Posts by Marcus
Dr. Véronique Desnain – EducAid Trustee
Dr. Véronique Desnain is one of the newest members of our Board of Trustees. Véronique is an educationalist: a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, and a long-term friend of Miriam and of EducAid. In April 2017, Véronique travelled to Sierra Leone to visit Miriam, our programmes and to deliver the second phase of our…
Read MoreOur commitment and work to implement EducAid values
EducAid has always been focussed on the impact of the change we make rather than on the number of people that we work with. We would prefer to have a major impact on a few than to have a minor impact on many; it is our vision to create a democratic, dignified and prosperous Sierra…
Read MoreAll we want for Christmas…
Sometimes it’s nice to know how your donation is going to be used and appreciated. We try to tell you how we use your money, but over the Christmas it can be really rewarding to send out items that are in constant need and use in our schools. We’ve compiled a short list of things that we really…
Read MoreHassanatu Sheriff – A Role Model
In Sierra Leone women are rarely offered the opportunity to study, to learn and eventually to excel. It is widely recognised that female empowerment is crucial to unlocking national potential – both social and economic – yet in many parts of Sierra Leone, and indeed the rest of the world, this information is still not…
Read MoreBike Ride: What a day!
The EducAid team had been busily preparing for the Bike Ride for weeks and weeks; Farah had been organising registration with the event organisers and a stall to host the riders, Amelia had been contacting companies to get hold of some products for our goodie bags and general well-being, whilst Adrian and I were busy in training (*cough*).…
Read MoreWhat is the QEP?
As a follower of EducAid you may have heard about the QEP, our Quality Enhancement Programme, but you may not know exactly what it encompasses. In this blog post I hope to give you an introduction to what is our biggest reaching programme yet. Fundamentally, the QEP works with schools around the country to train…
Read MoreUK Trip for Sierra Leonean Teachers and Leaders
In February 2016, 10 of our Sierra Leonean staff came to the UK for teacher training, courtesy of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. Widad Worneh, Malikie ‘Leo’ Barrie, Stephen Momoh, Fatmata Bangura and Mohamed ‘Cobra’ Bangura told us what they’d learnt and how they would take their experiences back to Sierra Leone to improve…
Read MoreA Word about our Women – International Women’s Day
‘Educating girls and giving them the tools to shape their own future has an incredible multiplier effect on economic growth. It leads to increased prosperity not just for individuals but for their communities and their societies. It provides returns for decades.’ – UN Secretary General; Ban Ki-Moon Despite our greatest efforts, Sierra Leone still struggles…
Read MoreKai’s Building Force in Action!
Amazing developments in Magbeni this week. Joseph M. Kai, our school site co-ordinator, has been arranging for a new building to be constructed in place of what was once only a hut. Together the local community has been putting together materials and skills to collaborate in the construction of our new building, as well as…
Read MoreLucy Howling – Mellor’s Rose Queen
There are few better examples of our community’s dedication than the story of Lucy who, as Mellor’s 2015/16 Rose Queen, chose to support EducAid in the fundraising events she organised for her village. Over the past 8 months Lucy has been working hard to organise events for her community – these events have a great…
Read MoreAfter Ebola: Sillah’s Journey to EducAid
The World Bank identifies “orphans and vulnerable children” as a group requiring special consideration and intervention to protect them from a high likelihood of “negative outcomes.” These children “are more exposed to risks than their peers” and “most likely to fall through the cracks of regular programs.” These are the children that experience “loss of…
Read MoreSew for Sierra Leone: Joan Keeps Going
Back in April we wrote about the ladies from District 9 of the Inner Wheels Club. They had hand-made over 400 sleeping bags that eventually contributed to the largest shipment of donations that we’ve ever sent to Sierra Leone. This is what I wrote at the time: “Great fun was had by the ladies from…
Read MoreEducAid Community Working Together: Lloyd Igunbor & Carolyne Beckett
Lloyd Igunbor – one of Miriam’s past students from Salesian College, Battersea – has spent the past couple of months organising and packing a container full of donations destined for Freetown. He has been travelling around the country picking up donated items from collection centres – usually friends and family of the charity – in…
Read MoreMiriam Presents Medals to 820 Naval Air Squadron
Members of the 820 Naval Air Squadron invited Miriam Mason-Sesay to their Operational Medal Ceremony at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose last week. Not only were Miriam and her son, Kofi, in attendance, but Miriam was invited to present the medals to the serving officers. The 820 Squadron had been deployed on the RFA Argus…
Read MoreWorld of Children Education Award Winner: Miriam Mason-Sesay
This month, Miriam Mason-Sesay was bestowed an honour that few are worthy of. The World of Children award is an extremely prestigious and unique organisation that scours the plantet each year for the most effective change-makers for children worldwide, thus improving the lives of the most vulnerable. The World of Children describes itself as an…
Read MoreMusa Koroma B.ENG. – From Sierra Leone to St. Petersburg
Opportunity, chance, and fortune can play such a big part in Sierra Leone sometimes. The proximity of absolute poverty to daily life means that only the smallest bump in the road can lead to genuinely terrible consequences. Musa Koroma, on leaving Bo School due to unpaid school fees, faced a bleak future that so many…
Read MoreThe Progress of the Vaccines
Back in January, I wrote a blog post about the on-going vaccine trials that were providing hopeful signs to find a permanent preventative drug against Ebola. We can all agree that this is the most permanent way for the global community to prevent another outbreak of this virus. As Ebola recedes, and Liberia is declared…
Read MoreLiberia declared Free from Ebola
Yesterday, Liberia became the first of the three countries at the centre of the Ebola outbreak to have been declared free from the virus, after 42 days of no new cases. In response to the WHO announcement, the government encouraged the country to have a day of celebration, as can be seen in the photos.…
Read MoreKabiru Mansaray: “There are others not as fortunate as us.”
The Guardian website published a video last week covering some of the difficulties that Sierra Leonean students were facing when returning back to school. Fortunately, a student at EducAid highlighted just why our value-based fees our so important. As is common throughout all national schools, students are required to pay school fees, buy school uniforms,…
Read MoreOur trip to Resonate Connect
Wednesday night, a crack team of EducAid trustees, staff, donors, and volunteers travelled to Manchester Cathedral to meet over 100 businessmen and women from all around the City. Resonate is a 3rd Sector recruitment company, and they had invited us all there to launch their new business-to-charity skills platform that would facilitate the private sector…
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