About us

An idea from a Norwegian village that became schools for thousands of children

Butterfly Friends is an independent, non-political charity. All work in Norway is done by volunteers — and every krone raised goes directly to the projects in The Gambia.

Pupils at the ABC schools

The story

From “Friends of Ebo Town” to Butterfly Friends

In 2002, Anbjørg Juliussen from Vikersund founded “Ebo Towns venner” — Friends of Ebo Town — with one goal: raise money to build and run a school in Ebo Town, The Gambia. The school opened with 60 pupils; twice as many showed up on registration day.

The organisation grew and took the name Butterfly Friends. Today we run 5 schools with 1,500 pupils aged 4 to 14, a health centre with more than 10,000 patient visits a year — and adult education for women.

Over the years, 47 containers of school furniture, books and equipment have been shipped from Norway to The Gambia. Twice a year, sponsors travel down to visit the children and see the work with their own eyes.

One of 47 containers of equipment from Norway

Values

Equality, respect and friendship

Butterfly Friends is independent and non-political. The work is built on close cooperation between the board, the sponsors, the members and the families in The Gambia — based on equality and respect.

The purpose is mutual development and understanding through friendship: sharing knowledge and resources, supporting education and health, and contributing to human solidarity.

Read the bylaws (PDF, in Norwegian)

Last amended at the 2019 annual meeting.

Finances

No costly administration

We receive no public operating support, and everyone in Norway works as a volunteer. Income comes from sponsorships, bazaars, flea markets, Christmas markets, gifts from anniversaries and weddings, bequests — and the second-hand shop in Vikersund.

Everything raised goes directly to the projects. The organisation is registered with org. no. 985 457 840, and gifts qualify for tax deduction in Norway.

The board