About

The work of Lisa Kent Trust in The Gambia started in 2002, and was registered with UK Charity Commission in 2005 (no. 1111569) with the aim to advance the education of children and young people in the Gambia through providing, maintaining and equipping schools.

Our work is undertaken & administered in The Gambia through Lisa Kent Trust (Gambia) 28/2009, which has charitable status in the country and owns and manages three schools: two nursery or “Early Childhood Development” schools and a “Lower Basic” school. Further sites for additional ECD schools are currently being evaluated.

The Gambia

  • The illiteracy rate in the Gambia is 36% for males and 53% for females
  • 74% of the rural population live below the poverty line. Gambia’s poverty rate directly correlates with the country’s agriculture reliance.
  • Government schools commence education at 7 years of age, but classes are often 60 plus pupils and the Trust has known pupils leave at 17 years of age, having attended 9 years of state education and then approach the Trust as they still cannot read or write.

OUR PROGRAMMES

    Lisa Kent Trust delivers:

  • Quality education through qualified teaching staff
  • Employment of over 30 staff as well as utilising local tradespeople
  • Class sizes at realistic levels to deliver education effectively
  • Education from age 3-4 years through to 18+ according to pupils’ abilities
  • Links and close involvement with the communities in which the schools operate
  • Child Sponsorship Programmes helping poorer children receive a quality education, whilst supporting & maintaining our schools
  • Parent Teacher Associations to involve the pupils’ families
  • Core & specific medical support for pupils.
  • Work experience programmes to link pupils to potential future employers.

To do this, we

  • Work closely with Gambian MoBSE & follows its curriculum
  • Build and manage schools on land that we own, ensuring longevity
  • Provide all the required teaching aids, text books & stationery
  • Support new teaching staff through college
  • Provide regular staff training and seminars to raise awareness of staff, pupils and the community on key issues

As a small charity we depend on the skills and resources of our supporters to continue our operations and to develop our work.

Lisa Kent

Lisa tragically died in a car accident in December 2003 at the tender age of 19. In her short life she was dedicated to children & their well-being, at the time of her death she was training to be a paediatric nurse. Her name and work lives on through Lisa Kent Trust.