A Sunderland College student recently returned from a once in a lifetime trip to Gambia where he helped a village to rebuild their local primary school.
A-Level student Joseph Tench took part in the British Family run Gunjur Project – which has supported communities in Gambia since 2005 – where he joined 30 fellow volunteers from across the UK who worked together to restore Shirk Hatab Primary School after it was run down and needing work to make it a safe enjoyable space to learn.
Joseph, who found out about the opportunity through working at Box Youth club in Doxford Hall Farm, said: “Going to Gambia was an amazing experience and opened my eyes to the different culture over there which I found very interesting and enjoyable.”
Originally created as a programme for UK students to learn about Gambian culture, The Gunjur Project offers tailored experiences for anyone eager to discover The Gambia, connect with its people, and get involved in community actions. These packages combine cultural immersion with volunteering opportunities.
The project brings professional backgrounds in youth and social care and over 20 years of experience hosting successful group programmes in Gambia. Every visit is carefully risk-assessed and organised in partnership with community stakeholders, ensuring that placements are safe, sustainable, and beneficial for everyone involved.
Opportunities range from helping in classrooms and supporting after-school clubs to working in community gardens and contributing to environmental research.
During the trip they met the 200 school children who attend this school, went to the local market, and was part of a celebration organised by the village chief.
The celebration was on the final day of the trip, where the children were able to explore their new school and the chief gave a speech and thanks to the volunteering groups.
The whole trip promoted the value of volunteering, travel and getting involved in opportunities to help others- seeing Joseph to take part in a life changing opportunity, allowing him to see Gambia for the first time and experience things he would never usually be able to see or get involved in.
Lisa Rochnia, Curriculum Manager at Sunderland Sixth Form added: “Hearing about the life changing volunteering trip to Gambia was inspirational, the work they did in the village to make improvements to the school has made such a difference and clearly appreciated by all the children and the village Chief.
“Encouraging our students to take part in volunteering is so important for self-development and supporting others, we will be exploring more volunteering opportunities with the wider Sixth Form in the future. Huge well done!”
Sunderland College, as part of college group EPNE, receives an Outstanding rating across the board in its latest Ofsted inspection.
November 26, 2024
As a Centre for Excellence in SEND, our role is not to present ourselves as having all the answers, but to create spaces where practitioners learn.
February 26, 2026
EPNE has been announced as a national Centre for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
September 18, 2025
98% of our students progress to a positive destination
(*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).
Our achievement rates are well above the national average.
We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study.
(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)
We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.
