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Now with fewer and fewer cases of ebola being reported, schools in Sierra Leone have re-opened.
Children are able to go back to school for the first time in 9 months. They had been closed to try to stop the spread of the potentially deadly disease, ebola.
But for some children, going back to school isn't an option. Many have lost their parents to ebola and now have to work to support themselves.
Learn more here.
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school children in Bo Town, Sierra Leone
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From the home - Back to school
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Like all Sierra Leoneon children, the children at St. Mary's are also going back to school. Unfortunately there is not enough money available to provide the children with what is needed to send them all to school and also to feed them daily. To send one child to school costs $60 AUD per month. If you would like to send a child to school you can by donating $60 per month here.
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School buddies
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So, how is the charity in Brisbane doing?
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St. Mary's Donation Website has slowed down in the last 6 weeks mainly because our administrator, Jane is spending her time on getting the correct processes/systems in place. However, we have still grown a little, our Facebook page which launched in November now has 230 followers, we have 81 Newsletter Subscribers and to date we have raised $5,320 AUD.
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St. Mary's Children's Home Charity has slowed down but still growing. We are at a crossroads. For us to meet the auditing requirements to run an Australian charity we need better systems in place on the ground in Sierra Leone. We are aiming to be a Public Benevolent Institution which will then allow us to apply to the ATO for charitable tax status allowing future donations to be tax deductible, a bonus for anyone wanting to donate. I am currently in the U.S. and have arranged to meet with the Healey Foundation who are running various philanthropic projects in Sierra Leone. It was a last minute decision to be here, I was invited to attend an award ceremony that the Healey Foundation are partly hosting in Washington DC.
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I will be meeting with them and also Fr. Peter Konteh who is the Founder of St. Mary's Children's Home. He has also arranged for me to meet with others from Sierra Leone. I believe it is too good an opportunity not to be here, lots of the right people being in the right place at the right time. A rare occasion! I will update you more after I return on 30th April.
Have you become a friend of St. Mary's yet?
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