St. Francis Nursery School in Ghana Town, was last Friday launched at a colourful ceremony held at the school in Ghana.

The Ghana Town Nursery School was sponsored by FVH, a swiss charity organization which made a donation of 34,000 Euros towards the renovation and expansion of the school existing structures. The project involves the renovation of three classrooms, an office and a store.

Speaking at the occasion, Pa Yuns Sannneh, the alkalo of Brufut, called on parents and guardians to send their children to school. He explained that education is universally important as it helps people to understand every aspect of life including religion.

He urged all parents and guardians to send their children to the nursery school and expressed gratitude to the Swiss charity organisaton (FVH) for the noble gesture.

For her part, Joy Buchanan, the Swiss charity organization representative in The Gambia, disclosed that the Swiss charity has a series of project the charity intend to implement in The Gambia. She said her Swiss colleagues wish to join hands with educationists and empower the Ghana Town community.

She revealed that the aims of the Swiss charity is to offer basic education, food, vegetable garden, water, proper toilets, adequate and appropriate play area for the school. Buchanan said the desire of the sponsor is to support government efforts to ensure that children learn their lessons, practice hygiene, eat well and play happily so that they can develop their personalities and skills and become valuable members of their society in the future.

According to her, subsequent projects will focus on providing equipment, bringing water to the site and generally contributing to effective development of the school. "Strangers are only friends you haven't yet met and the way to a friend is never long," she added.

The Vicar general, Reverend father David Jarju, dilated on the history of the Catholic Mission schools in the Gambia and acknowledged the ground breaking works of pioneers like Father Sharp and the Swedish benefactor, late Margrete Edenius whose organization pays the teachers' salaries. "All children are welcome at the school and the community members should encourage all children to attend school," he added.

Musa Ekuam, the alkalo of Ghana Town, thanked the sponsors for assisting his community. He stressed the need for the community to be provided with primary school, noting that the children can remain in the care of the community if there is a primary school, until they are old enough to travel to a distant location. According to Paul Tachie, the Secretary of the Holy Cross church in Brufut, the school was initiated by people who saw that the fishermen were not educated and they have been praying for help and Allah (God) the Almighty answered their prayer when the Swiss charity came to their aid.

EJ Koomson, the head teacher of the school, explained that they have done their best despite constraints faced by the school authority, such as lack of pipe borne water and insufficient teaching materials. Charbel Hobeika of Gambia Tours, a friend of the charitable organization since its inception attended the ceremony as an expression of his ongoing support of the FVH ventures. The vote of thanks was delieved by Chirstabel M. Barnes.