Sierra Leone: Day 5 19th February 2010

Today was our last day at St Raphael's and started with a very emotional assembly. Sio one of the pupils made a farewell speech that choked myself, Mr Naughton and Mr Varey. His words of kindness were overwhelming. We all received necklaces and plaques as a thank you gift. We were touched by the kindness and generosity of our hosts, this was a totally unexpected act of kindness. Mr Naughton also received a map or Sierra Leone made by one of the pupils. A gift that will be treasured for many years to come.

Lessons started with Mr Naughton and I teaching the two JSII classes our Sustainable water lesson while Mr Varey taught JSIII our school hymn. Mr Varey was very impressed with the students ability to remember the words of the hymn so quickly, by the end of the lesson they could sing the hymn without the use of the words on the board.

The St Raphael's students also clearly think that although they would like more convenient access to clean water they make more sustainable use of water than we do here in the UK. During our lessons we used many photos of different uses of water in the UK. The interesting points to note are that students at St Raphael's were amazed by the thought of a washing machine, something that we take for granted. They also wanted to know the cost of various irrigation methods as they think they would be useful in improving crop yield and therefore making life easier for them and their families as well as increasing access to food.

Later in the day the area around school was alive with activity as the majority of the local population arrived to welcome the President of Sierra Leone who was due next door at the library site to make a speech and preside over the turning of the sod ceremony. School finished early for the day and we joined with the locals in waiting for the President to arrive.

Unfortunately due to the death of a close friend the President did not arrive but the Minister for Education did and the ceremony took place as planned. We sat in the shade near school and watched the sites around us. We saw many school children all in their different uniforms, many women selling food drinks and snacks from bowl's and buckets carried on their heads. We also saw many traditional sites including women and men in traditional African dress which was beautiful and colourful, we met the Head Man who is the elected by the people to represent them in the local community, he was accompanied by people in strange costumes known as the secret society who's job is ward off evil spirits.

It was a fantastic day, a great opportunity to spend time meeting the community, and turned what could have been a very sad day into a positive experience. As the crowds dispersed we mingled with our students and said our goodbyes. We left St Raphael's knowing that we have had an impact on learning at St Raphael's, that our faith has deepened, our school link has been strengthened and that meeting the pupils and staff at St Raphael's will change our lives forever.

Sierra Leone: Day 4

Move over Raffa!!!!! Mr Thomas clearly has the best team in town! Today was a national holiday, so school was closed. Despite this 20-30 St Raphael's boys with their manager Mr Thomas turned out to play a 7 a side tournament. Two of the team captains were none other than Mr Naughton and the Vice Principle Mr Bangura. The tournament was exciting to watch and Mr Naughton was amazing, playing for 3 hours in 32 degrees celcius with no water. The boys had nothing to drink so neither did he. The skill level was very impressive and it was obvious the boys had such a passion for the game.

The pitch was in front of the Waterloo courthouse. Opposite a new library is being constructed which will serve the local community and it was nice to watch the workers starting to lay the foundations. While the boys played football myself, Mrs Gbao and some of the girls watched and chatted. I have noticed that the girls at St Raphael's are more shy than the boys and less inclined to ask questions. Out of class today it was different they asked many questions mainly about family life in England. This was a good opportunity to ask them questions too. Many of the girls want to work in finance or office management when they leave school. They view school as the key to a better future. It was also clear they have many chores to do before and after school, these include fetching water, hand washing clothes, preparing food and looking after younger siblings. What were they doing while we having this chat?.....Doing each others hair!!! Just like many of you!

Day 3: Sierra Leone, 17th February 2010

Ash Wednesday. Today we received our ashes during mass held outside between St Raphaels secondary and primary schools. There were over 800 people present, including members from the local community, Waterloo. Fr Joe wore purple tie dye vestments and the singing was led by Mr Vandi. Is was a very colourful and reverent mass. Religion is the centre of life here in Waterloo. The majority of people are either Christians or Muslims. Both groups of people coexist in peace alongside each other.

