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Stephanie Broadhurst

I volunteered for EducAid for a month in my gap year in 2008 as my youth group had raised money for the charity over previous years and thus I had learnt a lot about the amazing work that is done in Sierra Leone. I realised how much Miriam does for the kids on such a low budget and how quickly the schools had grown from a handful of students to over 2,000!

What I found the most astonishing is the widespread effects of the four schools that EducAid has set up; now students are graduating and are becoming lawyers, accountants, engineers as well as other careers and are not only improving their lives but also Sierra Leonean society as a whole. This is crucial in the recovery after the civil war and it was inspiring to see. EducAid teaches the kids to think for themselves and to learn wrong and right, not just pass their exams in parrot-fashion as is taught in many schools there and this is key to stopping corruption and developing the country.

I worked mostly with the girls who had struggled to stay in school due to the civil war, illness in the family or just responsibilities in their villages. Not only do the teachers have to teach English and Maths but they also need to empower the girls to believe that they can achieve. I can’t even understand the challenges faced by the girls we taught: one had a child at 14 and had to walk 2 hours each way to school and back while pregnant; another had to sell food at the market after school to provide for her “guardian” who regarded her primarily as an economic asset. This was after seeing her parents killed in the war aged 9.

I cannot even express how amazing the children are and how much they relish any opportunities given to them and furthermore the way that EducAid puts every single penny to great use. I’m returning this year because the kids are such a pleasure and deserve everything that we can give them.

Emma Pascall

I volunteered with EducAid during my Gap year in May 2008 for a month. I had been searching for a volunteering scheme to help with but found that I had to pay thousands just to work in a school in Africa. EducAid was completely different and having heard talks back at home by Miriam, I knew EducAid would be the place that would benefit the most from my help. Every penny EducAid receives in donations goes to helping the children and improving the work of EducAid. My friend and I worked in a women’s project in Rolal which is where girls that have dropped out of school for various reasons are taught basic Maths, English, self-worth (of which they have basically none,) and topics such as sex education, sanitation and careers. They can then re-enter the main school system and continue their education. The thing that struck me the most was that the girls do not think they can become anything in life as women are not valued in Sierra Leone and when we asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, they just laughed at us as if a job would be completely out of the question for them. We spent a lot of time convincing the girls that women can become valuable assets to their community and by the end of our trip the girls showed great excitement about their future which was amazing to see. I had the opportunity to teach a 14 year old girl the alphabet and basic maths and it was so rewarding to see how quickly she improved with just a little encouragement and the opportunity to be able to work one on one with someone. I can say that without a doubt it has been the most rewarding and valuable experience of my life and I am so excited that I can return this summer to continue contributing to the women’s project and show women that they are just as worthy as men.