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ROGBONKO VILLAGE SCHOOL NEWS

Number 12 December 2009

WELL DONE BRANDESTON!

Rogbonko School has a brand new well thanks to the fund-raising efforts of Brandeston School in Suffolk. The partnership between Brandeston and Rogbonko goes back a long way. It was Brandeston pupils who raised the initial sum to start building the new schoolhouse and every year since Brandeston pupils have raised money to help- from providing mosquito nets for every Rogbonko child to funding skills training and adult education classes.

Access to safe drinking water is a major problem throughout the developing world. In the last three years Rogbonko and the surrounding villages have suffered one outbreak of cholera and another of amoebic dysentery. Though no villagers from Rogbonko perished in the first cholera outbreak, several including the headmaster’s wife, had to be taken to hospital suffering amoebic dysentery. With no other transport available, our school administrator Morlai Forna, ferried the sick people twelve miles to the hospital on the back of his motorbike.

Until this year Rogbonko had a single well at the far end of the village from the school. Unfortunately a poorly fitted pump meant the well was often out of action. Earlier this year a private donation paid for a refit of the pump. And now Brandeston pupils have raised nearly £4000 tosink, line and fit a second well near the school. That means Rogbonko pupils will have easy access to safe drinking water all day long and the village has a back up well.

Brandeston pupils raised the money by holding a cookery and wine tasting evening for parents and through their annual Year 8 summer school fete during which stalls offered everything from nail and face painting to the chance to throw a wet sponge at a teacher. Lots of the games this year featured - yes, you’ve got it, water!

Rogbonko Alumni

Success

Three Rogbonko School graduates have won national scholarships which will pay for their entire secondary school education. They are Abass Bangura, Pa Roke Forna and Adamsay Kamara. Some of youmay remember Adamsay as the winner of our T-Towel design competition two years ago.

This year the first group of ten Rogbonko graduates sat the Basic Education Certificate Exam, of whom eight passed. One, Joseph Turay, achieved the highest grade of any pupil at Magburaka

Secondary School. Our first class of Rogbonko pupils graduated three years ago. This year we have once again achieved a 100% pass rate at the National Primary School Exams. The successful candidates will join those who graduated in previous years at Magburaka Secondary School, paid for by the village Osusu Fund to which every villager with children at the school contributes a small amount each year. In return they may draw money to pay for school fees and books when the time comes. Trust supporters helped kick start the Osusu Fund with a sizeable £1000 donation in 2007.

Breakfast Club Our Breakfast Club, which has been running since July comes to an end this month with the arrival of the new harvest. Thanks to all of you who made it possible to give each of our children at least one square meal a day during the ‘hungry season’

Mystery Patrons We are still unable to identify the source of several standing orders into the Trust bank account. The references given are as follows: Hamilton, Jagger and P702970207. Do please contact us if you are one of our mystery patrons so we can make sure you receive the thanks you deserve and keep our records straight

And finally, our thanks to..

Sue and Cec Ash who celebrated their golden wedding this year and asked friends and family to donate to the Rogbonko Village School Trust instead of giving presents. Their generous gift of £250 will be used to pay for the children’s annual end of year party and for new footballs.

Rogbonko Village School Trust, 161 Waller Road, London SE14 5LX. Rogbonkotrust@aol.com