Supported by the GN Store Nord Foundation, among others, and thanks to a tireless effort by a dedicated Danish speech and hearing therapist, Gambia’s only school for deaf children has evolved from a small school of 40 pupils into a specialized school for the deaf with 220 students. However, the need for help is ever present.

The GN Store Nord Foundation has made several contributions over the years to the St. John’s School for the Deaf. The person behind the project is Gudrun Awa Jørsing, a retired speech and hearing therapist, who through years of unyielding efforts has raised money for this school for the deaf in Gambia.

“The support from the GN Store Nord Foundation has been extremely important for the school. Thanks to the latest donation, it can now invest in a solar energy project. By using solar energy, the school will be able to ensure a much more stable power supply. When you work with deaf students, it is extremely important to have good lighting in the classrooms, so the pupils can see the teacher and the blackboard clearly. Lip-reading and sign language is the only way a deaf person can communicate,” explains Gudrun.

Before she retired, Gudrun worked as a speech and hearing therapist in Denmark. She was introduced to the school for the deaf during a vacation in Gambia in 1988. At that time, the school had about 40 hearing-impaired students and it needed practically everything. Gudrun decided then and there that something would have to be done and ever since she has dedicated her life to raising funds for the school from numerous organizations, foundations and through support rallies. Gudrun has also visited the school on several occasions.

Relevant for the GN Store Nord Foundation
“We decided that the GN Store Nord Foundation would support the school for the deaf project in Gambia, because it lies well within our mission of providing support for non-profit and humane purposes. Also, the Foundation traditionally supports projects involving children and adults who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. Through her work to raise funding for the school, we have come to know Mrs. Jørsing as an extremely dedicated person and everyone at our Foundation is very impressed by what she has achieved for the St. John’s School for the Deaf,” said Mogens Hugo, chairman of the GN Store Nord Foundation and former supervisory board chairman of GN Store Nord.

The St. John’s School for the Deaf relies on the support available through donations, as the Gambian government only provides funding to pay for the teachers’ salaries. Gudrun has a lot of dreams and wishes for the school.

“The very first thing on my list would be to buy a new school bus. The one they have right now is old and completely worn down due to the very poor roads. The students at the school depend very much on school bus transport, so I hope that I can raise the some DKK 100,000 (about USD 17–18,000) that a used bus in good condition will cost. But we also need everything from new tools for the woodwork classes to computer equipment and training courses for our teachers," she says.

The GN Store Nord Foundation was established in 1956 by Laur. Knudsen, Mekanisk Etablissement Selskab, a company that formed part of GN from 1986 to 1990 under the name Laurits Knudsen (LK). The GN Store Nord Foundation receives around 1000 applications each year and grants support for various purposes often in relation to institutions or organizations working with the hearing impaired or the deaf. Read more about the GN Store Nord Foundation.

Facts about the school

• The St. John’s School for the Deaf was founded in 1984 
• It is a school for children who are deaf or have a hearing-impairment 
• The school has 220 students aged 6–24 and 29 teachers 
• Teachers’ salaries are paid for by the Gambian government, while the school pays for all other expenses itself through the support from various foundations, organizations and private donations 
• The school has a long waiting list of children hoping to be admitted, but unfortunately many of them have to be turned down