The latest events in Freetown. Some are encouraging, some are not. The pupil figures for the school (June 2015) were very encouraging with 547 in the Primary (Nursery to Class 6) and from these 55 candidates were to take the exam to allow them to proceed to Secondary School. This exam should have been in May, but as schools were shut from September to April because of the Ebola virus, it has only just taken place. The Junior Secondary had 225 pupils last year and some of these are due to go to Senior Secondary. Our school has been recognised as a Senior Secondary School and could take them on.
This is where the problems have begun. The senior pupils want to attend school in the mornings and not afternoons. The Primary have traditionally used the morning slot, and extra accommodation would have to be found to house Senior Secondary pupils. Most of them, who have come up through the school, have decided to go to other schools which is a disappointment for Alpha, the Headmaster and our Programme Director in Freetown.
Alpha Kargbo, standing beside a model of Bai Bureh, a hero of Sierra Leone and of the same tribe.
The first stage of a new building has been completed as far as the ground floor is concerned and Alpha decided that a solution would be to build the first floor classrooms. In June he asked me for around £13,900 so that it could be completed by September. I had to say that such a sum at short notice was not possible.
The problems have been compounded because on the 15th/16th September there was a torrential rainstorm (147mm over 6 hours) which caused heavy flooding in which four people died and extensive damage to roughly 1,400 homes in Freetown
Emergency accommodation for people made homeless was set up at the national football stadium, but as the Ebola virus remains a threat in the country, the clustering of flood victims there could pose a new challenge.
The country's main referral hospital, the Connaught Hospital, has also been affected as operations have been cancelled because the theatre has been flooded.
The roof of the new school building, which was designed to be the floor of the storey above, could not cope with the deluge and books in the library have been badly damaged. Alpha writes that "The flooding made us hold all the pupils and students in school as children in other schools suffered casualties when the flooding took place. We managed to see that each pupil and student was collected in school by their parents, Guardians or caregivers so that the flood did not claim their lives."
I have arranged with my church to speak about our work in Freetown and in the past this has resulted in a number of people giving a monthly amount, which greatly helps. A family trust have also offered to consider giving a sum towards the building work.
If you would like to help, yplease send cheques (payable to Links International) to Links International, PO Box 198, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN16 3UQ, with a note saying they are for account 3030 "People in Partnership". If you live in the UK and wish to gift aid the donation, please say and you will be sent a form. Money can be also be sent electronically to account number 00432695, sort code 30-99-86, reference number 3030.
