A Back to School Kit Gift (Digital Download)
We pay school for every street child who we reunify with their families as well as supply them with school materials. Your gift will buy two school uniforms, ledger books, pens, shoes, socks, vests and a school bag. This gift would be perfect for anybody who works in a school.
How your gift has helped Laughter Africa children in the past:
So far for the 2023/2024 academic year we have provided:
- 299 children with new schools or vocational schools
- 595 children with their school supply (which includes a bag, shoes, ledger books, vests, socks and pens)
- 529 children with uniforms
-177 children with extra lessons in preparation for their external examinations
We are still in the process of paying for more children between now and the end of January 2023….
One of the children we gave school supply to is Alie, who is the little brother of Abdulai Bangura, the boy who tragically drowned on the 29th July 2023. Abdulia lived in Portee with his grandmother. We first met him in 2021 living on the streets in Portee. Abdulai was just one of the most simple souls that we have worked with. He never had a problem and always had a smile on his face. He had some learning difficulties but he never used them as an excuse. In fact, it made him more determined to succeed. Last year he passed the BECE (the Sierra Leone equivalent of GCSEs) with flying colours and was promoted to SS1. He was so proud of himself and just had a huge grin on his face. On Saturday 29th July, Abdulai had been fishing with friends. Afterwards he decided to go for a swim but the current was stronger than he thought and he was swept away. His body was found a week later in Wellington. His funeral took place on 6th August which Laughter Africa paid for. His granny was just devastated and wouldn't stop crying! Thank you Abdulai for the many lives that you have touched. Until we meet again....
Meanwhile in 2018 we met a young boy who was deaf and couldn't speak living on the streets. He was affectionately known as ‘Mumu boy.’ He used to visit our mobile project, but stayed in the outside and was too shy to join in. One day we were doing an activity involving the children writing messages to the Government about their lives on the streets, and in came Mumu boy, who had found a piece of scrap paper and signalled for a pen so he could join in. Whilst his message was illegible, he still wanted to be heard. For someone who couldn't speak, his voice was the loudest that night.
We lost touch with Mumu boy as being unable to communicate made it very difficult for us to reunify him. But we never give up! In 2021 we discovered where he lived and learnt his real name. Let us introduce you to...Sallieu! We met with his mother and provided him with ‘a back to school kit’ as well as paying his school fees. His joy is contagious. As he was so grateful he told all the other mute children in Freetown. The good news is that when we visited his school to check on his progress in 2023 - he was in class and working hard. He is very skilled in tailoring according to his teachers. Even better is that his mum came to visit us with her new born baby boy. Salieu is one proud, big brother.
The school supply you have bought makes a huge difference. This year all the children and young people who sat external exams (the NPSE, BECE AND WASCE) all passed. We particularly want to congratulate Al Hassan who has been with Laughter Africa since 2016. Al hassan, lives with his grandparents after his parents died during ebola. We met him when he was living on the streets when he was just 6 years old. Al Hassan graduated from primary school and in September 2023 started secondary school after getting a fantastic mark on his NPSE (the Salone equivalent of the SATS). We have paid school for him from class 1 until class 6 and it is lovely to see the progress he is making on his academic journey!
So on behalf of Alie, Sallieu, Al Hassan and all the other street children plenti plenti tenki!!!