Maronka Girls July 2013

 Simple pleasures, yummy coconut water, more please Marion

yummy pleasures for sharing, more please Marion

and guess who I found settling in nicely in the junior secondary school, Kadie and Mabinty ; )

Haja loading the vehicle, on our way to Maronka and the women's leadership weekend, women can do what men can do yeah.

We went to visit Isata in Makeni, which got us reminiscing and to thinking about how far we have come since the girls safe house opened nearly 2 years ago. Isata has just finished her exams and is on her way to Maronka for the summer, its fantastic that Isata still comes for holidays from university to visit this lovely family of girls and we feel very proud of their progress. Marion and Isatu are doing an excellent job and Isata will be there to help support them whilst they do their own studies over the summer (they are both studying for their Distance Higher Teacher Certificate). That is how it works in EducAid everyone supports each other.

A selection of lovely skirts, the dressmaking classes are progressing and we are having a Learn to Ride Weekend so the girls can learn to ride bicycles, all part of teaching the girls skills which will be useful in their future.........

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's 

work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at 

the EducAid Facebook website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Maronka Girls & Boys Moving on UP

Some of our girls and boys sat the National Primary School Exams last month and after a well deserved holiday they are now moving onto our Junior Secondary school. We are very proud of their achievement and from their smiles so are they.

Having fun on their last few day's in Maronka.

We wish them luck for the future and hope they will visit us often as we will really miss them all.

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's 

work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at 

the EducAid Facebook website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Sierra Leone International Womens Club Visit Maronka

Members of the International Womens Club in Sierra Leone visited Maronka and they were very impressed by our work.

They watched a drama performed by the Eagles about anti-trafficking and slavery and then we had a tour of the classrooms and the village and followed with lunch. The women gave us very positive feedback on our teaching methods and the good behaviour of the children. A special thank you to all the women for visiting us and giving the children such generous gifts.

 Lunch with Cobra our headteacher

 Posing with Mamyfatu, the Chiefs mother

and we popped into the Rolal secondary school for a visit on our way back to Freetown.

One of the women Julia has her own blog and I have attached her link below for you to read what she said about the visit.

 http://pjhap.wordpress.com/ 

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's 

work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at 

the EducAid Facebook website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Maronka Boys House

The building of the boys accommodation is now well underway in Maronka. They currently sleep scattered around the village as it is so cramped but within the next few months they will all be sleeping together just like the girls do, great progress.

Thank you so much to all our supporters who made this possible, here are some photos I took on the site this week.

Mixing cement and eating mangoes, the only way to do it.

Cobra supervising the works and still smiling ; )

and here is Ben our latest volunteer in Maronka keeping fit on the supply run ; )

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's 

work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at 

the EducAid Facebook website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Mariama Maronka Girls Fashion label

Maronka Girls have started up their very own fashion label, Mariama...............

Sheka our local tailor in Port Loko is providing dressmaking lessons for the girls. The skills they learn through dressmaking are something that they can use in the future and no matter what direction their young lives take they will always have these skills.

Nancy and Mary enjoying learning and having fun too ; )

We have joined a partnership with House of Beth in the UK an ethical fashion house (check them out on facebook http://www.houseofbeth.com/collections/beths-shop
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.601148919897730.1073741826.374579649221326&type=1
and the Red Light campaign which is a dynamic, creative and growing campaign against human trafficking, catering to a broad audience of young and professional people. It aims to promote awareness and understanding about the suffering caused by modern-day-slavery and to help survivors of human trafficking through pragmatic means.

Mariama the face of our logo modelling one of our designs, doesn't she look fab.


and here are some photos from the House of Beth fashion shoot

Do check out our beautiful skirts and get in touch if you would like to buy one in time for the summer.

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's 

work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

EducAid sports

All the sites have sports days and we were lucky enough to be invited to see some of them..........

Maronka staff enjoying the Magbeni sports

Relay race action

Rogbere's version of swingball

and my favourite event highjump.......how anyone can make their body leap over a pole taller than them beats me, I could watch it for hours.

Great fun ; )

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Maronka Girls Latest News April 2013

Hi Everyone,

Its been a busy few months and there has been lots happening in Maronka.

Sports day was great fun with many enthusiastic competitors and supporters. When I asked Marion did she win she said Yes I came first, first at the back and I think that puts it very nicely. They all had a fantstic time despite the heat and the dust.

