Difficult choices

Sitting up in their bench beds.3 years ago or so, we realised that the one room in Alhassan’s mum’s bungalow which was for the live-in girls, was just not sufficient, in comparison to the need. We put steel doors on the top floor of the school to secure it at night, found space for a…

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EducAid on the BBC

Some of our youngsters have the most harrowing tales from the war. A few of them interviewed each other as part of the BBC ‘Hunger to Learn’ series. Although, the versions they told in the interviews were quite calm, it gives a little taste of what they have been through. The courage and determination of…

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Issa settling in

A month or so ago, Issa Fowai, our second student to achieve international scholarship, set off across the world to study engineering in China. This was a fantastic achievement and was, surprisingly, done entirely on merit [Sierra Leone not being known for its meritocracy!]. He has kept us posted with news of the ups and…

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Working it out at 4 years old

Today, the family held the 40 days’ ceremony for Alhassan. Lots of money was spent on lots of food and lots of people came and said some prayers and then ate lots. The family and friends came from near and far once more. I struggle to find much meaning in the whole thing. More meaningful,…

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More memorials

The differences in cultures is nowhere easier to see, between Europe and Africa, than in the bereavement process. To my mind a significant contributor to many families’ poverty is the amount of money that has to be spent on burying the dead in order to avoid ‘bad name’, and to avoid losing the dead person’s…

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Tertiary difficulties

The problems at the tertiary institutions continue apace but we still somehow or other need to be fighting that while continuing to push to get as many of our students in as we possibly can. This year we have managed to obtain sponsorship from some very generous friends of EducAid for one engineering student, five…

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Mike in Berlin

More goodwill and support from outside Sierra Leone. While the Paris to Brussels cyclists were training and foraging for funds to complete their bike ride, my very dear friend, Mike, was training for his first marathon. One week after we completed our mad trip, Mike made his own trek across Europe and participated in the…

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Is it progress or not?

The Human Development Reports [Annual reports prepared by the United Nations http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf] for 2009 are out. Last year, Sierra Leone was 179th out of 179 countries on the Human Development Index i.e. the poorest country in the world. The HDI ranks all countries, with statistics, according to a compound measure combining Gross Income per capita,…

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A few drops of hope in an ocean of injustice….

On the one hand, things are pretty tough, coming back without Alhassan as guide and back up. It is hard having to face the day to day attrition of grinding poverty, the most powerful face of which is the daily category of meaningless and needless deaths. It is equally hard facing the wearing corruption, our…

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Admissions madness

Admissions with a difference in EducAid Lumley, Freetown! Ground floor – Last minute revision before the final, final entrance exam. Middle floor – continuing Junior Secondary students. Top floor – Continuing Senior Secondary students. Each year, the whole admissions process is somewhat unbelievable, with countless numbers applying for places in the EducAid schools. Often amongst…

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We were initially disappointed but…..

5th in the country in the WASSCE [West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination] this year! …………. We still don’t have the full picture as the overall results have not been sent to the schools yet, but a few of our students have accessed their results on line [great new facility here!]. On the whole, we…

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The team rallies round

Saturday morning, when school kids all over the world enjoy a bit of a lie in and some time out…. EducAid Lumley was action stations. No dragooning, no Alhassan directing proceedings. There was a last minute request and they sorted themselves into teams: water fetching, ‘bailing’ of sand and buying of cement. The downstairs classroom…

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A great idea

I just thought I would share with you about something positive that we have been fortunate to benefit from. The inspiration of Kate Humble [of Bradt Travel Guides], the www.stuff your rucksack.com website enables goodwilled travellers to go on their travels equipped with the necessary information to make maximum use of the spaces in their…

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Beginning again…..

I have not been away from Sierra Leone for this long [5 weeks] since Kofi was born. It is very comforting to note how well the leadership team and the staff in general have developed since then. Lots of excellent work has been done and real professionalism and commitment has been demonstrated. We are very…

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And Counting…

Early Friday morning. The bikes are in situ en France. We are waiting for the taxi to take us to a ‘silly o’clock’ Eurostar and then off we all go. 50 people aiming to raise a sizable amount for EducAid. Tears in my eyes and a heavy heart as I remember our happy plans to…

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D-day approaches fast

Plenty of adrenaline coursing through the veins of many a Paris-Brussels participant and supporter. Phil, the bike man, had no space in his shop this morning for all the bikes he was MOTing and making safe. Janet B has not slept lying down, I don’t think, in about a month with organising routes, drivers and…

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Thank You All, Once Again!

What a day! When people suggested that I organise a memorial service for Alhassan in the UK, having already undergone one funeral, I was not greatly excited at the prospect. However, Saturday’s turnout was really quite moving. It was a lovely service and I was touched by the numbers of people who made the effort…

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Dress Code

Somebody asked me the other day if they should dress in black for Alhassan’s memorial service tomorrow. It will not be a fun occasion, but please let us not make it any more dismal than it already is. Sierra Leonean funeral white is a good sight better than British funeral black, but in general I…

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Balancing the bad with the good

I have always maintained that if I look too often at the big picture in Sierra Leone, I would be so daunted that I would pack my bags and go home, but what keeps me sane and keeps me going is the little picture – the individuals who make such good use of the opportunities…

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