Sierra Leone’s Recent Story
A country at war..
Sierra Leone Civil War 1991 – 2001
The Sierra Leone Civil War, fought from 1991 to 2001, was a devastating conflict marked by extreme violence and significant human suffering. During the conflict there were multiple coups, shifting alliances, and a complex web of regional and international involvement, all of which led ultimately to tens of thousands of casualties and millions of people being displaced.
In 2010, children in Sierra Leone were still barely existing in a precarious situation, with an estimated 250,000 refugees and 600,000 internally displaced people.
When Sierra Leone came to our attention, just three years after the end of the war, it was the second poorest country on earth on the United Nations development index. Liberia, where the RUF started, was the poorest.
A devastating virus …
Ebola outbreak 2014 – 2016
In 2014 when the economy and peoples optimism were beginning to slowly grow, Ebola entered Sierra Leone from neighbouring Guinea. The government imposed quarantine restrictions to try to stem the spread of Ebola and, as part of the drive to prevent people gathering together, all schools were closed in June 2014. By January 2015 over 10,000 cases had been reported with 3,029 deaths.
All the schools have now reopened and the population are working to sow seed and recover from the effects of quarantine when they were unable to harvest or tend their crops. Most families grow their own food and starvation has caused great hardship. The economy, which was already in difficult times before the epidemic, has been badly hit. The recovery from the virus has left an unacceptable number of dispossessed and helpless people living on the fringes without adequate basic living, nutrition or health provision.
Who are we?
The Sierra Leone Bo School Appeal’s main aim is to provide help for those children most in need who would otherwise not receive an education beyond primary school. Our aim is not to wholly fund the daily running of the school but to help the school provide an environment to continue the children’s secondary education to enable them to become independent adults able to take part in developing their own local economy and be part of the growth of Sierra Leone. We do this mainly by sponsoring individual children, fundraising for capital projects and other exceptional expenditure incurred at St Paul’s School.
In the UK we have a committee of 15 volunteers. This is a mixed group, of varying ages and backgrounds, each of whom brings a unique contribution to our work. We share the fund raising workload, administrative and other tasks. We have no paid staff and all administration is carried out and paid for by the volunteers. The committee receive no expenses and any visits to Sierra Leone or elsewhere are entirely self-funded by those undertaking the trips.
Our story so far…
During the civil war the rebels used local schools as their headquarters as they moved through the country, leaving most of them in ruins. Education in Sierra Leone is generally faith based and, beyond primary stage, provision is very sporadic. In 2005 Bruce Holben attended a conference which was looking at post war reconstruction of the education system.
Bruce learnt that the Anglican Church managed 51 primary schools in Bo District but had no secondary school. The vast majority of pupils were unable to complete their education as they were being denied this basic building block that would give them a better chance in adult life. Whilst primary education in Sierra Leone is free, secondary education is not and the fees are unaffordable for most families.
And so, thanks to Bruce and all those with him who were inspired to make a difference to the children of Bo, St Paul’s is a thriving and successful secondary school – giving a chance at a successful future to so many children.
