School Construction - Aberdeen Primary School, Freetown

Aberdeen Primary School is just up the road from the Concern office in Freetown. The school directed their cry for help to Concern after the school had constructed three new classrooms but had no funding to provide the students and teachers with sanitary facilities. Concern managed to help out to provide a clean and healthy learning environment for the 300 children at Aberdeen Primary School. [Project was funded by Bank of Ireland]

Mr. Tamba A. Momoh is the teacher of grade 6. He is delighted with the help the school received from Concern. He explains; “one day Mr Zoka, the Concern engineer, came up to tell us that they had received our letter and wanted to help us. We could hardly believe it. Soon after Concern started sending planners and construction workers to the school and before we knew it they had finished doing all the work we so badly needed. They constructed four pit latrines for boys and four for girls. They put steel doors on the latrine blocks so that we can close them off when there are no classes. They put in two standpipes for hand washing and they constructed a flush toilet for the head mistress. There was already a flush toilet for the teachers, but the builders had never connected it to the mains. So Concern did that too, and they paid our one-off connection fee to get hooked up to the main water supply. They also built a cesspit so that the latrines can be emptied regularly and kept in good condition.”

“The next thing Concern did was surprise us with a donation of education materials; they gave us teachers books, cards, chalk and other teaching materials and for the students there were exercise books, pens, rulers, etc. Concern has been truly caring about the children in this neighbourhood. Without the toilets the children ran risk of disease. They used to go into the bush and spoil our environment because they had no choice. Now we have toilets and there is water; so they can go about their business without leaving a mess and they can wash their hands afterwards and prevent illness. Every time I look at the new toilets I say thank you Concern!”

Mr. Momoh adds that the school’s wish list is not quite finished yet; since Concern started to help, the school has been in dispute over the land on which the classrooms for the 1-3 grade students is built. The site where the 4-6 grade classrooms are and where Concern helped to build the latrines, still has room for another building with three classrooms. “For the moment, Concern has told us that there is no money left to help us, but,” he Mrs Momoh with a pleading smile, “now that you’ve come to take pictures of our students, I am sure you will explain to the people in Ireland that our need for the extra three classrooms is urgent.”

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