Children from the Rosy Apple Childcare group of four nurseries heldfundraising days and parents were asked to donate a pound or bring insome stationery.
Nursery teacher Heather Vango said the idea for the project came afterher sister visited LK Airport Nursery in Serekunda. She said, 'It reallytouched her that they had nothing. A basic pencil was a luxury tothem.'
Ms Vango is in contact with the nursery's owner, Mr Tamba, who e-mailsher from an internet cafe.
The nursery and school takes children aged from two-and-a-half toseven.
Ms Vango said, 'We put up a display of the photos and talked to thechildren about the differences in their experiences. The children wereasking, "Where are the toys? Why isn't there anything on thewalls?"'
She said that the parents' response was overwhelming. 'Parents thinkit's important for children to learn about different cultures andcountries.
'We're holding more fundraising days to send another parcel by the endof February. We'd like to send paint and paper, but it's very expensiveto post. We're hoping to find a sponsor to help us send heavieritems.'
Further information
To support Rosy Apple Childcare's Gambia project, e-mailSharon@rosyapplechildcare.com.