Rotary Club of Bodmin send generator to school for deaf children in Gambia
The Rotary Club of Bodmin has recently dispatched a 27kw generator to The Gambia, West Africa for use in St. Johns School for The Deaf, Serrekunja. The school currently has mains electricity, but along with the rest of the country the supply is very erratic. The generator once installed will provide sufficient electricity to power all the lighting and equipment such as computers.
The project started when two Bodmin Rotarians and their wives were on holiday in The Gambia and visited the school with a number of small gifts from Rotary. They saw the difficulties the school was in and the plight caused by the meager electricity supply.
The school is believed to be the only school for the deaf in The Gambia and takes pupils from the ages of
5yrs to 16yrs.They have old metalwork and woodwork machines which are barely serviceable, but adequate to learn on. They also have a room with approx. fifteen old computers, which for deaf children are an excellent aid to learning , however, their use is severely affected by frequent power interruptions. This obviously has a knock on effect with their overall education.
The impact of the visit and what they saw left Rtn. Gerald May & Rtn. John Fenton with a desire to initiate a means of helping the school on their return to the UK.
Their story was told to Rtn. Peter Old, Chairman of Rotary International Committee, and with a generator offered as a gift from Rtn. Gera ld the project officially got underway.
The generator , originally purchased from BT Telephone Exchange Bodmin, installed as a stand-by supply for the Golden Fry Fish Restaurant, Higher Bore St. Bodmin was no longer needed.
Although the generator is 40yrs old it has only run a total of 600hrs in its lifetime, a very sound machine, but assistance and money would have to be found by the Bodmin Club to dismantle, remove, refurbish, transport to The Gambia and provide
a building and install upon arrival.
Quite a tall order, but coupled with Gerald's generosity and the club's enthusiasm it was considered a very worthwhile project to tackle.
Assistance was eventually found : In July 2001 Tony Sussex of Penzance ( A BT Power Engineer ) volunteered to undertake the refurbishment task - estimated at 250hrs work !
Bodmin Fire Brigade offered help to remove and load the 3 ton unit for transportation to Tony's workshop near Penzance.
August 2002 saw completion of the refurbishment, the work carried out by Tony covered every detail of the diesel engine, generator and a newly built control panel. The total time spent on the work is believed to be in the order of 600hrs - Tony being too much of a gentleman to tell us - he just says he got a lot of satisfaction out of the project.
In the meantime, with the support of the Fajara, Rotary Club and personal contacts, Bodmin Rotary Club provided funds for the building, next to the school, which is now ready for the generator to arrive.
The generator was shipped from Felixstow on 4th Oct 2002 and is due to arrive in The Gambia early in November. Along with the generator the club are shipping 1000 bic pens; a rare commodity in The Gambia Upon arrival the generator will be transported and installed in the special constructed building next to the school.
A number of Rotarians hope to visit the school in the new year to see the completed project.
The Bodmin Rotary Club would like to thank all those who have supported various fund raising events over the past 12 months to support this project.
Arrival
The generator arrived in the Gambia on the 6th Nov 2002.
Now in place in the new building (paid for by the Bodmin Rotary Club) at the " St. John's School for the Deaf "
Generator now to be connected and commissioned by a local expertise !
The visit to The Gambia was a huge success. 
On the first day visit to the school, by President Keith, Gerald & Peter, there was a big welcome by the
School Principle Mr. John Jatta, staff & Children.
Also a welcome surprise was to find that the generator was fully installed, in the new building, connected
and working.
A further surprise was to find that, the following day ( 21st Nov. 2002 ) a special
" School Generator Presentation Ceremony " was arranged.
The programme was:
1 Prayers by: - The Imam Of Pipeline Mosque / Representative
His Lordship The Bishop Of Banjul / Representative
2 Remarks by: PTA Chairman Mr. Amadou Touray
3 Report by: The School Principle Mr. John Jatta.
4 Remarks by: The President of the Rotary Club of Bodmin England
Remarks by: The President of the Rotary Club of Banjul
5 Response by: The Hon. Secretary of State for Education - Mrs. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta
6 Vote of Thanks by The School Head Boy - Abdoulie Lowe
7 Formal inauguration Ceremony by The Hon. Sec. of State for Education - Mrs. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta
Receipt of Generator Key from President of Bodmin Rotary Club
Cutting of Ribbon
Inspection of Generator
Start the Engine
All went extremely well and was followed by a short Food & Drinks reception.
The whole project was a great success for Bodmin Rotary Club and will surly gain world wide recognition.
The success of the project from beginning to end was not only due to the support of the members of Bodmin Rotary Club, but in particular to the dedication and hard work by Rotarians:
Gerald May, Peter Old and John Fenton
and of course Tony Sussex whose many hours of hard work made it all possible.
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