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Cont… Bruce passed his findings onto the West Wittering Church and local people were determined to do something about the situation and in concert with the church in Bo made plans for a secondary school. In Bo, the church itself was starting to provide a secondary school in makeshift conditions, in underground, or crypt, rooms under the cathedral. They needed a purpose built facility to cope with the huge demand from the community for schooling.
The project took two years from starting to raise the funds to completion of the school buildings. The building had to be done in stages; as money was donated it was sent out to allow each phase of the construction work to be completed. The school buildings cost more than £30,000. The development comprises six classrooms and an administrative block. Four hundred children were admitted straight away, many of them well over school age having had their education halted by the war. A party of 12 from our local area attended the official opening in 2008 when the school was named St Paul’s.
Sponsorship
It is now some ten years since St Paul’s opened and today the school provides a secondary education to more than 600 students. Of those, some 200 children who would otherwise not receive a secondary education are able to attend thanks to the support they receive from our sponsors here in the UK. Sponsorship is a major part of our efforts and is of growing importance. Each year, working with and taking advice from a small committee from the local community in Bo our aim is to increase, by 20 or so, the number of children we can help. This is dependent on us being able to find new sponsors each year and to replace existing sponsors who may, for one reason or another be unable to continue.
Capital and other projects
Building and similar projects are funded by fundraising and donations to our general fund. We collaborate with the school to assess their needs and develop the school’s fabric and longevity. Since 2008, we’ve funded storm drains, toilets, and more. Our most significant project was an assembly hall in 2012, costing nearly £30,000. Prior to its construction, the 600 children had to stand in the sun or rain when congregating. The assembly hall now serves other schools and is a popular examination and community center.
The Ebola epidemic severely impacted Sierra Leone’s community, causing hardship for children, staff, and families. The school was closed for over a year, affecting the sponsored children’s families. We alleviated hardship by funding food aid, sanitation equipment, and radio broadcasts to educate children on Ebola precautions. When restrictions lifted, we supplied agricultural equipment, seed, and handwashing water. The school underwent a deep clean and repainting to attract children. We’re pleased that none of the sponsored children contracted Ebola, but we accepted two orphaned children for sponsorship. The Bo Mother’s Union is responsible for seven younger children orphaned by Ebola who may be eligible for sponsorship in the future.
The future
St Paul’s is rated in the top 5 schools in Bo District. Due to the political system in Sierra Leone the school has not received state recognition despite huge efforts by all of us over many years. Until this recognition is granted the school can only provide education for the first three of the six years of secondary education. This means St Paul’s students have to complete their secondary education at a “senior secondary” school. Their attendance and progress is closely monitored from St Paul’s.
It is our dream and ambition to secure the state recognition and allow St Paul’s School to offer both the junior and senior secondary education to prepare the children for adult life, whether in further education or elsewhere. Following the recent visit of the Bishop of Bo, Bishop Emmanuel Tucker to the UK (including a stay with us in West Wittering) and his whole hearted support to press for the school becoming licensed we are more hopeful of receiving recognition for St Paul’s School.
We are now seeing the first pupils move on into work or higher education, but many more sadly are still unemployed so that a major plank of our current strategy is to provide help to get children into further education, jobs or into business enterprises of one form or another. Sierra Leone has over 70% youth unemployment, the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We are looking to help one or two young students, who have been sponsored through secondary school, the opportunity to attend university. We are also looking to help a limited number of students through vocational training. Our funds are limited so we will not be making promises to someone who will need funding for several years, unless we are sure we have the finances available. We are also exploring working with a Worthing based charity called Aid for Trade, who run a number of training programmes to help people into jobs or set up in business on their own.
In conclusion
Our involvement with St Paul’s is both a pleasure and a privilege. If you would like to be involved in giving children a chance in life and making a difference please donate.