Rising from the Ashes

Published Wed, Feb 22, 2023
Written by Sarah Pietryga

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February was a tough month as EduNations students and staff in Sierra Leone experienced two disasters within two weeks of each other. 

On Tuesday, January 24, a large storm in the village of Mayatta ripped the roof off of one of the school buildings in Mayatta, leaving the teacher's office, staff room, and Prep 4, 5, and 6 classrooms completely exposed to the wind and rain. The Principal and teachers did their best to rush as many academic and teaching materials to another building as soon as they could, but many books, school and office supplies, and pieces of furniture were gravely affected.

On February 2, one of the dormitory buildings at our Senior Secondary School in Rokassa was completely destroyed by a raging fire. We were able to keep the fire contained to one building and thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire. However, the damage was catastrophic, leaving the building completely demolished and completely destroying all of the belongings of the 39 staff and students who lived in that dormitory. 

We reached out to you, our faithful community of supporters, to help us recover our losses and raise $50,833 needed to rebuild and restore our properties. And once again, you completely overwhelmed us with your love and support, exceeding our goal in just 5 days! With all the donations that have poured in over the last several weeks, we have been able to raise $77,511.87! 

Rebuilding efforts will begin promptly and in the meantime, the displaced students and teacher are currently being housed in other dormitories. They have also received replacements for some of their personal belongings. 

We have been working on ways to support the teacher and 38 students, assuring them that they have many people thousands of miles away who love them, are praying for them, and desire to help them in their hour of need.  With that in mind, we are making a concentrated effort to see that these 38 students and 1 teacher are sponsored as soon as possible.  Sponsoring them will be a sign that we truly care and desire to support them during this traumatic experience. 

If you would like to sponsor one of these students or learn more, please click here. 

We thank you for your partnership in this important work in Sierra Leone!