On Thursday 30th May, 2019, Children and Youth Development initiative (CYDI), Child/Youth led organization that is established to empower young people through education, skills training etc. held its 1st school Educational Outreach program, which is aimed at empowering school pupils through education as they believe education is the best empowerment you can give to a child. During the Educational Outreach program, the organization donated Learning materials to pupils of Mortimer West Huntingdon Primary School Magbafti, Western Rural District. And also awarded 20 pupils with scholarship, as since the implementation of the Free Quality Education, this school has not benefitted from the Free Quality Education and some pupils have stopped going to school because their parents cannot afford to pay their school fees.
Speaking at the ceremony, CYDI’s Executive Director, Amb. Oseh John, disclosed that the organization was born out of the vision to empower young people across the country. The distribution of the school items is a stepping stone towards their vision as an organization. He added that their focus is to complement the free Quality education of the President and the government of Sierra Leone. He went further to say that their organization is self-sponsored.
He thanked members of the organisations for their financial and technical support to make the event a success, adding that this will not be the last time they will help these children, but will continue to give them their support as an organization.
He stated that they are planning to do more in other schools if they are blessed with funds, because at the moment they are students and are the only ones financing all the programs.
He called on well-meaning Sierra Leoneans to help in developing the organisations so that they will have the courage to do more.
Tamba Koroma, a senior teacher at Mortimer West Huntingdon Primary School, Magbafti, thanked CYDI for the gesture and said that they are very grateful for the school items provided and they will ensure that the pupils make good use of the items.
He added that the school is really going through constrains and since the implementation of the Free Quality Education the Mortimer West Huntingdon Primary School Magbafti have be left out which he said is a big challenge for them.
Alpha Daramy Kamara, Head Teacher of Mortimer West Huntingdon Primary School, Magbafti, thanked CYDI for their gesture, which he said is timely as some of these pupils come to school without some of these school items and called on other organizations to copy the footsteps of the CYDI. He also disclosed that the school has been left out from the Free Quality Education, which he said is a big challenge and called on the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education to approve their school so as to qualify the school for the benefits of the free quality education. “As young as you guys are you have already become role models in society”, he said and encouraged his pupils to copy the examples of the young students who formed the organization.
One of the Parents, Mbalu Turay (a single mother), thanked CYDI and commended them for the donation as she can now breathe a sigh of relief and hoped for divine help to enable them to do more for their kids.
Presentation of the learning materials and songs of praise from the beneficiaries climaxed the ceremony.
