Home >> Current Appeals >> Feed & Educate Sierra Leone
Our New Hope Primary School educates over 380 children in classes Nursery 1 to Class 6 (ages 4 – 12 years), from underprivileged families living in Thombo Bana and surrounding villages, in the Lungi area. Thanks to the dedication of the Christian staff, the school is very successful and pupils are always in the top 3 of the schools in the area for results in the National Primary School Exam (NPSE).
The children enjoy learning about Jesus’ love for them, through lessons, assemblies and the example and care of their dedicated Christian teachers. At least half of the children regularly attend Sunday School at our New Hope Church that meets in the school building, many of them have brought their Muslim parents to church services, where they have been led to new life in Christ.
The school feeding program, provides all the pupils with a nutritious lunch every day and is for many pupils the only proper meal they will eat, some of the poorest families in this area only eat a meal at home about twice a week.
For several years we had been praying that we would be able to build a secondary school, as the available secondary schools were all fee paying, a lot of the pupils who were finishing New Hope Primary School were from families who couldn’t afford school fees, leading to them being forced into very low paid and often dangerous work and putting girls at risk of early arranged marriages. We were delighted to be able to begin building New Hope Academy Secondary School in 2022, there are now approximately 200 pupils being educated from JS1 to SS1 (equivalent to UK Years 7 to 10), as more cohorts of pupils move up from the primary school, classes will go up to SS3 and sit the ISSSCE exams (equivalent to A levels).
Evangelists from our New Hope Church lead regular outreach at several other villages and communities, churches have been planted at some of these including Lokomasama and Rogbaray. At both of these villages there wasn’t any early years education, so the church teams have started pre-schools, where the children enjoy games, singing and learning about Jesus. Lokomasama preschool are pictured in the temporary structure that is also used for church services, we are very thankful to be able to build a permanent building in that community, and are praying that we will be able to do the same at Rogbaray.
Pastor Michael Fofanah, our Sierra Leone Director is pictured above with his wife Alice and pupils from New Hope Academy, he says, “Myself, Headmistress Alice, and all the staff of our New Hope Schools, and the pupils, send our joy to God for making all things possible in His time. We are deeply full with gratitude and appreciation for all that God has planted in Sierra Leone and how International Aid Trust has planted and watered God’s Blessings and Love amongst Sierra Leone’s children, and around the world.”
We thank God that 700 pupils, across four sites, are benefiting from a good education and nutritious meals, in a caring Christian environment. Please pray for wisdom, patience and encouragement for all the staff. Please pray for all the pupils to know God’s love and care and to come to deep and lasting faith in Jesus.
It costs £7 per month for each child to attend our primary school or pre-school and £10 per month for each pupil to attend New Hope Academy Secondary School. Could you make a regular or one-off donation to help a child from a desperately poor community to attend school and eat regular meals?
