The Saint Augustine's Alumni Association USA Chapter Tuesday donated sporting gears worth over thousands of dalasis to St Augustine's Senior Secondary, at a ceremony held at the school grounds in Banjul.

The items which include shirts and trousers among a host of athletics gears, came at a time  the school is gearing up for the yearly inter-secondary school athletics competition. According to Father Anthony Sonko, the representative of the St Augustine’s Alumni Association USA Chapter, some officials of the USA-based chapter visited the school in December 2009, and during their visit, they had a meeting with the principal to discuss key materials that the school is lacking.

He revealed that the association then responded immediately to their request in a bid to solve the needs of the school. "Today we are here to fulfil that promise. This is the first time the alumni association is making such a donation to the school, This association is committed to help the school in other areas like refurbishment of school toilets, classrooms and agricultural labs among others," he said.

For his part, Marthin Gomez, the principal of the school, expressed his profound appreciation and gratitude to the ex-students for the gesture. "So far we have seen the timely gesture and we do hope this partnership will grow from strength to strength. This shows the interest you have built for this school," he said.

Gomez then used the opportunity to encourage other alumni associations both in The Gambia and those in the Diaspora to emulate the alumni USA Chapter. "Saint Augustine's is an old school and has produced a good number of students who are now contributing positively to the country's workforce both home and abroad. We are grateful to the association and we will also remember them in our prayers," he remarked.