Welthungerhilfe (WHH) with support from the Juergen Hoeller Foundation has on Friday 9th October 2020 formally handed over a newly constructed six classroom building and other facilities to Segbwema Community in Kailahun District. The ceremony took place on the grounds of the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood (SLMB) Primary School in Segbwema, Njaluahun Chiefdom in the presence of pupils and other stakeholders.
The Chairman, Kailahun District Council, Sahr Kai Konjoh Lamin thanked WHH and partners, saying that WHH is a household name in the district because of the interventions they are making in the district in agriculture, health and education. He called on the community to take complete ownership of the facility as it belongs to them. In his statement, the Head Teacher of SLMB, Brima Bunduka, said he is the happiest in the Segbwema Community at the moment. He said the WHH and partner intervention of providing such a facility for the community will forever be an indelible ink in the minds of the community, and the children yet unborn. He said WHH is now dwelling in the Segbwema Community, adding “every day we see the building, we see WHH”.
Formally handing over the school and facility to the district council chairman on behalf of the community, the Head of Project SLE 1056, Santique Kanu, said WHH in cooperation with the Kailahun District Council and the Ministry of Education Kailahun office provided the facility. He said the original school building was constructed around three decades ago, but collapsed last year. The school did not have a proper structure, as it was hosted in an unfinished private dwelling house. The owner of the premises had made the structure available to the school for the time being. The rooms were filled with bricks for further construction, and lacked proper school furniture.
He said the community is highly appreciative of the project and has committed themselves to the project’s implementation, which he said is immense. He disclosed to his audience that the school is equipped with hygiene and sanitation facilities such as a water well, latrines and hand washing stations, in accordance with the national standard IEC materials for COVID 19.
There are separate toilets for boys and girls, as lack of proper and separated toilets leaves girls vulnerable to harassment and discourages them from attending school during menstruation. The school is equipped with high quality furniture for students, teachers’ desks, and other key classroom equipment such as shelves and blackboards, among others.
He said the project cost €97,000.
By Saffa B. Moriba in Kenema