Big test for Mrs Pinnington and Mr Naughton today, we had to start teaching, which is one of the main reasons we came here. We each taught a different class, of 70 pupils. The lesson was about sustainable use of water, a class discussion prompted by lots of images we had bought with us. The behaviour was excellent, the pupils did exactly as we asked, which was amazing considering we taught in a way you are used to not the way they are used to. The outcome of the lesson was that in their opinion UK citizens do not make sustainable use of water because of the way we access our water supply, were as water use in Sierra Leone is sustainable as they have to collect water in buckets or bottles for swamps or wells on a daily bases. So they are more careful with how they use it. It was very moving when we passed around some pictures showing the different uses of water, it was obvious the use of visual aids is absent in their day to day education.

Other interesting observations were that your peers had never seen a bathroom or a kitchen. I had to explain the function of these rooms. They were astounded that we have a machine that washes clothes as all their laundry is done by hand. They were keen to know about the plants we grow in the UK and the cost of different irrigation methods as this is something that would help them. Your peers have very different priorities to you.
This afternoon a debate took place, with the whole school watching. The question ‘Who is more important in society, teachers or doctors?’ The team representing teachers won as they were able to identify the local and nation impact of these professions. An interesting point raised was that Doctors are not important because they want your money before they treat you. Last year 7 doctors in Sierra Leone graduated, only 1 stayed in the county. The Maricourt staff judged the debate with Mr Vary announcing the winning team.

Day 2: Sierra Leone, 16th February 2010

Well Maricourt staff clearly like to start the day in differernt ways, toast for Mrs Pinnington, a cooked breakfast for Mr Varey and a cereal bar for Mr Naughton. A very different start to most of our colleagues and pupils at St Raphael’s who start the day with nothing, every day.

St Raphael’s pupils begin the day by lining up in their yard, which is a dust area outside their school building. Prefects line up the other pupils then a member of staff lead them in Hymns and prayers. Every day your St Raphael’s peers pray for you before they start lessons. This is followed by the singing of the national anthem. It is difficult to put into words the passion of the students.

The pupils had prepared a performance in honour of our visit. A moral tale about staying good, and following what God wants as this will bring success. For the pupils here that means graduating from each stage of their education, primary school, junior secondary and senior seconday. Education is the futire for them and the development of their country. The climax being the Maricourt House ‘Beauty Queens’ dancing accompanied by the school drums. Amazing!

At lunch we presented the staff with some of the gifts we had bought and the items you donated, including sports trophies, pens, pencils and colours. The staff were over the moon. Currently they have to rent sports trophies if they have an event. It was overwhelming to realise how lucky we are at Maricourt.

Imagine learning Food Tec by sitting in a classroom with 70 other pupils and Mrs Scholfield or Mrs Scott writing notes about preparing food on the board to copy, or learning Maths with Mrs Llewellyn with her copying notes onto the board but never getting to practice the rules you have learnt. That is the realitiy for your peers at St. Raphael’s. All their lessons are about copying and repeating what the teacher has said as there are almost no visual aids, no text books, no computers and no photocopying. The pupils however take enormous pride in their work and take great care with their books. Not one will forget their book for a lesson and not one student will be without a pen….

This evening Andrew Felton Deputy Director of Department for International Development (DFID) had dinner with us. He has been leaving here in Freetown for 18 months. It was fascinating to find out from him that Freetown has a great night life at the weekend, that there is a golf course, and that he believes that the Sierra Leone will develop to become a fully functional political and economic country, as the Government not only want the best for their people but listen to advise from DFID, the UN and other NGO’s so that they can turn their vision into reality.

The reality for the moment is that Sierra Leone remains one of the most impoverished countries in the world. 1 in 7 children born each year die before they are 1, and 1 in 10 mothers die during or soon after child birth. Providing free health care for this group of people is a priority and with DFID’s help should become a reality before the end of April this year. There has also been a history of corruption within the government so the president has employed people from outside the country to clean the government payroll. This means finding out if people have the qualifications they say they have and if they actually go to work to do the job they are being paid for.