Five Mile Community Primary School- Newton Sierra Leone

ne is a subsistence farming community. It has a population of about 800 people; children and adolescents make up 60 percent of the population which continues to grow. It is about twenty-four miles from the capital city Freetown. During the eleven year rebel war, (1991 -2002) Five Mile Village was severely devastated with women and children being the worst victims. Though the war with guns is over, the war on poverty reduction, illiteracy, and unemployment continues to be a formidable challenge in the community. EDUCATION AT FIVE MILE VILLAGE
Traditionally, the village has never had a place called school. From Colonial times up to Independence Education was not integrated into its culture. School-age children whose parents can afford it must walk some six miles to and fro, five days a week to access the nearest school. Because there is no family capability to support their children’s education, social problems particularly among the young continue to mount. He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done

Proverbs 19:17

So coming from America like I do, and having lived in the village for six years with school age children of my own, I was struck by the idea to establish a school – to get the village to move with the times. After several meetings with the villagers, awareness was created for the
establishment of a primary school in the village which began functioning on September 17, 2012 which is the beginning of the school year. The school is named Five Mile Community Primary School. For a start the school is housed in an unfinished church which my ministry is constructing. It is now functioning with classes one to three at the primary level. Already, forty-five pupils have enrolled with one teacher for each class. Since this number is only a drop in the bucket compared to the school aged population in the village, classes will be added incrementally to address this need through the construction of a formal school building in the near future. Certainly, this is an exciting time for me but at the same time there are challenges that need to be overcome to sustain this project. I have soon come to realize that transforming lives by
providing affordable education in an impoverished environment is a demanding venture. That is why I am writing to you to solicit your help. In deed your help can make a tremendous difference in a child’s life which will be the only hope he/she will have for a better future. Studies have shown that hunger and lack of good nutrition severely affect mental development and long-term learning ability. It also affects attention span concentration and even a child’s vision. Children who come to school hungry are preoccupied with hunger, which prevents them from doing well in school. You and I can do something about it that can change lives. Therefore, your donations will enable these children to receive free primary education, free uniforms, shoes, books, warm lunch and clean drinking water to promote good health. For example, here is a breakdown of what your Dollar ($) can do to help the kids in need:

For instance:

$5.00 can provide school lunch for a week for a poor child that comes to school hungry
$5.00 can also provide writing materials (slates for three pupils) at a cost of Le7,000 x 3 – Le21,000
$5.00 can purchase three (3) boxes of white chalk for the teachers to be used in the classroom
$5.00 can provide four packets of candle sticks to study at night for a month
$5.00 can purchase first aid materials/over the counter medications to be kept in the school

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done

Proverbs 19:17

This is what $10.00 can accomplish:

It can pay one term tuition (Le30.000) and buy six note books for a child in Class 2

It can provide one readymade uniform for either a boy or a girl

It can buy two (2) pairs of shoes/footwear for a boy or a girl between 7 to 12 years old who come to school bare footed

$10.00 can buy two dozens of exercise books, one dozen pens, 1 dozen pencils and 3 packets of crayon

It can buy three sporting goods – Soccer balls for the boys, and four hand balls for the girls

Current Rate for Dollar in Leones - $1.00 equivalent to Le4,000 (four thousand leones) rounding up the figure – therefore

$5.00 – is Le20,000 5 x 4,000 leones

$10.00 - is Le40,000 10 x 4,000 leones

Presently for example cost for,

Boy’s uniform – ages 3 - 6 - 2 yards at Le8,000 = Le16,000

Sewing 15,000

Total Le31,000

Boy’s uniform – ages 7- 10 - 3 yards at Le8,000 = Le24,000

Sewing 15,000

Total Le39,000

Girl’s uniform – ages 3-6 - 1 ½ yards at Le8,000 = Le Le12,000

Sewing 15,000

Total Le27,000

Girl’s uniform – ages 7-10 - 2 ½ yards at Le8,000 = Le20,000

Sewing 15,000

Total Le35,000


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF YOU WANT TO SPONSOR A CHILD FOR A YEAR

To sponsor a girl child for a year, ages 3 to 10 years old - these are the main cost

School fee Le 90,000 for three terms
Uniform two(2) pair 70,000
Lunch 240,000 (Le20,000 per month x 12 months)
Exercise books/slates 40,000
Pencils, pens, crayons etc. 20,000
Shoes 2 pairs 40,000
School bag 30,000
Total 530,000 per child
Page 4
To sponsor a boy child ages 3 to 10 years old,
School fee Le 90,000 for three terms
Uniform two(2) pair 80,000
Lunch 240,000 (Le20,000 per month x 12 months)
Exercise books/slates 40,000
Pencils, pens, crayons etc. 20,000
Shoes 2 pairs 40,000
School bag 30,000
Total Le 540,000 per child

Which is equivalent to $135.00 per year

This sponsorship will enable a poor child to go through primary school (grade 1 to 6)and prepare him/her for a lifelong education. Currently, yearly sponsorship in Dollar amount is $150.00

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done

Proverbs 19:17