Report on the Fall Semester 2023

In late December 2023, Chief Administrator Samba Touray submitted a report (in English) to the board of Butterfly Friends.
This report has been translated, and minor changes have been made to improve the readability of the text in Norwegian.

REPORT FROM THE FIRST SEMESTER AT THE ABC SCHOOLS
There have been many activities at our schools since September 2023. During this period, the principals at each school have
worked to improve in the areas they identified as their weakest during
the previous academic year. It was a very successful semester. Exams were administered, and the results will
be released during the first week of the second semester, which begins on February 8, 2024.
The first semester was quite special because, for the first time, we were visited by five board members
from Norway. It was, of course, a pleasant visit, and everyone enjoyed their stay in The Gambia. We hope to see you again soon
.
Here are the main activities that took place at each school during the first semester.

Samba Touray

THE PRESCHOOL IN EBO TOWN
A major change took place at this school. A new principal, Sofie Sarr, was hired to
replace Ms. Elizabeth Under. Elizabeth Under retired along with Ms. Anna Moore due
to age.
Sofie Sarr’s appointment as principal was well received, and we are confident that the school will only get
better. At this school, there were no enrollments for first grade. This is the second time in the school’s
history that we have had no children at this grade level. This was done to stabilize the number of students at
the school.
At the beginning of the semester, the school received all of its teaching materials—including notebooks, pencils, erasers,
tape, markers, chalk, pens, etc.—thanks to Butterfly Friends.
The school’s cooks had complained. They needed a new pot because one of their pots
was broken. Therefore, they received money to buy a new one, which the principal did.
Both septic tanks were full, and funds were provided to have them emptied. Paint was also purchased for
the fence, doors, and walls in some classrooms. Here, the board members did a fantastic job by taking on
the responsibility of painting. They did a great job. Now everything is in order at the preschool in Ebo Town. All they
need is more pay, and I’m sure this will happen once there’s enough money.

​BRIKAMA CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH SCHOOL
Here, almost everything was in order from the start. The 9th-grade grades are available, and when you look at
the results, the performance wasn’t too bad. Even though we’re working extremely hard, we need to try to get better
results on the next exam. That’s the main reason we started offering extra classes for 9th graders
as early as November. It’s not possible to cover the entire curriculum from 7th to 9th grade during regular
school hours. There are always many short breaks in The Gambia during the school year. That’s why schools in
The Gambia usually offer some extra classes to cover the curriculum. Most schools in The Gambia
charge students between D300 and D400 per month for tuition. Students at all Butterfly Friends
schools do not pay for these extra classes.
These free extra classes are very important for our students, and they have been offered since our
schools first opened. This is one of the reasons we are among the best schools in the country.
This year, we’ve hired a new math teacher and a new science teacher in Brikama. We’re confident these two teachers will
make a big difference, because the 9th-grade students’ performance in these two subjects on the last exam was
not encouraging at all. This was likely due to the fact that the teachers responsible for these
subjects were working part-time, which was not beneficial for the students. That is why we needed teachers who would spend more time
with the students at school. The students are happy that they now have full-time teachers.
At Brikama School, we were able to hold a graduation ceremony this year for two 9th-grade classes—those who graduated in
2022 and 2023. This was very important. Our students, who are now at other schools, were contacted by phone and came
to the school to receive their diplomas. We’ve had these children since preschool, and they deserve to receive a
proper diploma. It was a joyful day at Brikama.

Brikama received all the teaching materials they needed in September 2023 for the first semester. They also took
their semester exams, and the results will be released when the second semester begins.

NEW JESHWANG
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Here, Vice Principal Bintou Jobe retired, and a new vice principal was appointed to replace her.
His name is Mr. Sampha Kamara, a dedicated, hardworking man.
At this school, we usually face difficult times during the rainy season. The school always floods, and
this usually fills the septic tanks very quickly. Fortunately, we received the funds we needed, and both
septic tanks were emptied. It’s never easy to work there during the rainy season, but the teachers are always ready to do
their best no matter the conditions.
The middle school and high school, which are still partially under the Butterfly Friends program, performed
extremely well on the recent exams, both for 9th grade and for the 12th-grade
graduation exams. One 9th-grade student achieved an average grade of 6, and Omar Cham, who has attended every grade from
preschool in Ebo Town all the way through 12th grade at New Jeshwang, was the top student in The Gambia on
the final exams. This is something Butterfly Friends can be proud of. We always lay a very strong
foundation for our students.
New Jeshwang also recently held its “inter-house athletic” competition, which was
funded by Butterfly Friends. It was a very successful competition. Based on this competition, we will
select which students will represent the school at the inter-school level.
They also took their semester exams, and the results will be released when we return on January 8, 2024.
The schools in New Jeshwang received all their teaching materials in September.

THE PRESCHOOL IN BAKALARR
This school had a wonderful day when they held a closing ceremony for two groups. These
students are already in first and second grade, respectively. But because, like in Brikama, there were no
exams for them last year, we had to combine these two classes. They all received their diplomas and
had a wonderful day. Bakalarr received all of its teaching materials in September 2023.
As is the case with all the other schools, the staff here also need higher salaries. I’m sure
this will happen once the funds are available. In general, the staff are always very optimistic and ready to
give their all for the students and for the foundation.
We were very happy to have spent time with the board members. It was a rare opportunity to meet
some of you. We hope to see you again soon. Thank you very much.
Samba Touray
Chief
Administrator Butterfly Friends Foundation