SLVP completed two community projects in 2013 - a community meeting place in Pellie village and a library for the Koindadugu Islamic Secondary School. It also continued its Project GLOW program providing scholarships for girls' secondary education. For 2014, SLVP's biggest planned project is to construct a new junior secondary school in Bandawoh village to replace the school destroyed during the civil war. The newsletter encourages donations to support this school construction project and other SLVP initiatives that benefit communities in Sierra Leone.

1. SIERRA LEONE VILLAGE
PARTNERSHIPS
RAISE FUNDS FOR
SLVP FOR FREE BY
USING
GOODSEARCH.
Everyone can help SLVP meet
its goals by using
Goodsearch.com to search on the
internet and when purchasing
products online. Here's how: go
to the website and under "Who
do you Goodsearch for?" type
Sierra Leone Village Partnerships. Then, every search you do
generates .01 for SLVP. Additionally, you can assist SLVP by
buying products online. Go to
the Goodsearch webpage, then
go to "Goodshop," and click on
"shop now." A variety of corporations donate a portion of your
purchase to SLVP, usually 1-3%,
but up to 37%. Thank you for
helping SLVP, and spread the
word!
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1
S LV P N E W S
WINTER 2013/2014
SLVP COMPLETES COURT BARRIE AND SCHOOL
LIBRARY PROJECTS IN 2013, CONTINUES PROJECT
GLOW,AND PLANS BIGGEST PROJECT YET FOR 2014!
In 2013, SLVP finished construction of the Pellie community court barrie, and the Koindadugu Islamic
Secondary School Library in Fadugu. As a result, the Pellie community now has a meeting place for
community groups and health organizations; and Koindadugu Islamic Secondary School in Fadugu now
has a library to house its collection of media resources. Additionally, SLVP has continued to sponsor
Project GLOW in support of secondary schooling for girls in Gbendembu.
In 2014, SLVP is planning its biggest project yet: the construction of a new junior secondary school in the
village of Bandawoh. Thank you to all our donors for making it possible to further the general development and educational needs of rural Sierra Leone!
DID YOU KNOW?
SLVP is proud to be an all-volunteer, transparent organization whose
board members self-fund their trips to Sierra Leone. We work hard to
maintain low overhead so that 97% of every dollar donated goes directly
to projects (see pie chart below).
If you wish to donate, please visit our web site at www.slvp.org.
SLVP Annual Costs
Gbendembu Schoolgirl
Eligible for a
1%
2%
Project Glow Scholarship
Money Transfer Fees (2%)
Administrative (1%)
Project Costs (97%)
97%
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2. SIERRA LEONE VILLAGE
PARTNERSHIPS
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1
S LV P N E W S
WINTER 2013/2014
PELLIE RECEIVES A NEW
COMMUNITY MEETING PLACE
Pellie is a remote village in the Lower Jawie Chiefdom of Kailahun District,
located in the Eastern Province. Pellie needed a court barrie, a central meeting
place that shelters community members from the sun and rain. With a court
barrie, the community could provide a place for monthly immunizations for
diseases such as river blindness, and provide a meeting space for youth groups,
elders, and women’s groups.
WHAT IS OUR MISSION?
To create and implement grassroots development projects in
communities within Sierra Leone. Projects may include but
not be limited to the refurbishment or building of schools,
health clinics and potable water systems. Resources for projects may include financial aid, educational and construction
materials, medical equipment and other related items for
distribution that have been identified by the Board of Directors or its designated representative.
Mary Jane Lavin, SLVP board member, learned of this need while volunteering with another small non-governmental organization, MOMS (Mothers on
Missions of Service). Pellie once had a court barrie, but it was destroyed during the civil war, and the community chose to first rebuild its homes. In 2012,
the community began the process of rebuilding the court barrie, by providing
raw materials, assessing a small fee per household to buy cement and iron
rods, and having the youth group work to rebuild the foundation and walls of
the Pellie Court Barrie.
Having exhausted its own resources, Pellie turned to SLVP for assistance in
completing the building. Pellie needed about $6,500 to place a roof on the
structure, pour the floor, paint, finish and furnish the court barrie. SLVP could
not provide the entire funding request, and reached out to Communities Rising,
a small granting program of St. Charles Parish in Arlington, VA. SLVP provided $4,000 to fund the roof, and Communities Rising donated $2,500 to
finish and furnish the building.
