Doctors. Teachers. Engineers. Leaders in Government. Dreamers in The Gambia.
Sitting in front of Fatou are 29 children who are eager to learn, pursue their passions, and make a positive impact on the world.
“I want to be a teacher so that I can help other children read and write,” says Pendi, a 13-year-old Luminos student.
Only a few months ago, like his classmates, Pendi was among the 89,190 primary-aged children who are out of school in The Gambia.
As their teacher, Fatou has a critical role in reaching the most vulnerable children and ensuring they achieve the foundational skills needed to succeed in life.
“We are helping both the children and the community,” says Fatou. “There are certain children who have never been to school, and some of them have been to school but dropped out,” she explains. “Bringing all children back to school, back to class, and teaching them is important to me.”
Fatou inside her classroom. (Photo: Lena Nian for the Luminos Fund)
“We are helping both the children and the community. There are certain children who have never been to school, and some of them have been to school but dropped out. Bringing all children back to school, back to class, and teaching them is important to me.”
Fatou, Luminos teacher
In The Gambia, Luminos is working hand in hand with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) to ensure all children have a second chance at education. Working together, we developed an accelerated learning curriculum and launched a pilot program. Over the next three years, we will scale to reach up to 26,500 children in The Gambia. However, finding qualified candidates for teaching positions in rural and marginalized communities can be challenging. UNESCO estimates that almost 69 million additional teachers need to be trained globally if there is any hope of achieving universal education by 2030. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is particularly critical, with 70% of countries facing acute teacher shortages.
In The Gambia program, government partners recruit teachers. They identify young adults from existing government initiatives, creating a sustainable pipeline of teachers and setting the foundation for long-term government adoption of our model.
Students in Fatou’s class raise their hands to answer a question. (Photo: Lena Nian for the Luminos Fund)
Fatou participated in a multi-week training before classes began, and she receives ongoing coaching from Luminos and our community-based partners.
“Being a teacher, I’m learning something from it, helping myself. Teaching is also helping others to learn something, which is a big thing and very important,” says Fatou.
Luminos provides high-quality, interactive training so teachers can experience the kind of learning we want them to recreate for their students: fun, effective, caring, and safe.
“I have improved in a lot of things like how to manage the class,” she says.
Fatou leads a reading lesson in class. (Photo: Lena Nian for the Luminos Fund)
In the classroom, Fatou is responsible for conducting regular assessments of student learning and tracking their progress.
“I have seen a lot of changes. In the beginning, it was discouraging. I was asking the students about letters and words, and they could not say them. Now, if I ask them to say any letter, they can say it. It is the same thing with reading,” she says. “They are encouraging me to do more because now they can write and they can read,” says Fatou.
“My dream for my students is that they can become like me one day. Not necessarily a teacher, but if you are educated, you can achieve many things.”
Fatou, Luminos teacher
Teachers like Fatou are instrumental in unlocking the light of learning so children can reach their full potential and fulfill their aspirations. Together with MoBSE, we can transform education in The Gambia and take one step closer to our vision of a world where no child is denied an education.
“My dream for my students is that they can become like me one day. Not necessarily a teacher, but if you are educated, you can achieve many things.”
Watch the video below to learn more about our program in The Gambia and partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education:
Read this story and others from our various country programs in our 2022 Annual Report!
To learn more about our The Gambia program, click here.
Photo credit for this story: Lena Nian
