Sadly, the Coronavirus outbreak has reached Africa and the first case was confirmed in The Gambia in mid-March. All schools were closed for an initial period of 21 days in response, but there is every chance that the closure will last much longer. We were planning a series of talks and fieldtrips during April, but it is very likely that it will be necessary to postpone these until later in the year. Once the fieldtrips do get underway again, Junkung Jadama will be assisted by Naffie Sarr who herself was a member of the Osprey club at St Martin’s school in Kartong for three years while she was a student there. In late January Naffie went back to meet the current students at the school and delivered copies of the various Osprey books written by Ken Davies. Naffie is a great role model for the students, and we are delighted that she is getting involved in this way.
Another school who have really embraced the Osprey message recently is Tanji Life school. The headteacher at the school is Momodou Gibba who we met for the first time when he was deputy headteacher at Tanji Lower Basic. He also visited Rutland Water during a trip to the UK in 2016. With the help of some Dutch artists, Momodou organised for the students to paint murals of Ospreys on the walls of the school based on the fabulous artwork of John Wright and Fiona Gomez from Ozzie’s Migration, Ozzie’s Return and Ozzie Leads the Way. We think they look great.
Artwork at Tanji Life school
Momodou at Lyndon with Paul and Kayleigh
Following our visit to The Gambia in January Tim Mackrill joined Ken Davies and the Rutland Osprey Project education team on visits to Whissendine Primary and Brooke Priory school in Rutland. Tim and Ken gave talks in both schools, and an assembly at Brooke Priory. They also delivered letters written by children at Tanji Life and Tanji Lower Basic schools. It was particularly exciting to talk to the children about the sightings of 056, the Manton Bay juvenile, in Kartong. It just shows how Ospreys can link different parts of the world and help facilitate international friendships.
Ken with children at Whissendine primary with their letters from Tanji Life school