The picture at the top left shows the work the community did on their own.
Below is the completed barrie with help from Communities Rising and SLVP.
Projects shall be community based, and shall take place with
the full cooperation of community leaders and representatives. All projects shall take place in the form of a partnership between SLVP and the Sierra Leonean community receiving aid and assistance.
TAMPA BAY INTERBAY ROTARY CLUB
Thank you to Tampa Interbay Rotary for raising $3,700 for
SLVP during a golf tournament this summer. This donation
will make a difference in the education of students in
Bandawoh very shortly!
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3. SIERRA LEONE VILLAGE
PARTNERSHIPS
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1
S LV P N E W S
WINTER 2013/2014
KOINDAGU ISLAMIC SECONDARY SCHOOL RECEIVES A NEW LIBRARY
This year SLVP worked with the Kasunko Islamic Secondary School in
the village of Fadugu to construct a library to serve not only the school,
but the entire community. School Principal Yaya Kallay coordinated the
project, getting the full support of community leaders and overseeing the
library’s construction. Sarah Metzler, the Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to teach Math at the secondary school, was crucial in the early
stages of the project by getting application information, budget, diagrams
of the library floor plan and other information to SLVP. This was the
second SLVP project to involve a Peace Corps Volunteer, and the project
benefited greatly from Sarah’s participation. Because the new library was
built upon an existing structure, SLVP was able to save significantly in
the costs of construction, and it cost approximately $6,500 to construct.
Thank you to the Kasunko Islamic Secondary School and the village of
Fadugu for all of your hard work that went to this project! The school
now has a functioning library that facilitates literacy for students and
community members alike.
Project GLOW
Project GLOW, the girls scholarship project initiated by high
school senior Sadie Pelini and sponsored by SLVP, exceeded its
fundraising goal of $7,000. Over $8,500 was raised to help
village girls in Sierra Leone complete their high school education. The funding will support 120 year-long scholarships, and
these scholarships cover tuition, books, uniforms and supplies
for deserving students.
Above left is the original library building in Fadugu. Below is the new
library being readied for use by students and the community.
Sadie and board member M J Lavin traveled to Sierra Leone for
three weeks in Spring 2013, in order to meet with the Gbendembu Baptist Secondary School administrators and help determine
how the scholarships would be awarded. The school established
a Scholarship Committee, and the committee chose the scholarship criteria and the number of scholarships to be awarded each
year.
This school year, $1,800 in scholarships will support 10 girls in
SS2, 10 girls in SS3, and five girls in SS4. Five more scholarships will be awarded to girls in SS1 as soon as test results are
received. SLVP will continue to administer this program.
Below left is the Gbendembu Baptist Secondary School campus. Below
is a picture of Sadie Pelini addressing students at the school.
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4. SIERRA LEONE VILLAGE
PARTNERSHIPS
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1
S LV P N E W S
WINTER 2013/2014
SLVP TO BEGIN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BANDAWOH
In 2014, SLVP plans to begin construction of a junior secondary school (JSS)
project in Bandawoh, located in Nyawa Chiefdom.
The community of Bandawoh had a secondary school before the civil war, but
in the early years of the conflict, rebel forces destroyed the school, and looted
its contents in order to build their nearby base, Camp Zagoda. Once the conflict ended, the community built a mud and thatch structure for its JSS students, but it is very small and needs repair during the rainy season.
Bandawoh is seeking a modern JSS building—one that is a permanent,
reliable structure that will exist as more comfortable and a conducive
environment for student learning.
SLVP is seeking your help, in order to build a six-classroom JSS, complete
with furniture and restroom facilities. With your help, students will learn,
flourish, and succeed in their studies at Bandawoh Junior Secondary School.
Above, the current Bandawoh Junior Secondary School.
Below, students attend classes outside the current school.
We look forward to a successful year of fundraising and construction of
Bandawoh’s new JSS.
Above, students attend classes in Bandawoh Junior Secondary School this
year. To the left, the land that has been cleared, in order that the NEW
Bandawoh Junior Secondary School may be built!
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