Mentor Trip, November 2024

Once again, we’re planning a sponsorship trip that you’re welcome to join. The trip departs from Gardermoen on Tuesday, November 19, at 4:45 p.m. (arriving in The Gambia on Wednesday, November 20, at 6:00 a.m.), with the return flight on Thursday, December 5, at 9:00 p.m. (arriving at Gardermoen on Friday, December 6, at 11:45 a.m.). You may bring two suitcases weighing 23 kg each plus 8 kg of carry-on luggage.

Round-trip airfare: 10,500 NOK per person. (Round-trip travel, accommodations at an affordable hotel, and meals typically cost about 20,000 NOK per person.)

If you’d like to join us, please call or send us a text message or email as soon as possible. That way, we can reserve your spot at this price, and you won’t have to pay right away.

What will you experience?
14 wonderful days filled with many great experiences. Butterfly Friends’ six schools, with a total of 1,500 students. Join a class and listen to the lesson. You’ll encounter smiles, joy, and gratitude. There’s also time for the beach, swimming, and sunbathing. Plenty of great dining experiences and lots of friendly people.
A trip that will give you memories to last a lifetime.

Contact us at: Sponsor@butteflyfriends.no or Mobile 906 52 378

Welcome to a memorable experience. Over 800 sponsors have already participated.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Wednesday, November
20: You’ll land early Wednesday morning at 6:00 a.m., be greeted by a warm welcome, and then be driven to the hotel. The drive takes about 30 minutes. A hearty breakfast awaits you, and the rest of the day is all about relaxing.

Thursday, November
21: We generally start each day at 10:00 a.m. First, we’ll visit the schools in Ebo Town and New Jeshwang, which have a combined total of 1,250 students. We’ll be welcomed by beaming students and wonderful teachers. You can participate in the classroom, talk with the principal, and, if you’d like, sample some truly delicious school meals. We’ll be back at the hotel around 2:00 p.m. We’ll meet again at 6:00 p.m. for a delicious dinner.

Friday, November 22: We’ll decide on the plans for this day once we’re in The Gambia.

Saturday, November 23: We’ll visit a market or relax on the beach.

Sunday, November 24: We’ll spend the day with our sponsored children at the beach.

Monday, November
25: Today we’ll visit the Butterfly Friends School in Brikama, about a 40-minute drive away.
The preschool opened in 2009, and the elementary and middle school opened in 2014. The school has a total of 390 students. Here, you can also observe classes in the classrooms if you’d like, or simply talk with students and teachers. We’ll be served a delicious meal, and the students will entertain us with dancing and joyful performances. We’ll return to the hotel around 2:00 p.m. We’ll meet at 6:00 p.m. for
dinner.

Tuesday, November
26: We’ll visit the Butterfly Friends School in Bakalarr, which has 100 students. We’ll leave the
hotel at 8:00 a.m. for Banjul and take the ferry over to Barra. On this trip, we can also visit the slave island of
Kunta Kinte. We’ll be back at the hotel around 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November
27: We’ll have an early breakfast and set out at 9:00 a.m. for the health center, about a 15-minute drive away. There, we’ll meet many mothers with their babies who come for vaccinations,
vitamins, and well-baby checkups. Our three midwives see about 500 babies over the course of a year. If you have any baby clothes or clothing in sizes up to age three, please feel free to bring them along so you can distribute them at the center. We’ll be back at the hotel around 1:00 p.m. and will meet again for
dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, November
28: If any of you are artistically inclined or know how to embroider or sew, you can spend this day helping our students with crafts. A painting class would also be great. We’ll meet for dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, November
29: Those who wish to do so can visit the school in New Jeshwang again. There are many students there who would love to learn handicrafts and talk with their sponsors. Participation is entirely voluntary. Otherwise, the day is free for you to do whatever you’d like. We’ll meet for dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, November
30: Today we’ll take a trip to Banjul and visit “Albert Market.” We’ll end the day with a boat ride and a nice dinner.

Sunday, December
1: For those who’d like to, we’ll take the children to the monkey park. We’ll wrap up with dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Monday, December
2: Once again, we’d appreciate any help you can provide with painting, crafts, or playing with the students.
Dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, December
3: We’ll visit the preschool in Ebo Town in the morning and stop at New Jeshwang Elementary School on the way back. This is the last day we’ll meet with the students. Dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December
4: The last full day—feel free to let us know what you’d like to do before
heading home.

Thursday, December
5: The last day of this trip. You can spend the time packing or catching the last
rays of sunshine on the beach. We’ll have a nice lunch and head to the airport at 5:00 p.m.
The flight departs from Banjul at 9:00 p.m.

Friday, December
6: The flight lands at Gardermoen at 11:45 a.m.