 One of the 1st's at the back Mary

Agnes is cheering on the green team in the tug of peace

and they must have won as Agnes is very excited  ; )

Everyone joins in on sports day even the little ones

and here I am just hanging out, very pleased to have missed the staff races.

The trustees came for a visit in February and enjoyed their stay so much they are wishing they could afford to make it an annual event. They stayed for 2 nights in Maronka and were delighted with the children's progress and thanked the staff for their dedication and hard work.

Some of our girls are studying hard preparing for their primary exams in May and we wish them luck, its a first for Maronka to take the primary exams and it is very exciting.

Miriam says......EducAid Maronka sit the National Primary School Examination for the first time on 4th May. With the hard work and support from Mohammed Cobra Bangura and Alusine Barrie in particular, we have every confidence that the Eagles class will do exceptionally well and make us proud.
Go Maronka Go!

Marion and Isatu are now working on their higher teaching certificate during the holidays and we wish them luck with all their studies. They are both very dedicated young women and great role models for our girls.

We are building accommodation for the boys in the village, within the next few months they will all be sleeping together under one roof, great progress.......

We have started dressmaking lessons for some of the girls and we have our own fashion label........

We have 2 new volunteers Francesca and Polly who will be working on agriculture and art...........

watch this space for updates.

I have spent the last 2 weeks in the UK gathering donations from many of you. Thank you so much for the mobile phones, laptops, material, toothbrushes and monetary donations they are really appreciated. Its funny but I don't think many of you realise just how much a difference your donations make, small or large they all make a big difference to our girls and EducAid as a whole.

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Crime Scenes in Maronka

Anne Hewlett former CID Detective Inspector and now an International police trainer and long term volunteer with EducAid came to spend 3 weeks with our Maronka primary students and Rolal secondary students teaching them investigation and critical thinking skills.

Anne worked with the primary school students to investigate a theft in the village during the 1^st week and the children had to balance their family values with justice values as the guilty person had 10 children. A difficult decision to send the guilty person to prison and leave his children fatherless but they came to the right decision in the end.

During the 2^nd week, with our Rolal students, Anne set up a murder crime scene and the students spent the week investigating, gathering evidence, interviewing suspects and preparing for a court case.

It was a very interesting case with all the clues pointing to the suspect’s guilt and in the final few hours the evidence changed rapidly and resulted in the suspect receiving a not guilty verdict due to mistaken identity. 

"It was hard work on the brain but very enjoyable" said one student

I really enjoyed the sessions I observed, they were very lively and full of energy. It is always very interesting to me to see how people arrive at their decisions, good fun too, thank you Anne.

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

Miriam Mason-Sesay MBE

On the evening of Wednesday 20 February, the Acting British High Commissioner, Ms Lesley Beaton, hosted a reception at the High Commissioner’s Residence to formally present Miriam Mason-Sesay with the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) that she had been awarded in the most recent New Year Honours List.  This award was in recognition of Miriam’s outstanding contribution in the fields of education and charitable work in Sierra Leone.


The Diplomatic Service and Overseas New Year 2013 Honours lists awards to British people doing outstanding work for the UK internationally.  The List has 99 awards in a range of fields such as for peace and security, stabilisation and development, education, science, British business and community/voluntary work plus exceptional contributions to London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The evening included a presentation from Miriam outlining the current work of EducAid and how it has developed since it began in 2000 and a statement from one of the governors, Emmanuel Gaima, on the challenges EducAid currently faces in delivering its ambitious agenda for the development of education in Sierra Leone.  There were also contributions from some of the real EducAid success stories:

·         former pupils who had trained as teachers and were now working in EducAid schools giving back and inspiring the next generation;
·         current primary school pupils who made impassioned pleas to the assembled audience asking for support from key players in the Government of Sierra Leone in taking forward a range of initiatives for the benefit of the young people of the country;
·         a wonderful song highlighting the empowerment and capacity of the girls currently resident in the EducAid safe house.

After receiving her award, Mrs Mason-Sesay said:

At EducAid, we passionately believe in the power of education to destroy poverty. 
  
