(Pictured: Fr Poitr, Sarah, Fr Peace, Fr Carlos and Br Sheldon outside the communty house.)

While she was on holiday in The Gambia, Sarah Seddon, Manager of Don Bosco Publications, took the opportunity to visit the country's recently established Salesian mission, with some gifts from our Province.

On Monday March 18, I took a break from relaxing in the sun to pay a visit to a new Salesian community the small Manjago village of Kunkujang Mariama in The Gambia. I took with me a case of Don Bosco Publications' books to help with the Salesian mission there. Travelling off the tourist trail to a little village in the middle of the African bush can be rather daunting, but I received a warm Salesian welcome and was immediately put at ease.

Fr Carlos with the new book by Louis Grech

Fr Peter Wojnarowski, Fr Peace Ike, Fr Carlos Valdivieza and Br Sheldon Dias arrived in Kunkujang at the beginning of October 2018. They inherited a community that had been stablished in the 1970s by Fr Jackie Sharpe of the Spritans to minister to Guinea-Bissau refugees. At that time there were just two village families; now, the population is around 1,000.

Since Fr Sharpe's retirement, the parish buildings have been vandalised, left in disrepair and become vulnerable to the elements. But, in the short time the Salesians have been there, they have made structural repairs and built strong relations with the village community and school board.

The parish currently has twenty outstations, the furthest being Jambanjelly 10km away. Despite this distance, 2,500 children travel each day on foot or by bicycle to attend school. Due to the large number of pupils, the school day is split into two sessions in order to accommodate all the children and young people. However, class sizes are still very large, and one grade 10 class that I visited had 84 students with one teacher!

Lunch time at the nursery

As well as being rector and youth ministry coordinator, Fr Peter is the school manager and has recently appointed a vice-principal, with whom he works very closely to improve standards. He also has ambitious plans to turn the dishevelled hall into an Oratory. With work already underway replacing broken windows and doors and ideas to hold village events there too, I am sure the Salesians will bring their vision to fruition. They truly are reaching into the school, home, church and playground. I came away feeling humbled and inspired.

Sarah Seddon

Manager, Don Bosco Publications