Supporting the education of children on Tasso Island, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Africa
In November 2023 I went to Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa to visit my daughter who is working as a pharmacist in the Freetown hospitals, training pharmacists in anti-bacterial resistance as a part of a project run by Kings University Hospital Global Health Partnerships. While there, I visited Tasso Island outside Freetown, in which 5000 people live. In this community there is just one secondary school, which has no paid teachers - only local volunteers from the community. Below is Mustafa Bangarai, a volunteer teacher of computer science and business studies. What the teachers would like are smart phones to give them access to the internet for teaching and research.
There are a lot of young children around, although infant mortality is high. There is just one nurse and no doctors on the island. The nurse does an amazing job, supported by some volunteers, and there is a big project to vaccinate the children against childhood diseases such as polio.
Almost all of the infrastucture that these people have has been donated by charitable organisations. For instance, there is a new primary school being built, replacing the mud structure that was too small for the classes, and so lessons had to take place in the sun.
I have decided to support the teachers and education of the children in this community through the annual funding I make through Book Club School. For every book club course bought 1 euro is donated, and for 2023 onwards this is the charitable cause that I will support. The Gladi-Gladi Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1179219 Bank account: Santander; Sort code: 09-01-29 Account: 12857892