The hunger for education amongst the country's poorest youngsters is what first motivated us to start our programmes.  It is still what keeps us excited and hopeful for a strong Sierra Leone with an educated population able to participate in moving the country forward and upwards.  EducAid is a growing family and we look forward to having an impact on more and more young people's lives.  Sierra Leone is a wonderful place to work and the young people who we work with are inspiring.  It is great to have our work recognised by the Queen and the opportunity to thank all those who have worked with us over the years.  Together through education amazing things can be done.  There is plenty of work to be done but we are ready for the challenge.

Following the event, the Acting High Commissioner said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have been able to provide a venue for such a unique event.  Award recipients usually opt to travel to the UK to receive their honour at Buckingham Palace.  It is testament to Miriam’s commitment both to EducAid and to the future of Sierra Leone that she chose to receive her award surrounded by those who have been instrumental in the success of EducAid as it has developed.  I know that Miriam and the team have a number of ideas on how best to increase access to education for all.  Many of these will require the support of the Government of Sierra Leone and I look forward to working with EducAid in pursuit of their goals in this area.”

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )

So YOU want to be a volunteer........

Many of you have asked if you can come and volunteer with EducAid so I thought I would share some of our recent volunteers stories with you. Hope they inspire and uplift you.

Diana's story.......

I took a 6 month sabbatical and went to Sierra Leone for 2 months to work for a charity called EducAid.  I stayed in a girl’s safe house in a small rural village called Maronka and taught boys and girls aged 10-15 basic reading, writing and simple arithmetic.

Diana and Maronka pupils

Memorable moments - goats and chickens wandering into the classrooms.  My bucket showers outside were the best.  Friday evenings singing and dancing with the girls and the beautiful sunsets in the evenings.

Highs and Lows – greens and rice almost EVERYDAY.  Walking 3 miles to the nearest village; no TV, (didn’t miss it).  Electricity 3 hours a day, lights out at 10pm.  Finding a lizard lounging on my bed - not sure who was more frightened, me or the lizard!!

I set up a couple of workshops, one for the older girls called Positive Black Women, to help empower and raise self esteem and an IT training workshop to help teachers and students enhance their IT knowledge.

I visited the National Museum based in Freetown which sits under the famous Cotton Tree.
I have over 200 pictures of memories, but those standstill, split seconds in time are just a slice of what I took away from my trip.  Despite many challenges, it was an amazing life changing experience and feel very blessed to have had this opportunity and I would recommend it to anyone to go for it!

Matthews story..........

Matthew steady now........

                                                  
Volunteering abroad with a small, hands on charity like EducAid is something that I have always wanted to do and so the morning of the flight out there I was more excited than nervous (and pretty hung-over as it was new year’s day!). The culture and way of life is very different and if you are travelling out to Sierra Leone for the first time there is no denying that it is a shock to the system. I would describe the country as organised chaos, people generally know what they are doing but it often does not look like it!

Working with the students and teachers of EducAid was an amazing experience; everyone is so warm, welcoming and willing to go out of their way to help you. The students are so keen to learn and draw on any knowledge that you can offer you that it inspires you to work as hard as you can to give them as much as you can. I recall several nights falling asleep whilst marking tests or writing resources but the thanks and genuine appreciation of the students makes it worth it. I was so impressed by their attitude that on returning to the UK I have stayed involved as much as I can, participating in the EducAid bike ride (that is a long story in itself!) and re-writing their biology resources which I have now printed and sent over to them.

I think you have to go into an experience like this with the attitude that there will be low points such as eating the same meal every day for 4 weeks, intensely hot nights and the thing that touched me the most, ill students that you can only try and help to the best of your ability with very little resources. The thing to remember is, the positives massively outweigh the negatives; drinking palm wine in the evening under the stars with the village elder, learning to climb a palm tree, taking part in sports day, successfully treating very ill students, making a connection with that child who cannot speak your language and has issues trusting men, sharing traditional street food with the teachers, taking a group of students to watch football, getting a little bit merry drinking star beer on the beach front, I could go on.

The friends that I have made out there that are still going out of their way to contact me when they  can, continually inspire me to want to go back and once I have finished my chemistry PGCE I fully intend to return to Sierra Leone to do further work with what feels like a second family.

Matthew.....BUNDLED

If you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at

annbeatty@educaid.org.uk

If you want to make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.

If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to 

http://www.educaid.org.uk/ and http://www.educaidsierrleone.blogspot.com

You can keep up with the currrent news and activities at the EducAid Face Book website: 

FB page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/48572325218/

Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )