I want to thank FSF for such an amazing opportunity. I had always wanted to do something charitable abroad but so many trips seem to be little more than a glorified holiday for the rich west. Visiting The Gambia with Fresh Start couldn’t have changed my perspective more.

Working at Kwinella Lower Basic School whether setting up the library, painting walls or teaching songs and playing games with the children proved to me that one person, in a short amount of time can make the biggest difference to a lot of lives.

I was surrounded by such happy, open, generous people and couldn’t stop smiling but it was when some of the older women in the village came and spoke to me on their way to the rice fields to say thank you that I knew that we had given something of real value to the entire community.

I had so much fun. It was exhausting, jam-packed, hot, dusty and non- stop but I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. I am still a little dazed from my experience there and I’m finding it hard to readjust!

Probably a good thing I was only there for two weeks, any longer and I might not have come back!