Report to the Rotary Club of Rugby from the Extra Mile School in Sierra Leone.
A Pioneering Careers Programme:
Why do we educate these youngsters in developing countries if there are no jobs for them when they finally leave school? What’s the point of trying to find work when children already work from as young as five years or less?
Well, where do you begin, to answer such a question? Its true, that in an economy like that of Sierra Leone where almost three quarters of its GDP comes from overseas aid and where the unemployment rate stands at an almighty 75% and where galloping inflation has overtaken reason, and that life chances are at rock bottom. Education is but an afterthought and getting a job almost impossible.
However, that said, there is another view. Must these youngsters of today have to suffer for the greed, the corruption and the incompetence of their forefathers? Should they be denied the thrill of discovering the miracles of modern science or how the human body works and what keeps it healthy? Should they never learn the mental maths and systems of justice that just might protect them from fraud? Or catch the wondrous language of their national literature and that of the great writers of the day, across the world? A life of endless strife, of poverty and deprivation should also see the beauty of art, hear wonderful music and have the skills to read of the passion and courage, played out by their own national heroes.
So that’s why we hold a careers programme for our leaving sixth formers, the future of their nation. A programme in which their young men and women can collate their learning and their experiences in a personal vitae. They can listen to the professionals who have already jumped the hurdles of life and can advise these callow youth accordingly. They will learn the basic skills of using the internet to research opportunities far afield and use the software too.
They practice their letter-writing as well as their interview techniques. Finally where we can, we organise work experience and this offers the chance to make those valuable contacts in the work place. We are proud to say that the Extra Mile School is the only school in the whole of Sierra Leone to offer this scheme and it is not surprising when pupils from other schools come to join our sessions as well.
The itemised expenses show that we ran this programme in July/Aug. 2022 (£330) and also the following year, July/Aug. 2023 (£662). It is now complete for these years though we hope to be able to operate the programme each year from now on. Pupils still return to school to see staff for further advice and guidance. Almost forty pupils took part – 9 (2022) + 31+ (2023), of whom 60% were girls and several more students joined from other schools as well. Seven professionals spoke to the students throughout the careers day:
Nurse Mariatu Bangura – Community Health Officer; Nurse Rose Sawyer – Head of Maternity Goderich clinic; The Honorable Daniel Fornah – MP and Telecom Engineer; Elder Donald Conteh – Lecturer and Drug Control Officer; Three Heads of Department at the school.
The programme was organised by Extra Mile School staff led by the Deputy Principal, Mr. Wusu Kargbo. Mr. Prince Pat Cole (Humanities), Mr. Felix Bangura (Science), Mr. Ibrahim Kpaka (Commerce), Mr. Moses Conteh (In-Country Director), Mr. Ismael Bockerie (Support Staff), Mrs. Marie Conteh (Head of Reading), Miss Catherine Freeman ( Humanities Teacher) and Mr. Musa Kanu (Sixth Form Student and junior teacher) to whom we send our grateful thanks for all their hard work..
Thank you once more to all those kind members at Rotary Club of Rugby who help to support our work including this pioneering careers programme "and the wonderful support for our new science laboratory. Bless you all".
Mike Fielding September 2023.
