Supporting Orphans in Sierra Leone
Our Quaker Elders passed on the lovely Friendship boxes that have been prepared by Year 7 students and cubs from the Weare and District cub pack, to Abdul Kamara of the Quaker Peace Network.
These boxes contain small gifts, poems and postcards that connect children in Somerset to the orphans in the school in Rokel, Sierra Leone. The 40 orphans that live at the school take real joy in knowing that somewhere out in the wider world there are children thinking about them. Abdul explained that for these children, orphaned by the disease that ravaged their community, knowing that someone cares gives them hope and inspires them to learn.
Today we had the very sad news that Ebola is back and wreaking havoc once more in the small community surrounding the children.
George, Miel, Peter and Caroline the Quaker Elders have taken this charity as their focus for Elder fundraising. They are determined to help establish a school for these children, creating a long-term partnership between Sidcot Orphanage school Sierra Leone and Sidcot School here in Somerset.
Expect to see and hear more as the Elders get their creative thinking caps on to forge long lasting links between our two schools, our aim is to help to build an educational infrastructure for the children in Rokel to ensure that they have trained teachers.
Jackie Bagnall
Director of Peace & Global Studies