the west coast of Africa.

This time, there was a lot to take care of, and it meant many hours of work every day, but with smiles, joy, and—not least—gratitude from all “our” people in The Gambia, everything went smoothly.

We kicked things off by celebrating May 17, and I visited our schools (except for Bakalar—since it’s on the other side of the river), and there was great joy with Norwegian flags, drums, and dancing.

We distributed rice, oil, and money from you to the sponsored children; there was great gratitude, as many people are struggling to get food in The Gambia right now.

A lot of work was done at the schools. In New Jeshwang, there’s always something that needs fixing. It’s a large school with many students, and the first building dates back to 2009, but fortunately the roofs are watertight. In 2020, there was a major water problem at the school due to last year’s terrible rainy season. We resolved this issue using sand, stones, and cement, so now the school should be safe when the rains come during this season and end in early October. In addition, the computer lab received five new ceiling fans—this was necessary because it gets hot in there when 50 computers are turned on. We’ve purchased school supplies for exams, and everything is going smoothly at the school in New Jeshwang now.

We had a new roof installed at the nursery school in Brikama, which opened in November 2009, and repairs were made to the roof of the elementary and middle school that opened in 2016, so now all the roofs at the Butterfly Friends schools are watertight. In Brikama, we also had five large trees cut down; their roots were damaging both the schoolyard and the water line, so it was good to have them removed—and the school grounds now get much more light. Five new ceiling fans were purchased there as well, along with a printer for the computer lab (they’ve never had a printer before), and the stove that the cooks use every day was also repaired. We have new principals in Brikama: Mr. Manneh is the principal of the elementary and middle school, and Mr. Sorra is the principal of the nursery school. Everything is going well at the schools in Brikama.

In Ebo Town, everything is proceeding as usual; the school got a new roof in 2020. The porcelain bowls in the student restrooms are new this year. The school has a new principal, Ms. Elisabeth During, a former teacher at New Jeshwang, who now oversees the school’s 300 students and 20 staff members.

In Bakalar, there was a big celebration for the graduation of all the nursery students graduating this year, and those who graduated in 2020 were also in attendance. A total of 64 students received their certificates. There were many guests and many speeches; proud parents and students provided entertainment, and the cooks prepared delicious rice and chicken. Everyone was grateful; as Principal Tida said in her speech, they are so happy for the help Butterfly Friends has provided to all 103 students in Bakalar. The school has had four new restrooms built with porcelain toilets, running water, and fresh paint.

As for the graduation ceremonies for all the other classes graduating in 2021, as well as those who graduated in 2020, they will be held in November of this year. These include Nursery Brikama and Ebo Town, the elementary school in Brikama and New Jeshwang, and the middle school in Brikama as well as the middle and high schools in New Jeshwang, with the exception of the high school class that graduated in 2020—they held the Butterfly Friends graduation at the end of May 2021, to great joy and gratitude.

There was a cooking exam for 9th-grade students in Brikama. In New Jeshwang, the exam was for both the 9th-grade students who had finished middle school and the students graduating from high school. Everyone prepared delicious food, and everything went well😊.

The 9th-grade class at the school in Brikama went on their first school trip, and everyone was thrilled. Photos and a recap of the trip are posted on the Butterfly Friends Facebook page.

We’ve also held meetings with the administration at all the schools and with all the staff at each school.

When fall arrives, we’d like to purchase new textbooks, paint the interiors of all classrooms at every school, and paint the exteriors of all the schools as well as the surrounding wall once the rainy season is over.

If we can accomplish all of this, we’ll be where we need to be, but we are completely dependent on our wonderful sponsors and supporters. Butterfly Friends has 2,000 students who are poor, and in most families, the student starting at Butterfly School is the first in the family to receive an education. The joy and gratitude the mothers show when we admit a student is something you simply have to experience, and that joy is by no means a given—the mothers truly fight to get their child into school; everyone now understands how important education is.

Without wanting to boast too much, Butterfly Friends is one of the best school projects in The Gambia; for many years, some of our middle school students have graduated with the highest grades in The Gambia. In the second year we graduated high school students, the Butterfly Friends School ranked fourth among Gambia’s 123 high schools. The school has well-educated teachers from both universities and colleges. Today, former students are studying both in The Gambia and around the world. They are pursuing degrees in nursing, medicine, economics, computer science, mathematics, and more, and one former student is now a well-known Gambian soccer player. Two of Butterfly’s former students teach at the school in New Jeshwang, and one of the girls is a teacher at a college in Brikama. All of their profiles will be posted on the website in due course so you can get a sense of how important Butterfly Friends schools are in The Gambia.

As the girls say, “Now we know we can do the same work as the boys; now we know we can also get a good education, get good jobs, and not just be married off and have children.” Hooray for the girls—and at Butterfly Friends’ schools, 80% of the students are girls.

It was a great joy to be able to give gifts from you to the families; there are many people going hungry in The Gambia right now. COVID-19 is present there, but to a much lesser extent than in many other countries. There are almost no tourists; the hotels and restaurants are closed. It was sad, but we hope things will improve by fall.

There are four of us on the board: Stig Jørstad, former principal in Sigdal; Kristin Vik, who has been with us for many years; Ellen Pandur, who has been with us since we started Butterfly 19 years ago; and myself. All four of us are keeping at it; it’s not easy, but we’re working hard so we can provide support to all 2,000 students and 220 staff members. We are completely dependent on recruiting more sponsors and volunteers if we are to continue the good work we’re all doing for the students and staff of Butterfly Friends. If we can’t manage that, we may unfortunately have to close some schools.

A sponsor trip is planned for November 12–26, and details will be posted on the website.

We sincerely thank you all for your wonderful support over the years;

without you, there would be no Butterfly Friends, and many children and adults would be without an education.

Wishing you all a wonderful fall; together, we’re working toward the future of The Gambia.

Best regards, Anbjørg. Email: sponsor@butterflyfriends.no. Cell: 906 52 378. Website: www.butterflyfriends.no