Tullow Oil Plc and the Playhouse Foundation donate school furniture to Kono District schools valued at Le. 120 million

Thursday 20 January 2011 – Tullow Oil will be presenting the Kono District schools with furniture valued at Le 120 million!

About Tullow Oil: Tullow Oil plc (“Tullow”) is an international oil and gas Exploration and Production  company that is registered on the London Stock Exchange.  Tullow has operations in a number of African countries including Ghana, where it is the operator of the recently discovered Jubilee Field, in Uganda, where it has discovered approximately 1 billion barrels of oil, and in Sierra Leone where it has a 10% stake in offshore Block SL7B-10 where the Venus and Mercury oil discoveries have recently been made.

Tullow’s Social Enterprise Programme: As a responsible operator and good neighbour, Tullow works closely with its stakeholders to ensure that its operations generate opportunities for long-term sustainable partnerships which create shared prosperity in the countries where it operates.

The company has a comprehensive Social Enterprise (SE) programme that plays a strategic role in creating this shared prosperity by aligning business objectives with the development priorities of local stakeholders.

Tullow’s Social Enterprise programme focuses on four areas: health, education, environment and developing entrepreneurs.

Tullow’s work with Playhouse Foundation: This collaboration with the Playhouse Foundation supports Tullow’s Social Enterprise goals, as education and skills development is a natural priority for the company due to its relationship with productivity and economic growth.  Improved education provides opportunities to the younger generation and this, in turn, enables Tullow and other investors to cost-effectively recruit locally trained personnel. It also delivers many other spill over benefits to the communities in the form of heightened community awareness, greater disposition to adopt newer ways of doing things and ready responsiveness to democracy – all of which help to create a favourable investment climate for future development.

In addition, through the manufacture of this school furniture, Tullow created jobs for 11 welders and 7 carpenters over a period of three months.  These young men were formerly, street kids, high school drop outs and unemployed youths who have been trained at the St. Joseph’s Vocational Institute in Lunsar and work at a small artisanal centre that have been established by the St. Joseph’s Fathers and Brothers of Murialdo who run the Vocational Institute and the Murialdo Secondary School in Lunsar.

The Playhouse Foundation: The Playhouse Foundation is a charitable organization that was established in 2009 by Mr. Abu Deedee Koroma and Ms. Finda Koroma in memory of their parents, the Late Abu Aiah Koroma Esq. and his wife, the Late Danké Evelyn Koroma.  The focus of the foundation is on education and the main beneficiaries are children, the youth and the disadvantaged section of the population in Sierra Leone.   The Playhouse Foundation is registered charity in Houston, Texas and in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Some members of its board include Mrs Miriam Conteh-Morgan, Mrs Jeanne Kamara, Mrs Mamadi Demby, Mrs Valerie Gilpin, Mr. Ibrahim Othame Kabia, Ms. Clementine Nkweta, Ms. Finda Koroma and Mr. Abu Deedee Koroma.

Beneficiaries of the Programme: The following schools are beneficiaries of the programme:

• R.C. Bayima, Tankoro Chiefdom (12 miles from the district headquarter town) which was opened in 1952 and has a total number of 246 pupils.
• Ansarul Peyima, Kamara Chiefdom (10 miles from the district headquarter town) which was opened in 1977 and has a total number of 229 pupils.
• R.C. Kainkordu, Soa Chiefdom (19 miles from the district headquarter town)  which was opened in 1952 and has a total number of 428 pupils.
• U.M.C. Kangama, Gorama Kono Chiefdom (27 miles from the district headquarter town) which was opened in 1952 and has a total number of 249 pupils.
• R.C. Seidu, Toli Chiefdom (50 miles from the district headquarter town) which was opened in 1959 and has a total number of 149 pupils.
• R.C. Desembadu, Mafindor Chiefdom (46 miles from the district headquarter town) with a total number of 403 pupils.
• Ansarul Masundu Kongoteh, Gbense Chiefdom (10 miles from the district headquarter town) which was opened in 1986 and has 271 pupils.
• R.C. Komba Yendeh, Lei Chiefdom (26 miles from the headquarter town) with 507 pupils.

Objectives of the Programme: The main objective of the school furniture project is to provide pupils in selected primary schools in the more remote chiefdoms in Kono District with comfortable seating because they find themselves at school for a minimum of six hours a day enduring very difficult conditions which could have a negative impact on their academic performance overall.  Comfortable seating would motivate them to perform better at school, reduce the ailments and accidents from broken benches and allow them to concentrate better during school hours.  Additionally, it will increase the moral of the pupils, in general.  The 500 sets of school benches manufactured by the St. Joseph’s Vocational Technical Institute in Lunsar will go a long way towards alleviating the dire infrastructure problems in schools in Kono District.

Presentation of School Furniture funded by Tullow Oil Plc to Kono District Grounds of Koidu Girls Secondary School, Koidu Thursday 20 January 2011
8:45 am	Departure of the Delegation for Koidu Girls Secondary School.
9.00 am – 10.10am	Opening Prayers: (i) Christian – Father James Jamiru (Chairman of the Education Committee, Kono District, the Playhouse Foundation) (ii) Muslim – Alhaji Osman Kamara,  District Imam
10.10am – 10.20am	Introduction of Chairman, Local Dignitaries & Visiting Dignitaries: P.C. Aiah Denton Foamansa Bono, Nimikoro Chiefdom.
10.20am – 10.30am	Welcome Remarks by P.C. Sheku Tejan Fasuluku  Sonsiama of Sandor Chiefdom & Chairman, Council of Chiefs, Kono District.
10.30am – 10.40am	Brief Overview of the Education System in Kono District – Mr. T.M.T. Komba, Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, Kono District.
10.40am – 11.55am	Brief Statements on the Playhouse Foundation: Ms. Finda Koroma, Co-Director & Mrs Miriam Conteh-Morgan, Board Member: Introduction of Members of the Management Committee. Profiles of the Late Abu A. Koroma & the Late Danké Evelyn Koroma.
11.55 am – 12.15 pm	Presentation Ceremony: (Representatives of Beneficiary Schools & their Paramount Chiefs). Brief Remarks by Mr. Tim O’Hanlon, Vice President for Africa, Tullow Oil Plc. Brief Remarks by Dr. Kaifala Marah, Chief of Staff to President Ernest Bai Koroma, Office of the President & Chairman of the Ceremony. Acceptance speech: P.C. Bokarie Solokor, Toli Chiefdom (Beneficiary chiefdom).
12.15 pm – 12.20 pm	Vote of Thanks – a pupil.
12.20 pm – 12.35 pm	Concluding Remarks by P.C. Paul Ngaba Saquee, Tankoro Chiefdom (beneficiary chiefdom).  Kono District Council representative.
11.30 am	End of Programme: Departure of the delegation for Ansarul Masundu Kongoteh, Gbense Chiefdom (10 miles).
12.00 pm – 12.15 pm	Opening Remarks: Chief A.M. Kamanda, Speaker I, Gbense Chiefdom Principal of Ansarul Masundu Kongoteh. Mr. Clint Foday, Ministry of Education.
12.15 pm – 12.30 pm	Presentation Ceremony: (Principal and Gbense Chiefdom representatives). Brief Remarks Mr. Tim O’Hanlon, Vice President for Africa, Tullow Oil Plc.
12.30 pm – 12.35 pm	Vote of thanks – pupil
12.35 pm – 12.40 pm	Concluding remarks:
12.45 pm	End of Programme: departure of the delegation for  Koidu Town.
13.30 pm	Private luncheon.
16.00 pm	Departure of the delegation for Freetown.

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