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A New Year and New Projects

I am very pleased that, despite being gone for a longer time, I could immediately resume with my various jobs and that the planned projects will quickly get rolling again and can be realized shortly. The new inspector, M. Totala Dehiou, who is responsible for all the kindergartens in and around Sedhiou, is very committed and also interested in our way of beneficial teaching for preschool children. Our discussions are starting to bear fruit and are leading to specific steps of procedure.

From February 2022 on, there will be training sessions with the teachers in the various kindergartens on the topic of "play materials". The training sessions will begin in stages. After each introduction, I will accompany the lessons until both the teachers and the children understand how the games work and can use them without any problems.

At the same time, under the leadership of my project partner, Elhadji Dieme, we are beginning the most urgent constructions of new classrooms, which are lacking in some already existing kindergartens. The meager temporary rooms made of bamboo mats are no alternative, they prevent a conducive teaching and are often even in a critical condition.

Inspector Dehiou is writing the necessary letters and thereby and informing all the higher authorities all the way up to the Minister of Education in Dakar, so that our "toy program" will go the official way. In the mean time I am preparing the games. I am very happy that new paths are opening up and that I am now involved in the state education system. This leads to a higher acceptance and appreciation and strengthens the cooperation.

The 50 boxes filled with donated play material and toys from Switzerland, that got transported to Gambia in a container, were brought to our home in Sedhiou by Elhadji. It was a 4-day odyssey over the holidays to get the boxes here. Now it is time to unpack the material and get it sorted into the different age groups for the kindergartens.

From February on I will be joined by Philomène Tine, who is an already qualified kindergarten teacher. She would like to accompany me to gain experience in teaching with different kinds play material. This is not just about the games that I brought with me. I would really like to include more material from around here, which will make the lessons more attractive. So the children will be stimulated with local material and it can be used in many different ways: for handicrafts, games, gymnastics, circle games and much more.