DofE trip to The Gambia

My friend Imogen and I wanted to go to

The Gambia as part of our Gold residential for our Duke of Edinburgh award. So much effort went into making the trip possible: we fundraised by organising a Talent show, setting up a GoFundMe, running a halfmarathon...but in the end it was all so worth it!

Every day of our trip was amazing, filled with special memories that will stay with us forever. It was an eye-opening experience - seeing the poverty, and yet happiness of all the people, and their willingness to share that joy with utmost generosity. We spent time helping in the Lisa Kent Trust schools, teaching in the classes (where there was a range of ages ), once taking a nursery class on an excursion to the local monkey sanctuary; another, participating in a football match (we played on the teachers’ team against students - I can’t say we were much help to be honest); we also visited the beach, got to see the markets, went to a medical centre, and were able to experience Gambian culture first-hand in a Christian mass. It was a spectacular week, with lots of incredibly emotional goodbyes (a week surely isn’t long enough!?), and back onto the plane for the 6-hour flight home.