Education has the Power to Raise a Nation, One Brick at a Time...

Sports Day

It is widely agreed upon that a sure way to 'development' for any nation is through education and Sierra Leone is no exception. But what if the school in your community is nothing more than a makeshift shack, or a delepatated collapsing building with no desks, no tables, and no books...chances are the floor is made of dirt, and the roof leaks in the rainy season, reducing your classroom to a giant mud pit. This tragic situation is one of the big challenges facing communities across Sierra Leone in providing their children an opportunity to attend school.

The 1991-2002 Civil War left over 1200 schools destroyed across Sierra Leone. While the past 10 years has seen the government address certain accessibility issues little has been done in terms of rebuilding school infrastructure. When education is understood as a basic human right like food and shelter it becomes obvious to the observer that in Sierra Leone education is still a privilege. With over 70% of the country living on less than $1/day, struggling to meet their basic needs, education becomes a mere afterthought. Often, large families will only have the chance to send some of their children to school and it is usually the boys - this leaves many girls without the ability to go to school. However, even when these challenges are overcome access to education in a community means very little if there is no proper school for the students to attend.

Knowing this, where can we begin? Well, we can help by building schools and fixing schools. We can create a space of learning and make universal education possible for the people of Sierra Leone. Everyone deserves to go to a school they can learn in, be empowered in and develop the skills that will make them our leaders of tomorrow.

Education has the power to raise a Nation one brick at a time...

For more information or to see how you can help please go to: www.khadarlis.org

A House that is No Longer a Home...

From 1991 – 2002 a civil war devastated homes and communities in the once abundant and thriving country of Sierra Leone. During these 11 years more than 1.2 million people were displaced and over 300, 000 homes were destroyed as a result of the conflict. Now after more than 10 years of rebuilding many villages are still facing a housing crisis.

Rural communities in Sierra Leone saw the greatest destruction to their homes during the war - these houses were destroyed systematically and with intent by all those involved in the conflict. As you travel through the countryside the ghosts of these former homes can be seen & the challenge of rebuilding them still remains.

The primary challenge facing many families is lack of money for rebuilding. Even the most basic homes without electricity or water – made of local materials, like mud bricks & grass roofs – still require equipment and labour, which is often beyond the financial means of most villagers. This desperate situation has created an environment where homes have become extremely overcrowded – with large families & extended family members all sharing very limited space. Most houses that are still standing are in various states of depletion. Pests such as rats, mice & cockroaches are common problems in the home and so are mosquitoes that have the potential to infect sleeping families with malaria, as the windows do not have proper screens etc. The houses contain little ventilation, are very hot and often with leaky roofs and full of mold.
Without the help of friends and relatives, or a charity or foreign aid agency coming to assist – the housing situation for most rural Sierra Leoneans will continue to deteriorate creating health problems and strain on an ever growing population.

Now imagine being able to help provide a family with a house that has solid walls and space big enough for a growing family, a roof that doesn’t leak in the rainy season, and windows that have screens to keep out mosquitoes that carry malaria - the primary cause of death among infants and children in this region.

But let’s even go one step further and imagine a house that could filter and store rain water providing clean safe water all year round, a house that was outfitted with solar electricity so children could study at night, with an indoor bathroom that is sanitary, safe and pest free - imagine a house built to stay cool by day and keep out mosquitoes by night.

Now let’s go beyond just providing the people houses, let’s imagine giving the people of Sierra Leone a HOME…