Dr Steven Bick, a Bournemouth resident and founder of the Sunshine with Smiles Trust is raising money to refurbish a school in Gambia.
The trust is using GoFundMe to gather funds in order to carry out much needed renovations at Campama Lower Basic School in the capital, Banjul.
The renovations include repairing toilets, drains, and refurbishing two nursery classrooms.
Buzz News reporters Brad Duff and Matthew Benton-Smith spoke to Dr Steven Bick and fellow organiser Tony Chapman about their efforts.
Dr Bick said that he started going to Gambia in 2010 and saw that there was a “huge amount of poverty and need”.
Dr Bick said: “The key thing is with the charity is being on the ground, talking to people, and seeing with your own eyes what the need is.”
The school that the Sunshine with Smiles Trust is attempting to refurbish was built in 1963 and has had little to no work done on it since. It houses over 700 students aged 4 to 14.
Fellow organiser of the charity Tony Chapman said: “The thing that caught my attention was the state of the toilets as a plumber historically.”
Mr Chapman said that his life was “fundamentally changed” after seeing the state of the school.
When questioned about what the pair would say to get people to donate and get involved with their efforts Tony Chapman said: “The wealth we live in, and spend, and throw away is criminal.”
“There are 700 children there, they don’t have an Xbox, they don’t have a phone or a Playstation or an iPad. They don’t have designer clothes, they barely have enough food to eat.”
The trust won’t be sending money directly to the school, but instead be using the funds to physically rebuild and refurbish alongside local help.
Donations to the charity can be given through the website sunshinewithsmilestrust.co.uk, or on GoFundMe under the title ‘Refurbish Campama School facilities in Banjul, The Gambia’.
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