By Politico staff writer
SOS Children’s Villages Sierra Leone in partnership with The Great Football Give Away, UK has commenced the distribution of 3,000 footballs and their accessories to over 370 schools, orphanages and some deprived communities across the country.
The event kick-off at the Western Area Rural District headquarter Waterloo where 22 schools across the district received eight footballs each and its accessories. The charity The Great Football Give Away and SOS Children’s villages Sierra Leone believed that football promotes child's rights to play.
The Education Committee Chairperson for WARDC, Councillor Santigie Sesay said many people in the country misunderstand the Free Quality Education concept. “Quality Education has three domains; the Cognitive, Psychomotor, and Effective”, continued that all three are equally important for quality education delivery.
He thanked SOS for the gesture. “The football will take our children from the cycle of violence”, adding that playing time with the football improved the psychosocial well-being of young people in the country. He said that football also enhanced livelihood for a child and family who may choose it as a career.
The Country Director of SOS Children’s Villages Sierra Leone, Sophie Ndong said that as a child protection organisation they believed that providing the football for the children to play will guarantee children’s right to play.
“In the midst of supporting the government Free Quality Education by providing quality and free education to 30% of all pupils attending SOS Hermann Gmeiner International Schools in Freetown, Bo and Makeni, we also want to promote the Children’s rights to play, ” he said. The 30% free education scheme was targeted at the underprivileged children attending these schools. “I am eager to see children kick the ball”, she ended.
The Deputy Director of Education for the Western Rural District, Nana Bockarie appreciated SOS for its intervention. “The Ministry of education at some time provided sporting equipment to head teachers”, she said, adding that the donation of the footballs was an opportunity to monitor the school, ensuring that they used it for the right purposes.
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