Aunty K with her beautiful smileKadiatu [commonly known as Aunty K] comes from Rolal village. She would spend day after day, hanging around the junior secondary school playing in the dirt, hoping for some attention and a bit of rice when they cooked. When she responded enthusiastically to the attempts of Steph and Emma [two…

21 EducAid junior teachers [all but 3 are ex-EducAid students] ready to start their new course.This week, we did the final stages of training the Port Loko Teachers’ College tutors and now the distance education pilot has started there. Only 40% of teachers in Sierra Leone are trained and qualified so there is a desperate…

Gibrilla Conteh, RIP [14.02.10]Just back from Gibrilla’s funeral. It turns out his crime was that of defending his uncle’s petrol from a thief. For this he was stabbed to death. His mother had already died some years back. His father is in a distant part of Sierra Leone and it has not been possible to…

Last week seemed to be overshadowed by the disaster in Magbeni but this week things are looking considerably more positive….. I have just got back from a trip visiting all the schools and although the roads were hard – once again we witnessed the remains of two fatal accidents – the news from all sites…

After my first ever week offline and away from EducAid, on holiday with some concerned school mates, we are now back! And we know we are back, not only because of the crazy humidity and heat! On arrival I was summonsed to an emergency meeting in Magbeni. Before my departure, one of the village community…

Headboy, Yayah by his new store. The Women’s Project teachers with their progeny. The Headboy / girl teams.We have today, instated our new headboy and headgirl team. Headboy, Yayah and his two deputies. Headgirl, Ngadie and her two deputies as well as a mirror team at the Junior Secondary level. Particularly worthy or note are…

The current school building made of mud blocks with a tin roof. When we first started visiting Maronka, there were three houses and that was pretty much it. Obai Santigie [the chief] always made me welcome and encouraged return visits but there was little to draw outsiders in apart from the palm wine, the peaceful…

Jimiyke is still waiting for further feedback on the last few tests to ensure that his health is secure but in the meantime he is putting his time to good use. Various friends have offered opportunities to sit alongside them and improve his ICT skills and, in addition, he is fast becoming a bit of…

Mohamed Sannoh – A very proud day for him and for us all. Ok….and a few others too!Mohamed Sannoh, the longest standing EducAid pupil, has graduated from Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone in Accounting and Finance. Mohamed was part of our sponsorship programme in the very early days before there was an EducAid…

Quite a few Santas then! Triumphant! Alison and Megan post ‘dash’.Alison Walsh of Lambeth Academy and one of her students, Megan, participated in a 6 kilometre Santa Dash around Battersea Park, sponsored for EducAid. Alison is a long-term supporter of EducAid’s work and has visited the project twice. To learn more about EducAid’s work see…

Sean [British teacher] and I have been working like mad things on writing up the distance learning modules for a brand new teacher training programme. At present, approximately 40% of Sierra Leonean teachers are trained and qualified so this programme does have the potential to make a real difference to the quality of education in…

4 months ago today, we lost our beloved Alhassan, needlessly to medical negligence and being in a poor country that is riddled with corruption. For more information about our work, see www.educaid.org.uk

This year, EducAid senior secondary students came 5th in the country in their public exams. On the face of it, fantastic. In reality, however, I was mad as fire at the horrible underachievement of some of our students. Many of them did not get anything close to their potential. Some did, but far too many…