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Hope Prep and journeys end.

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The pupils have took to their new school well. I was with them in the morning before going to the Waterloo Health Centre to deliver sterile gloves and gowns, syringes an pain killers. The staff are at the school are so appreciate and very very proud of the new working environment. It is nice and cool as the windows have been designed on each side of the building to allow the air to pass through and keep the room cool. You can feel the cool when you walk in from the outside. The new toilets are also a welcome addition to the school. The three toilets have already been designated as boys, girls and staff. The brother of Fannyann who is now proprietor of the school has informed me that they have had an increase in registrations for next year as word of the new school spread around the village so he is very happy. No one advised the parents that the children would be moving buildings. At the end of the day the parents turned up at the old building to collect their children. They were
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No Power

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The power has been intermittent for the last 48 hours, last night there was no power between 5pm and 10pm and then it went off again at 3am. If there is no power there is no Internet and more importantly no air conditioning; hence a very hot and grumpy Mr Power! I want to share some images from the Ebola cemetery yesterday. In my last post I described the rows upon rows, hundreds upon hundreds of small headstones. The inscriptions were pitiful, it was hard to know if I should take pictures, but I think it is important that you should see them as Ebola effected Waterloo and our school community. The family asked that I share them too. This place is less than 10 minutes from Hope Prep school. 18 months ago it was just land with vegetation, now, it is a very different place. It was actually quite peaceful and serene now. One of the most upsetting parts for me was seeing the deep jeep tyre marks at the entrance to the cemetery. It was obvious things had been chaotic here. I thought o
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Another fascinating day in Sierra Leone

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I have difficulty uploading the blog as either the wifi or the electricity keeps going off. So I'll keep it brief and not with many photos. The wifi takes about 20 minutes to upload one image. Today I went to Nelson Mandela High School and Hope Prep School. The highlight being Hope Prep in their new school for the first time (photos to follow). It was another day of happiness as the kids left the tin shack that they had been in for so long and went into the new 'cool' building. It was quite ironic as the storm this afternoon would have drenched them in their new school. The teachers said it was Fannyann showing her approval. I am going back to Hope Prep tomorrow. At lunch time came a very moving and happy time. I delivered food parcels that many of the staff at MTGS had contributed towards. I felt ashamed at times as the elderly and vulnerable people were visibly moved and sometimes hysterical. They received a 7.5kg of rice and bags of onions, spices, vegetables, oil an
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Sunday

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Today started off with church at 10.30am, well 11.05am (Sierra Leone!!!!) and then I made my way to the annual thanksgiving service at Nelson Mandela High School. It was quite emotional to be back here. It was also a completely different place since Ebola. Many of the pupils I knew have now left but some came by to say hi. It was strange, some of them are young men and women, who I have known since age 12. Some of the older students from 2011 are now mothers and fathers too; it was strange. The school had laid on a remarkable array of speeches, performances, prayer and music and I was treated, well, you'll see in assembly - like a chief!  all the staff wore the same outfits for the day; me included. The day ended with meeting the Ebola orphans that you have supported. I had the privilege of providing them with biscuits and small items of food. This was hard, very hard; I thought that I would be prepared for them. However meeting them I realised it wasn't a news story, Ebola
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Opening Hope Prep

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Today was like a carnival in Waterloo, Sierra Leone as the new school was opened. It was a privilege for me to open it and the people there are so appreciate of everything we do. Throughout the many long speeches I heard 'Merchant Taylors' Girls' School' and 'Stanfield' mentioned about 100 times. Following this I went to visit some elderly people and their families who had suffered strokes and had difficulty with movement. I collapsible walking sticks with me (£7 in Argos) and you would not believe the relief that the people received. Early in the morning (8am) I met Anita Koroma from Girl Child Sierra Leone and gave her a donation from my form (8W) along with other items to support the poor and vulnerable girls she works with. Finally, I visited Mercy Orphanage in Fullah Town. I first met these kids in 2014 and It was a lovely to see them all again. I gave them a donation from MTGS, underwear and socks and we bought boxes of sweets and biscuits in Freetow
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Arrived

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arrived safely after an aborted landing in Sierra Leone. Had to fly to Liberia and wait on tarmac for 5 hours whilst runway lights in Freetown had been repaired. I'm off to open the new school at Hope at 10am and then visiting the Mercy Orphanage. At 7.30 it was 30 degrees and very humid! (No Likey) The view of the sunrise from my room made up for the journey!  The Internet connection is awful so I may only be able to update now and then. I can't upload photos from my phone at the moment either as it keeps timing out after 10 mins which is frustrating. Mr Power
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Thanks

Thanks for visiting the blog. I should arrive in Sierra Leone by 9pm on Friday evening and will provide an update to the blog then. On Saturday the 27th of May I will be opening the new Hope Prep School which has been built with funds raised by Merchant Taylors' Primary School - Stanfield. It promises to be a great day (especially if the rain holds as the Rainy Season has just begun.) Thanks Mr Power
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