By Mohamed Foday Conteh
200 pupils along the Peninsula communities in the Western Area have benefitted from school items distributed by a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Reachout Salone. The items included bags, school writing materials, uniforms and shoes.
Delivering the items on Thursday 9th September 2021, Edmond Margai, Director and Founder of the Organisation said the project is complimenting the efforts of the Free Quality Education programme of the government, noting that not everyone will be catered for in the government’s project. He stated the initiative is in tandem with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4. He expressed dismay at UNICEF Sierra Leone’s report that stated 39 percent of children in Sierra Leone are engaged in either paid or unpaid labour.
Margai said the project currently caters for children in Banga Farm, Sussex, No.2 River, Baw-Baw, and Mile 13 and expressed the hope to extend the project to Tombo and other rural communities in subsequent programmes.
In his statement, Prince Ganda from Diaspora for the Children Foundation a US based organization commended Reachout Salone for partnering with them on the project. He said that the US based organisation has been aiding children in both Sierra Leone and Jamaica where they recently supported 150 children. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has left many people vulnerable.
Abubakarr Barrie, Board Chair of Reachout Salone said their support is based on the fact that there are many underprivileged children in those communities. He said some of the children are engaged in stone mining because their parents could not afford to send them to school.
Rosaline Nyallay, Proprietor of Adonkia Hospital and Philanthropist, expressed delight for the project and admonished parents and guardians to reduce the number of domestic chores and errands they impose on their children.
Mariama Dukuray, a stone miner whose child benefited from the previous project, appreciated the organization and encouraged other parents and guardians of beneficiaries to take care of the donated items.
Copyright © 2021 Politico (10/09/21)
