EducAid
Sierra Leone |
9 Lidyard Rd London N19 5NR
UK |
Tel +44 (0)20 7272 8674 Fax +44 (0)20 7263 6070 |
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Contact: James Boardman Email:jboardman72@hotmail.com
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May 2002
FREETOWN SCHOOL UPDATE
As the school nears the end
of its second academic year in operation, there are many exciting developments
taking place. Firstly, our school in
Freetown continues to thrive, with 80 pupils. The school now employs 3 local
teachers and an administrator. There
are also 2 voluntary teaching assistants.
During her time in Freetown, Miriam has made many contacts in the local
community, who have in turn contributed greatly to this project, both with
their time and resources.
To our knowledge, this is
the only junior secondary school in Freetown that does not demand fees and so
provides vital education to underprivileged children. As well as receiving education whilst at school, the students
participate in daily Christian fellowship and take their turn in preparing
lunch for their fellow students. The school premises also now offers
accommodation to 16 male students, who would otherwise be homeless.
Last year, 6 students sat
and passed the national BECE exam. BECE is the equivalent to Key Stage 3 in the
UK. This year, 26 students are due to
take the BECE exam in June. Please
pray for these students and the remaining pupils who continue to work towards
taking this exam. The curriculum
currently includes four compulsory subjects: Maths, Language/arts, Science and
Social Studies. The school also offer
four optional subjects: French, Religious and Moral education, Electronics and
Business studies. EducAid’s short term
goal is to be able to widen the curriculum to include Agriculture.
Rent for the school premises
in Freetown was costing £3,700 pa. We
have recently been able to buy the land and our long term aim is to be able to
build a new school on the land, which will be better suited for teaching
purposes than the current structure.
SCHOOL NO.2 - ROPOLON
A plot of land and a
building have been donated to EducAid.
The land is in Ropolon, Port Loko, which is approximately 2 hours drive
from Freetown. The land given to us is adjacent to a local primary school. EducAid plans to set up a junior secondary
school on this site to provide continued education for the local community. We
have employed some local builders to plaster the walls and carry out minor
repairs to make the property suitable for school use. Two qualified local
teachers will come to our school in Freetown to receive training in the
educational principles valued by EducAid and become familiar with our learning
materials. If all goes to plan, we
intend to open the school in September 2002. We have recently applied for DFID
funding to build a well and toilets for the school, which we estimate will cost
£10,000. We are waiting to hear if our
bid for funding has been successful.
Our plans for expansion are
based on the premise that we have created a system of education and materials
that can be replicated across the country by local teams who share EducAid’s
vision to educate the underprivileged in the context of Christian mission.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME
EducAid currently sponsors
180 pupils to attend local schools in Freetown and Kenema District (Eastern
Sierra Leone). Our sponsorship covers
fees and exams. When EducAid’s school
was set up in September 2000, a decision was taken not to grant any new
sponsorships, however we maintain our commitment to those who started on the
programme until the completion of their studies. The cost of this programme is approximately £6,000 a year.
YOUR SUPPORT
We welcome these new
opportunities to provide education to young people within a context of
Christian mission, however each project requires ongoing funding in order to
maintain it. We believe it is important
that when we start a new project we have the financial commitment to see it
through to completion. The
responsibility of offering education means a long term commitment to our
students. We are continually grateful
for all the financial support EducAid receives, without which these projects
would not be possible. In particular,
regular giving helps us to plan the expansion of the school programme. If you would like details of the GiftAid
scheme, please contact James Boardman at jboardman72@hotmail.com or telephone
+44 (0)20 7272 8674.
PRAYER REQUESTS
·
Thanks
for donations which have financed EducAid’s work. We currently are able to provide 260 students with access to
education which otherwise they may not have received.
·
Pray
that funding to finance the school in Ropolon is secured, in particular that
the DFID bid to build a well and toilets is successful.
·
Pray
for Miriam as she leads and oversees EducAid’s activities in Sierra Leone.
·
Pray
for lasting peace in Sierra Leone.
EDUCAID STUDENT CHARTER
(Miriam has
devised a student charter to indicate what is required of the students
attending the school)
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Main
Responsibilities ·
Organising your notes
for all subjects ·
Keeping records of
completed work ·
Marking and correcting
work in co-ordination with your teachers ·
Asking teachers for
explanations of material when facing difficulties ·
Keeping records of
assessments ·
Preparing for group
activities, discussions and assessments to consolidate individual work |
Additional
Responsibilities ·
Punctuality ·
Regular Attendance ·
Assisting in the
kitchen as directed by staff ·
Participating in
devotion and assemblies ·
Liaise with staff
about problems with other students ·
Upholding EducAid’s
ethos through appropriate interaction with staff and pupils ·
Bringing spoon and
plate to school and keeping them clean |
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Students
are asked to refrain from:- ·
Abusing school
property or removing it from the school ·
Taking other student’s
property ·
Drinking alcohol
during school hours ·
Smoking on the school
compound ·
Eating in classroom areas ·
Fighting or rudeness ·
Receiving phone calls
at the school |
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EducAid Sierra Leone aims to raise honest Christian
citizens
able to earn
their own bread.