36 Bicycles. Countless Futures in The Gambia.
How a simple act of practical solidarity is transforming the journey to school in The Gambia’s Central River Region North
Policies have been written. Schools have been built. Yet for many children in The Gambia’s Central River Region North, access to education is still measured in kilometres, not opportunity.
Every school day, students in Region 5 North rise before dawn and begin long journeys on foot. Eight kilometres. Ten kilometres. Sometimes even eleven. By the time they reach the classroom door, they have already completed what feels like a small marathon. For these children, the pursuit of education is also a daily test of endurance.
These are not abstract statistics. They are the lived realities of young people determined to learn:
- Rohey Sabally walks 11 km from Jallow Kunda to Firdawsy Senior Secondary School.
- Fatim Ann travels 10 km from Bangherr to Kaur Senior Secondary School.
- Ousainatou Barry covers 10 km from Kerr Sait Mariam to Niani Senior Secondary School.
- Amadou Gagigo makes the 8 km journey from Nyorro to Panchang Senior Secondary School every single day.
Their commitment is extraordinary, but determination alone should never be the price of an education.
Refusing to Accept This as Normal
At the heart of our work is a simple belief: every child, wherever they are born, deserves access to quality education; not someday, not in theory, but now.
This week, that belief was put into action.
Working alongside the Gambia Teachers' Union, the Foundation supported a practical and life-changing intervention in Region 5 North: the handover of 36 bicycles to Permanent Secretary Louis Moses Mendy at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for onward distribution to the communities that need them most.
What a Bicycle Changes
A bicycle does far more than shorten a journey. It transforms it.
Where a child once arrived exhausted, they can now arrive ready to learn. Where attendance depended on weather, health, or sheer physical stamina, it can now become consistent. Where long walks across isolated terrain carried risks, journeys become safer and faster.
Both the General Secretary and the Regional Director warmly welcomed the project, recognising its potential to improve attendance, reduce the physical burden on students, and make the journey to school safer.
For girls in particular, the impact can be profound. A bicycle brings independence, mobility, confidence, and a greater sense of safety; changes that can shape not only the school journey, but a young person’s future.
Partnership That Delivers Change
This handover is a powerful example of what can happen when organisations share a vision and act together. The Gambia Teachers' Union has long championed the rights and wellbeing of students and educators across the country, and the Steve Sinnott Foundation is proud to stand alongside them in turning commitment into meaningful action.
Because every kilometre removed from a child’s daily journey is a kilometre given back to learning, to safety, to rest, and to childhood itself.
To support this project, visit: Steve Sinnott Foundation – The Gift of Cycling to School
