Greetings from Sierra Leone, my home for the next ten weeks. There is much to be thankful for!
Left: I am pictured at the orphanage with PDIA in the background
The School (PDIA)
-the first term began in September and there are currently 120 students on the roster from nursery 1 to primary 6. They are under the care and guidance of nine local teachers and a very dedicated headmaster.
-the students arrive happy and begin with a lively assembly involving lots of song and dance before heading to their respective classrooms. On Friday, a committee of students was selected to form a journalism club to announce various news and events to the rest of the students.
-I’ve sat in on all the teachers in their classes and they are passionate about their jobs and about the students’ success. In fact, our students are achieving some of the top results in the district when they sit their mandatory primary 6 level exams at the end of the school year in June.
-As a teacher by profession in Canada, I have already held sessions with all the teachers to collaborate and share best practices that can help our students better understand the curriculum outcomes. We plan to continue to meet on a regular basis for the duration of my visit.
-Currently the children at the orphanage who are in junior and senior secondary school are bussed at 7 am every morning to schools in the nearby city Koidu; the same bus is then used to transport students and teachers from Koidu back to PDIA. The road is rough and the journey costly, but we have some exciting plans to help mitigate these costs in the future [stay tuned!].
The Orphanage (PDC)
-I am living in the orphanage alongside the children. It is a beautiful building and everyone does their part to maintain it and keep it clean.
-Every day starts as a community at 6 am with songs and prayers and ends the same way at 9 pm. A family meeting where announcements are shared and concerns addressed precedes the evening prayers.
-I have asked the children what they like about the orphanage and they’ve said it’s become their family, they can worship together, and it is mandatory for them to go to school (in a community where school has not traditionally been a priority due to mining and agricultural activities). They are also well fed with a staple of rice and greens.
-They have quiet time to study every evening from 6:30 – 8:30 pm where they follow a posted study schedule. As it gets dark at 7 pm daily, this is only possible due to the solar panels that provide the energy for the needed light.
The Community
-I am humbled to be the face of all of you who have offered your time, energy and finances in support of the work of the orphanage and school. The community is grateful and expresses their appreciation.
-I have also been honoured to meet the community members who have made everything possible on the ground – from the house mom, Finda, who continues to find orphans in need to bring into the family, to the chairperson who is a spokesman between the school and the community, to the assistant chief who helped connect the school to the community well to the chief who supported the use of the land. The saying is true, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
-when I say Sierra Leone has become my home, I mean it in the deepest sense. I feel so welcomed here and already mourn the day I will say good-bye.
I am excited to be a part of this project and to witness on the ground all the good things that are happening. I look forward to sending you more updates in the weeks ahead!