Building a school in Sierra Leon
the problem:
We, the Humanitarian and Environmental Club at Franklin Academy High School, hold strong to the belief that education has the power, and indeed is the only entity possessing the power, to reconstruct the lives of those living in the Kono District of Sierra Leon, Africa. This area has been devastated by the conflict over diamonds, and the situation was such that schools were destroyed and children roamed the streets, which made them easily recruited as soldiers. In response to this issue, my friends and I began the Humanitarian and Environmental Club at our school and took on the task of raising $8500 to build a school in Sierra Leon. We have been working very hard and hope to see the project completed by the time we graduate in 2011.
vital stats:
people impacted:
350people involved:
40why it's important:
This issue came to the attention of my friends and I after reading "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah, a man now living in Brooklyn that fought as a boy in the very war the Kono District is recovering from today. This devastating memoir illustrated and illuminated the reality of children fighting wars. Throughout the book, Ishmael is losing his innocence and even his humanity while he fights in a war he knows little the cause of. The aftermath of this war has left the region in an unstable topsy-turvy state, which we feel we can, even from across an entire ocean, help those living in Sierra Leon today overcome.
the plan of action:
This year marks the beginning of this project we hope will inspire many to come. We've been urging students not in our club to get involved and make this as personal an issue for them as it is for us. We've resolved to hold four "Movie Nights" this year, all proceeds going to the school in Africa, of course. The first was about a month ago and fairly successful. We showed "Blood Diamond," because this movie tells the story of the diamond wars, the wars that have so greatly affected the Kono District of Sierra Leon. We also are helping several students with Individual Service Projects for National Honor Society that want to give the proceeds from their projects to our cause, and we even have a member of our club planning a benefit concert for our school in Africa in the spring. We're finding many opportunities to educate the members of our community of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and we have spoken at assemblies in front of the entire student body about this issue.
how you can get involved:
Anyone that wants to help can contact donap@franklinacademy.org to discuss options. We would love participation from anyone that shares our spirit for the power of education.
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