Magbenteh Community Boarding School

SSLDF opened the Magbenteh Community Boarding School between the villages of Mathinka and Magbenteh, Bombali District in October 2016. The culmination of several buildings within a forestry compound has created a safe and calm environment for children to learn and grow.

Funding for the construction of the main school building was assisted by the fundraising organisation, L’appel Deutschland and Band Aid UK.

With a current capacity of 200 students, the children were identified from the most deprived surrounding villages including those left orphaned by Ebola. This opportunity for education is vital for both the children residing here who have been unable to attend school for the past 2 years as well as their guardians.

The primary school provides education, accommodation and feeding in conjunction with social empowerment, sporting activities and mental health support. These foundations combined encourage the children to share the knowledge acquired with their adopted families and communities.

Headmistress, Ms Kanu has 37 years of teaching experience and we are confident in her passion and knowledge of working with vulnerable children. Ms Kanu leads a team of 6 Government approved teachers.

To ensure new teaching methods, we are implementing teacher-training workshops during the 2017/2018 academic year as part of President’s Recovery Priorities for Education.

All aspects of school life are funded by SSLDF, Action Swiss Sierra Leone and L’appel Deutschland; feeding; stationary; educational supplies; medical treatment and uniforms.

A second beautiful ‘Africana-style’ uniform was made by the tailors at the Polio village for the 2017/2018 academic year . Working in partnership with the Polio village not only created employment opportunities but also strengthened the relationship.

For those children not living within a walk-able vicinity of the school SSLDF is providing a bus for transportation twice per day until the boarding houses are completed.

Construction of the boarding houses began in November 2016 and completed in December 2017, with the financial support of Addax & Oryx Foundation.By having a boarding element to the primary school, the children are being given an opportunity to broaden their horizons, to encourage a sense of self-pride and self-worth and to ensure they are properly fed and cared for.

Upon completion next year, the entire project will consist of the school building, a kitchen and canteen, male and female boarding houses and bathrooms, a sports training field, a first-aid room and a waste-management room based on the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ system for teaching purposes.