Education Sierra Leone Project #28230

The Marc Bolan School of Music&Film - Sierra Leone

by Light of Love Foundation

The Marc Bolan School of Music&Film - Sierra Leone

Project Report | Sep 4, 2019
From The Marc Bolan School to The World!

By Jed Dmochowski | Project Fundraising Director

It has been a hard-working and joyful year full of progress and learning. As you can see from our pictures and introductory video, our students are working in three main areas : Music, Film and Television.

One of several of our music students, Ibrahim Bangura, has now created several outstanding tracks with his band and has taken part in radio interviews with different radio stations in Sierra Leone. He is very dedicated, talented and hard-working. He laso never fails to thank us for giving him the opportunity to get out there into the world, having honed his skills at the Marc Bolan School. We have , on average, 40-45 music students every weekend, all of them loving classes and working hard.

We can joyfully report that another two students are now working in televison studios in Freetown, a great acknowledgemnt of their hard work, applicatioon and talent.

A recent 'Peace Project' workshop at our school saw the arrival of more than thrty students from aroundthe whole country, learning music, film and also art work. The idea is not only to bridge the gaps bewteen communities but also to bridge the gap between different areas of the arts. We are ambitious for our students. They now have computers, editing machines, qualified instructors and secure environments in which to study. They are making friends across the country.

Another very significant step is the making of further links with local elbola orphange students in Makeni. Led by the inspitational Mr Mohamed Murrat, the orphange provides all-day lessons for over 80 students a day, five days a week. None of the teachers receive any payment, they are, simply, wonderful,selfless human beings who want to help. Our doors at The Marc Bolan School of Music are open to these young students. We plan to extend our financial and practical support.

Importantly, we visited The Deputy Minister of Education, who stated that our project is musch needed and very 'timely'. When we build our state-of-the-art-school proper, as seen on the phot page here and on our website, the Government will step in with substantial levels of funding and admin costs. So, please help us reach our aim of $100,000.00 to build our school. Your donation Is and WILL change many people's lives for the better.

Jed Dmochowski

Director and Treasurer

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Jun 12, 2019
Great Progress at The Marc Bolan School of Music and Film, further help urgently needed.

By Jed Dmochowski | Director of The Light Of Love Foundation UK.

Our Beautiful School Building to-be! It's needed!

The Marc Bolan School of Music and Film in Makeni, Sierra Leone is a school which gives the needy and orphaned youth in one of the poorest countries in the world a chance to learn to compose, play and perform music and script, drirect, film and edit films. Completely free to our students, we have just awarded certificates of course completeion to this year's cohort of music and film pupils.

Our students have been taught music theory and instrumental play and performance, as well as film editing and production . A group of students recently travelled with our Founder and Director, The Motown singer and songwriter (to Michael Jackson and many others) as well as producer, Ms Gloria Jones, to Guinea to make a ducumentary there. Another group is travelling to Ghana soon to film and to record, arrange and produce an original song for publishing around the world.

We are an ambitious institution who seek to give our youth (many of whom have been orphaned by Ebola and other very difficult circumstances) the opportunity to build skills and understanding through which they can grow as individuals and effective team-players. Through this work they will be able to contribute to the cultural capital and wellbeing of Sierra Leone as well as to reach out to the world so that their voices and talents can be heard.

We have bought land, built an interim school and created a space where students feel happy and secure. Their appreciation of this environment, of the time and work given so freely by their teachers and support staff and Directors, is clear to see.

Now we need to build the especially designed school building, with its purpose-built classrooms for group study and individual lessons, its own ampitheatre and state-of-the art- IT recording and editing facilities. During a very recent state TV interview on Breakfast TV in Freetown the response to our work was very, very positive; the producers, studio presenters and viewers responding with great enthusuaism. At a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Education the previous day our work was described as 'timely' and 'wonderful'. These expressions of approval and support at state level have given us further faith in the intrinsic value and purpose of our work. We are creating something badly needed at the heart of this talented but hugely under-resourced community of youth.

We want to build this school as soon as possible, we want to make a real difference to the quality of life and aspiration of these young people, we want to celebrate and enjoy their achievements and talents. The time is now. Please help us raise the £84,000 needed to build the Marc Bolan School of Music and Film in Makeni, Sierra Leone.

Our latest Cohort of Graduates! With Gloria Jones.

Links:

The Marc Bolan School of Music and Film website.

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