Ripsta Culture-Gedo Sierra Leone engages Mabrown, Newton Community
On Community Needs Assessment Tour…
In a bid to address the educational needs of some deprived communities in Sierra Leone, the Ripsta Culture-GEDO Sierra Leone Chapter on Friday 29th January, 2016 engaged the people of Mabrown Community in Koya Chiefdom, Port Loko District, on a needs assessment meeting. (Photo: A cross section of the school pupils, ODA, SLCU and Members of Ripsta Culture –GEDO Sierra Leone)
The needs assessment meeting was aimed at identifying challenges faced by the Ripsta Culture Primary School in Mabrown, Newton. Findings of the assessment will be used to provide quality primary education for children orphaned by Ebola and less privileged children of the community.
It could be recalled that sometime last year, Ripsta Culture-GEDO constructed a makeshift structure to serve as a temporal school facility for Ebola affected children and other less privileged pupils in order to gain access to primary education in that part of the country.
During the needs assessment tour, it was discovered that the school is faced with some challenges including lack of enough teachers, school furniture, toilet facility, blackboards and other school materials.
Speaking at the meeting with stakeholders of Mabrown, the Chief Executive Officer of Ripsta Culture-GEDO Sierra Leone, Sorie Obai Kamara aka Obi Phrase, who is also Sierra Leone Music Ambassador to Europe, pledged the commitment of the organization to ensure the recruitment of more trained and qualified teachers to provide quality services to the school.
He disclosed that they have plans to construct a six classroom block, staff room and water facility in the not-too-distant future.
“The construction of toilet facility for the school has already begun,” said Obi Phrase, adding that they will also ensure the provision of enough school materials to effectively keep the school running.
He also called on well-wishers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), humanitarian organizations and philanthropists to support the initiative.
Chairman of the Steering Committee Ripsta Culture-GEDO Sierra Leone, Mr. Momodu Lamin Deen Rogers, said in his statement that they would try their level best to factor some of the identified challenges of the school in their strategic plan in order sort the problems out accordingly.
Speaking on behalf of Office of Diaspora Affairs (ODA) in the Office of the president, the Deputy Director of ODA, Mr. Sorie Tholley, said ODA is the coordinating platform for all Sierra Leonean Diaspora organizations.
He said over the years ODA has been working very hard to ensure it harnesses the Diaspora resources towards national development.
“One of the proactive Diaspora led organizations is the Ripsta Culture-GEDO in Finland registered under the Finnish legal system and they have been working very hard to contribute to the development of the country, ’’ said the ODA Deputy Director.
He furthered that the organization’s effort to construct a school at such a remote area is a laudable venture, adding that the provision of education is very important in the country because education is one of the important pillars in the country’s post-Ebola strategy.
Mr. Sorie Tholley also appealed to other Diaspora led organizations to emulate the good example of Ripsta Culture-GEDO Sierra Leone.
The Headman of Mabrown Village, Mr. Obai Kamara, disclosed that they have a good number of children in their community who are Ebola orphans.
While lamenting that the children are desperately in need of help, he thanked Obi Phrase and the Ripsta Culture-GEDO Sierra Leone for their kind gesture.
Obai Kamara appealed to other good-will organizations to also come to their aid.
Ripsta Culture GEDO is a Finnish non-profit organization with branches in Sierra Leone and Kenya promoting education, cultural exchange and empowerment especially among women and children. The Sierra Leone branch is headed by a Sierra Leone Music Ambassador based in Finland, Sorie Obai Kamara.
By Alfred Fornah
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