Pat Horn’s assessment….

I have just returned from a three week visiting the EducAid Schools in Sierra Leone.   Whilst there I met Miriam and through her good offices I was able to see, briefly in two instances, all five EducAid Schools.   I was able to stay in Lumley School in Freetown for a couple of nights and was able to call in and see the Rogere School on my way up-country to the other schools.   I was able to stay for a few days at the Magbeni School, the Rolal School and the Maronka School and see, and share in, the work of pupils/students and teachers at each of them.

• clear evidence that Sierra Leone was a country in great need of support and help
• that if Sierra Leone is the eighth poorest country in the world, the poorer ones must be in really dire straits
• the country is working to reconstruct and establish an infrastructure after ten years of a brutal, cruel and bloody civil war 

• • the country has just completed (November, 2012) the third general election since the civil war ended some ten years ago ; the campaign was peaceful and we can only hope the result is accepted by all parties

• the pupils/students were
• aged from five years to students in their twenties – one student had travelled from Liberia
• very keen to learn, determined, resourceful, resilient, co-operative, 
• very hardworking, –  in their academic work and in caring for their environment and each other,
• very kind and generous to visitors and each other  – they have nothing, but will willingly share it with you,
• always demonstrating their religious faith 
• mornings start with prayers at 6.30 am 
• immensely proud of EducAid, – as they should be !
• very appreciative of 
• the work of EducAid
• the support EducAid receives from countries such as England
• ambitious for themselves and Sierra Leone,
• it is well worth remembering that the fine qualities of pupils/students are those promoted so effectively by EducAid 
• the qualities that the pupils/students take away from EducAid are developed by Educaid rather than the qualities they bring to EducAid – the EducAid pupils/students, like children everywhere, do not arrive with such attitudes and qualities!   
• the qualities demonstrated by the pupils/students are the result of a great deal of hard work by a great many adults and the older students.

• the teachers and adult helpers were
• very committed to their work 
• very hard working in difficult circumstances and with very limited resources and materials
• teaching areas are far from ideal
• furniture is far from ideal 
• text books and reading materials are in short supply
• there is a desperate need for materials to teach phonics to enhance literacy as a threshold skill to enable pupils/students to access the subjects of the Sierra Leonean curriculum
• very caring for all the children in their care

• EducAid to be
• very successful whilst working in very difficult circumstances
• providing education that is far superior to that provided by the state schools, although such schools charge fees that many families cannot meet
• the only school providing 
• free education for children – materials and teaching
• free care to support the education for children
• very successful in enabling pupils/students to achieve success in National Examinations
• The National Primary School Certificate of Education
• The Basic Education School Examination
• The West African Secondary School Certificate Education
• EducAid frequently comes top in the list of schools in these Public Examination 
• in desperate need of additional resources in order to extend their work.

• every penny donated goes directly to support the work of EducAid in Sierra Leone 
• there are no paid employees except those teachers paid in Sierra Leone 
• EducAid does a fantastic job in providing improved life chances for all the pupils/students attending their Schools
• EducAid makes no charge to any pupil/student for teaching, accommodation, food, books or clothes
• EducAid is the most worthy cause I have experienced
• EducAid is very worthy of continued support