 
Contact Address:
Sunrise
Centre 
Bakoteh Estate
Banjul area
Near the old tipper garage
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: 7055901
Email
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Information:
 The
Sunrise Centre is a combined skills complex, nursery
facility, lower basic school & serves as a community
building for meetings & events. It was initially
constructed by SOS Children's Village & given to
the Bakoteh community. After the signing of a MOU in
2010 with the Bakoteh Village Development Committee
it gave permission for GETS to operate the now re-named
Sunrise Centre.
Skills Training:
The facility opened its doors in 2011 as a skills centre
for 15 to 18 year old Gambian youths teaching them math,
English language, cookery, sewing, tie & dye.
The centre assists students to find work experience
in hotels, tailoring workshops and restaurants as well
as assisting teachers in their nursery. There are plans
to extend their courses to include hairdressing and
beauty, Information Technology, woodwork and plumbing.
These courses are targeted at young people who had,
for various reasons, not completed their grade 9 schooling.
The aim of the training is to give students some basic
skills with which to get a job or engage in some kind
of self-employment.
Nursery School:
There is also the Sunshine Nursery School
for 4 to 7 year olds with places for nearly 50 pupils
housed in two classes. The curriculum is drafted in
the UK and grounded on the Gambia's Early Childhood
Development (ECD) curriculum.
The teacher's salaries are consistent with the Government's
pay scales guidance for teachers' pay.
Lower Basic School:
In January 2012 work began on constructing a Lower Basic
School on the site for 6 to 7 year old local children.
It consists of a 2 storey block with 2 classrooms, boys
and girls WC, an administration office, library, staff
quarters and health observation room. The Lower Basic
building has been completed and Grade 1, 2 and 3 are
using 3 of the six Lower Basic classrooms this September.
Grade 4, 5 and 6 will be in use in following years as
the present students move up through the school.
Supporting The Centre:
There are several ways to lend your support for the
centre such as financial, material and skills.
• Fundraising
The simplest way to give something while shopping is
to log into the Easy Fundraising website while shopping
online. The shop outlets donate a percentage of the
cost of their goods or services to the school.
Another way is to simply use a search engine called
Easy Search (having GETS
as the search page). Then when you carry out a search
of the internet a few pennies is donated to GETS who
operate the Sunrise Centre.
Finally, you could always become a fundraiser or coordinator
in your home country. You can also request for some
of their leaflets which you can distribute to friends,
family and work colleagues. Contact them above if you
are interested.
• Support a class
Pound for Pound your money goes further because instead
of donating money to a single child you are donating
to 25 individuals (cost £120 per year ). This goes towards
helping to pay the teachers monthly wages. It also assists
in purchasing new classroom materials, toys and equipment
for the children.
If you are travelling to Gambia on holiday or business
then you can even opt to physically take some equipment
over to support the school. Contact them above if you
are interested.
• Support Projects at Sunrise
You can give financial support to proposed or ongoing
projects such as building walls and office blocks, purchase
desks and chairs, buy a colour laser printer, extra
bricks for fence, notice board etc.
• Material
Support:
If you have any spare space in your baggage then you
can pack things like large refuse sacks with handles,
black pens, beads, crochet hooks, knitting needles,
7 watt screw energy saver light bulbs, kid's pencils,
colouring books, embroidery threads & needles, tea
towels, oven gloves, etc. Ask them for more details.
• Volunteering
They have available opportunities for volunteers working
in The Gambia. You can assist in office administration,
general maintenance work, painting, be a classroom assistant.
Particularly sought after are teachers with experience
working with teenage students. This is because they
are aiming at registering the Skills Centre to award
NVQ style qualifications. You can choose to work for
whatever period though the longer the better. Please
note you will receive no payment and you would be responsible
for your own flight and lodgings. If you are interested
then contact them for their volunteer documents.
Other Community Uses:
The complex also acts as a community centre and is regularly
used for meetings and special events.
Non-Teaching Personnel:
There are 3 security staff controlling access to the
buildings as well as cleaning staff and a gardener.
Trustees:
They administer, execute and oversee a number of educational
projects in Gambia.
Chairman & Sunrise Project Director
Treasurer
Sponsorship Secretary & Nursery Advisor
Sunrise Centre Director
Directions:
The center is near the SOS Children's Village campus.
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