By Ralph Sesay
As part of the post mudslide recovery efforts in the country, Save the Children International, an international Non Governmental Organization working on Health, Education and Child protection has rehabilitated four (4) primary schools in the Western Area Urban affected by the mudslide and flashpoint of 14th August, 2018.
Peter Bailey, Western Area Manager Save the Children International, speaking on behalf of the Country Director SCI, during the handing over of four (4) rehabilitated Schools in Freetown, stated that his organization and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology conducted an assessment of conditions of schools in the Western Area after the August 14th mudslide at Matomeh.
The SCI Manager furthered that the Ministry of Education had recommended these four (4) schools for rehabilitation based on their joint assessment.
The four schools, the SCI Manager continued, were in a pretty bad shape with no better rooftops, drainages, ceilings, doors and retaining walls to protect the school during very heavy rains.
“We also found out during our assessment that basic WASH facilities, school and learning materials were also basically nonexistent in the indentified schools,” the SCI Manager noted.
The Western Area Manager told beneficiaries that SCI does not have a project in the Dwozark community where two of the rehabilitated schools – Hillside Baptist and Ahmadiyya Primary Schools – are located, but according to him they have decided to come and work in these communities (Dwozark, Kissy, and Bathurst) because there was a mad rush by NGOs and Government when the disaster struck at the epicenter in Matomeh.
We have specific funds for the Matormeh disaster victims which is why we designed a special project that would target schools within the surrounding communities of Matohmeh, deviating a little bit from what the other players would be doing at the epicenter when the disaster struck.’’
He concluded by stating that the total project rehabilitation cost, including a bursary support of WASH materials, school and learning materials, uniforms and furniture to all the four schools, cost Le 423,000,000. (Four Hundred and Twenty Three Million Leones).
Madam Nana Bocakarie, Ag. Deputy Director of Education, Western Urban, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, lauded the efforts of Save the Children International for their timely intervention in the rehabilitation of these four (4) schools.
According to the Acting Deputy Director, the Ministry was fully involved in the selection of the four schools because they were in a pretty bad shape to a point that, they had considered closing them when SCI came in with this support package.
The Deputy Director furthered that it is the role of the Ministry of Education to take care of schools but, according to him, SCI has always been fully supportive to the Ministry such as providing psychosocial support, counseling and training.
Nabieu Kamara, who represented the Office of National Security, also praised the efforts of Save the Children International for their intervention. He stated that there is a United Nations Resolution calling for member states not to use schools and other learning centers as reception centers for disasters.
But, according to him, Sierra Leone lacked the necessary infrastructure to handle these natural disasters whenever they occur and so they had to resort to using the churches and schools as centers whenever disaster occurs.
“This is why we are making desperate efforts, together with our partners, to ensure that these facilities are thoroughly rehabilitated immediately during the post disaster phase so as to make them very conducive for learning,” he pointed out.
All four (4) Head Teachers of the beneficiary schools made statements commending Save the Children International for upgrading their schools to a befitting learning environment whiles urging the Ministry to pay more attention to improving the conditions of teachers in the different schools.
Mr. Carlton Aitkins, Head Teacher R.E.C. Pre-Primary School, Bathurst Village, thanked SCI on behalf of the village for the huge rehabilitation which his school has received. He urged the Deputy Director of Education to consider Bathurst Village, which he refered to as very isolated and under privilege with a lot of children walking over nine miles to access education at Regent. According to him, Bathurst is a feeder school.
Similar complimentary statements were also made by other Head teachers who stated that the rehabilitation drive in all four schools has increased the enrollment and sanitation conditions in the schools.
The highpoint of the occasion was the symbolic presentation of WASH and learning materials to all the four (4) primary schools that were each represented by pupils, head teachers, parents, partners, the media, civil society and religious leaders.