Bob Simson Technical Secondary School

Six years ago, the only secondary school between Moyamba junction and Taiama was severely damaged during a storm, with the roof actually being blown off. You might think this would close the school completely, but you would be wrong!  Despite having no roof and the walls crumbling, children have continued to be educated by their dedicated teachers.

At the same time, rebuilding of the school has been happening, and now it is named the Bob Simson Secondary School, after the late husband of one of our Trustees.  Like the teaching within its walls, the building work has been done in the face of extraordinary circumstances. The COVID pandemic and resulting lockdowns have affected Sierra Leone as they have the whole world. Shipping and other costs have risen sharply, and this is expected to continue.

Even so, during this period, the school has been rebuilt with extra reinforcements strengthening it against future storms. The new verandah protects against the hot sun, and makes moving between the classrooms easier during the rainy season. The roof is watertight, and the steel doors are strong.  Walls are plastered, and importantly we have newly painted toilets for both sexes, and a borehole providing clean safe water! The school itself has been almost completely painted now.

The inside of the Bob Simson and Gill Curry schools are also being equipped, with tables and chairs coming from several different sources. These include Larchfield School in Maidenhead, Schoolaid charity in Buckinghamshire, UCB in Slough, and the Vila family from County Durham. Some furniture is still travelling to Sierra Leone, while other items have arrived and are being sorted so they are used for the right age groups (primary school chairs being a bit small for teenage pupils!).

As a result, the headmaster of the Bob Simson school tells us that the newly admitted children will no longer have to sit on the floor! The numbers have been increasing, so these chairs will make a huge difference.