Education

For many rural school-going children in The Gambia, the journey to the classroom is often longer and harder than the lessons themselves. In some of the country’s remotest communities, access to education is shaped not only by the availability of teachers and classrooms, but also by distance, poor roads, and the daily struggle to reach school safely and on time.

Across isolated villages, especially during the rainy season, roads become nearly impassable. Young children trek between four and five kilometres under harsh weather conditions, sometimes arriving late, exhausted, or not at all. For early childhood learners, whose age and physical strength limit their mobility, transport remains one of the most significant barriers to consistent attendance. Over the years, this challenge has contributed to low enrolment, irregular attendance, and weak retention in many rural early childhood development (ECD) centres.

But in the Central River Region North, a simple intervention is quietly rewriting that story.

The village, located along the border belt and considered one of the remotest communities in the region, recently recorded a sharp increase in enrolment in its ECD programme following the introduction of a donkey cart transport service donated through the Zero Out-of-School Project implemented by ChildFund, supported by UNICEF, in partnership with EFANet and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

For years, the ECD centre struggled with low numbers. Concerns over safety, the long distances children had to walk, and limited appreciation for early childhood education all played a role. That changed when the donkey cart arrived.

In an exclusive interview, Demba, Principal of, described the transformation.

“When the donkey cart came, enrolment in the ECD improved, from 15 children to 27 children,” Sowe explained. “Before, the ECD would normally close before the lower and upper basic sections. But now, these children even sit and wait for their donkey, driven by an older boy in the lower basic school. They wait for him to close at 1 or 1:30 pm so they can return home with the donkey cart. It has really helped a lot and improved the enrollment.”

Beyond boosting numbers, the transport service has significantly improved punctuality and regularity. Given the young age of ECD pupils, maintaining consistent attendance had long been a challenge. Many simply could not manage the daily walk.

Demba noted that the design and comfort of the modernised donkey cart has made it especially attractive to the children.

“It has improved their punctuality because children always want to be on this donkey cart. Looking at the way it is constructed, it is so comfortable. It is just like a vehicle. They always want to board it. So it has really improved their regularity and punctuality in the school,” he said.

The impact has been so encouraging that the school community is already looking ahead. According to Sowe, the donkeys have been conceived, and the school expects two additional donkeys in the coming months, a development that could further expand the service.

In addition to the donkey cart, the school received 10 bicycles to support students at the lower and upper basic levels. However, the principal says demand still outweighs supply.

“We were supported with 10 bicycles, but this is not enough. We want more bicycles to improve enrolment, punctuality, and regularity of the students,” he appealed.

In a country where many development initiatives struggle to remain sustainable once initial funding ends, the School is taking deliberate steps to ensure the project’s longevity. Demba emphasised that both the school administration and parents have put mechanisms in place to maintain the donkeys and bicycles.