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 ; )