Moyamba

FALL 2010 COMMUNITY REPORT

Thanks to your generosity and dedication, Free The Children and Moyamba residents have taken great strides in improving the lives of all those living within the region. Community members are accessing the resources and gaining the skills they need to lift their families out of poverty and to a ect long-term, sustainable change in Moyamba. With your continued help, Moyamba will be able to o er more educational opportunities to its children and more employment options for its adults, all the while realizing community members rights to clean water and health care. Thank you once again for your dedication. Together, a brighter future is possible.

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Sierra Leone
Eight years after the end of a decade-long civil war, a more peaceful Sierra Leone is again poised to become one of the strongest economies in Africa. With diamond, gold and other mineral stores, Sierra Leone has some of the richest land in the world. But for a majority of the people, this wealth is a long way o . Recovering from the devastation of war, Sierra Leone has one of the worlds highest infant mortality rates. Children in rural areas have little opportunity to attend school and are at high risk of disease due to unsanitary conditions and unclean drinking water. While primary education is o cially free, many children do not attend school because their families cannot a ord the cost of the mandatory uniforms and supplies. Through its Adopt a Village development model, Free The Children is working with these families to create holistic solutions that will free them from exploitation, poverty, disease and thirst. In Sierra Leone, we see these challenges in schools that were destroyed in the war, in unclean drinking water and in the lack of economic opportunity in rural areas which forces adults and children into dangerous jobs. These are just a few of the reasons we are committed to partnering with local communities to create Adopt a Village solutions here. Increased education, better access to clean water and sanitation, consistent health care and sources of alternative income will help these communities rebuild and thrive.

Moyamba COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGE
Education
In Moyamba, the central goal that drives our work is to provide healthy, constructive learning environments for children. In an area noted for poor educational performance, Free The Childrens work in Moyamba is to encourage the participation of the parents and improve the conditions of the schools. At St. Columbas Boys Primary School, renovation and furnishing of four classrooms has been completed. The teachers and students are very happy with their new classrooms as it is a better learning environment. A library will be completed in the new year. At St. Josephs Girls Primary School, roo ng on the hall and library blocks is completed, as well as the renovation of the infant section and the latrines.

Pre-school students love arts and crafts activites!

Moyamba COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGE

Water and Sanitation

Moyamba tends to su er from water shortages during the dry season, as hand-dug wells run dry. In response to this, Free The Children has recently completed the rehabilitation of ve wells to ensure that community members get access to clean and safe water. As it is the rainy season, the rehabilitation of the sixth well has been put on hold, and will continue in the new year. As part of the school renovations, pit latrines for the teachers and students were also constructed. There are seven cubicles for the students and three for the teachers. Water and sanitation workshops are included in the health curriculum for students and are conducted as part of the normal school syllabus. Through that, students learn the importance of cleanliness, washing their hands and boiling water before drinking.

Health Care
Epilepsy has been a prevalent issue in Moyamba, largely due to the stigma it carries and a lack of education about the disease. Free The Children is supporting initiatives to educate community members, as well as administer treatment to those who su er from epilepsy. Among many people in Moyamba, epilepsy is believed either to be highly contagious or indicative of being possessed by the devil. Treatment, coupled with education, improves the lives of community members as it reduces fear, increases understanding of the disease and the people a icted and gives them a chance to lead a normal life. Gradually, encouraging changes in attitude have been noted in Moyamba. The local radio station sets a great example, providing free on-air announcements for the epilepsy management program.

Moyamba COMMUNITY REPORT

A WORLD OF IMPACT

Richmond loves his school!

Meet Richmond Segbandeh!

Richmond Segbandeh is a 14-year-old boy. He has three brothers, and his parents work very hard to send them to school. Richmond and his brother Daniel both attend the Junior Secondary School, and they enjoy going to school and learning. School pride is evident in Richmond when he says, They do have good reason to be proud of the Junior Secondary School, as it has facilities to encourage students learning, such as a science laboratory, a library, and a computer room. The teachers play a big part in their lives, preparing them for adulthood and training them to be responsible people. Richmond is happy to report that he did well in his Primary School Leaving Exam, to be able to advance to the Junior Secondary School!

We love our school!

Moyamba COMMUNITY REPORT

THANK YOU
Your incredible support has enabled us and the community of Moyamba to improve the communitys well-being. This success represents an amazing step towards helping families become free from poverty, exploitation, disease and thirst. With your continued support, we will deepen and extend these freedoms to create sustainable change for the people of Moyamba. You can have a life-changing impact in the following ways:

Support the epilepsy outreach program. Eliminating the stigma of epilepsy and providing proper treatment to epilepsy patients is key to improving their quality of life.

Improve sanitation and clean water use in the community by supporting Free The Children water and sanitation workshops.

Foster womens empowerment by establishing more womens groups where members meet to discuss ideas, generate savings, invest in their household, and receive valuable training in topics like nancial literacy and issues relating to family health and well-being.

Thank you for making a di erence. Your support is crucial to maintaining the success of these initiatives. If you would like to continue supporting the community of Moyamba, please make an online donation at www. freethechildren.com/donate.

Moyamba COMMUNITY REPORT