The founding father of the Family Home Movement of the Catholic mission in Sierra Leone, Fr Joseph Breton, has planned to educate poor, needy youths and children in Christian disciplines at Mayenkineh, Calaba Town in Freetown.
Speaking to Awoko in an exclusive after conducting one of their normal mass at his Holy Family Senior Secondary School, Fr Breton said he wanted to help children and youths who could not afford to go to school due to poverty.
He added that it all started when he learnt that parents were finding it extremely difficult to send their children to school at Calaba Town. He noted that they were not only targeting Christians but other religions as well, because they as a church had the moral responsibility to teach children so that they could build a better generation for the future development of the country.
Fr Breton disclosed that they started the school on a makeshift structure locally known as “pan body” but with the rapid increase in enrollment they decided to construct a modern building that could accommodate pupils and staff with funds provided by the Italian corporation AVSI and the Family Home Movement in Sierra Leone.
He intimated that most children were sponsored through Italian missionaries who adopt and educate children in Christian doctrines, noting further that the school was not getting any subsidy from the government.
The executive secretary of the Family Home Movement, Ernest P. Sesay who also spoke to Awoko, disclosed that the Movement was born out of the desire to help young people and establish Christian communities in the country.
Mr Sesay noted that, “the Family Home Movement is responsible for the smooth running of the school, payment of staff and provision of learning and teaching materials with special emphasis on girls’ education”.
Mr Sesay added that their greatest challenge was maintaining the school privately and called on the ministries of Social Welfare and Education to help them in the payment of teachers’ salaries and provision of learning materials.
The director and principal of the Holy Family School, Jeneba Vet Timbo, highlighted their school’s activities.
She expressed thanks and appreciation to the Italian donors for providing the much needed funds for the smooth running of the school and also called on the beneficiaries to make good use of any knowledge acquired at the school.
Mrs. Vet Timbo appealed to the Calaba Town community to send their children to the school as another six class room block was currently under construction for vocational studies.
ADVERTISEMENT