School Feeding Program in Sierra Leone

A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa (BTA)

Focusing on Children in Sierra Leone

At a Devastating Time

Report from Sarah Armstrong, Director, BTA

It’s critical I know for us to regularly share with you updates on how investments in BTA are making a difference to the people of Sierra Leone. And please be reassured that all of your investments are making a difference. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to continue the feeding programme with the students who live in the Upper Banta region of the province of Moyamba.

But things have been VERY challenging for us because of Ebola. I know you are all aware of just how horribly this monster of an epidemic has affected West Africa … and certainly in Sierra Leone.

It is flat out heartbreaking. But BTA has responded in ways of which we can all be proud.

The children have been quarantined in their villages due to Ebola. So we have done the following:

• We purchased no-touch thermometers and sent them over to Sierra Leone so that the children could have their temperatures read safely and regularly.

• We have switched the feeding programme to a programme where we are now delivering food to the villages. As you know, they used to get their meals from BTA at school. But they don’t go to school any more … so without our new system … they would not eat.

• We purchased radios for each of the villages. Because the kids cannot go to school to learn, the country has developed a system whereby the teachers provide lessons by radio. The lessons are broadcasted from a central location but the kids in our villages were not able to hear the lessons because they did not have radios. Now they do – thanks to BTA.

Additionally,

We identified an orphanage for children whose parents have died of Ebola. When parents die in Sierra Leone, the tradition is that the children are taken in by family and/or residents of the village. This however, is not happening when the kids are “Ebola orphans.” People appear to be afraid of them. So Sierra Leone has had to open a lot of new orphanages.

BTA has provided funding for food and medical supplies to one of these orphanages, located in Kenema … an area hard hit by the epidemic.

I will end this report with a note from the wonderful person who directs the programme for us in Sierra Leone…

The Distribution of the BTA food to our children is a big blessing to Children of the Nations organization ever since the Ebola outbreak. This has always helped in developing the holistic life of our children in sustaining their lively hood. They are always praying and so excited whenever this food is distributed to them.

In the distribution period the parents are grateful for all that Aunty Sarah Armstrong and other donors are doing for their children. They are also praying for God’s showers of blessing on whosoever is helping in their resources for the education of their children.