Welcome to the Sierra Leone-Plymouth Partnership, or "SLPP"!  SLPP is a long-term, independent partnership between Sierra Leone and Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.  The "SLPP" was created in spring 2005 by  former Peace Corps volunteer Jeff Hall as a way for a group of people to become aware of conditions in Africa and to offer specific, dynamic forms of help.  Jeff lived in the Sierra Leonean village of Jokibu for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1990s, and he has returned several times in recent years and now leads a yearly group trip to Jokibu and its two sister villages Foindu and Pujehun.      

Sierra Leone itself is a small, coastal, West African country between Guinea and Liberia. Its capital, Freetown, once was a major slave trading port for the Americas and also became a major center for the repatriation of slaves.  The village of Jokibu, near Sierra Leone’s eastern border, was devastated during the region’s 1990s civil conflicts, its buildings abandoned and destroyed, and its residents scattered to the jungle.  Now that the civil conflict has been over for several years, many of the residents have returned to Jokibu and two nearby, sister villages.  It is these three villages upon which the SLPP is concentrating.  

Jeff is coordinating the Partnership and SLPP Committee. His close friendships both with villagers and with the owners of a building-supply store in the nearby town of Kenema make it possible for him to personally and directly order goods, transfer money, and keep accurate, detailed accounting and installation records, including photographs.  Every penny contributed goes directly to aid for the village.

This family is standing in front of two houses with different roofs: one is the new, much more permanent sheet-metal roofing supplied by SLPP; the other is the old canvas roofing that wears out quickly, allowing water to leak and destroy the house's walls.  SLPP has supplied roofs to over 500 homes in the three eastern Sierra Leone villages of Foindu, Jokibu, and Pujehun.  These three villages were overrun several times by rebels during the "blood diamonds" civil war in the 1990s.  They were almost completely destroyed, and most villagers fled to refugee camps, only to return and rebuild in 2003-4.  The entire country is a peaceful and successful democracy, now.

Educational Excellence

Goal: $20,000 for

Scholarships + School Supplies

The Sierra Leone-Plymouth Partnership (SLPP) had another group trip to our three villages in May.  On the trip, we saw our funds at work on the essential school addition and several clean water wells.

As a new school year approaches, we are reminded that thousands of our young African village friends thirst for education.  On village visits, students remind us repeatedly how desperate they are for books, school fees, uniforms, paper and pencils.  Many students lost a parent or two during the war, so they have little support.  We see devoted teachers working diligently to help kids without the help of chalk, erasers, paper, desks and chairs.

SLPP is committed to educational excellence in the villages because knowledge is what brings hope for a brighter tomorrow.  We want to invest aggressively so that 1) our three village primary schools become models for other schools, and 2) all children can grow up to graduate from high school, knowing basic math and how to read and write.  A secondary school education is especially critical for girls as they learn basic sanitation, nutrition, health and market skills.  Also, each year in school delays motherhood and gives them more control over birth decisions.

During the past three years we have made significant educational improvements by providing many scholarships, notebooks, pencils and soccer balls.  In May we delivered over $3000 of wonderful textbooks, novels and flipcharts created specially for African schools.  But now we want to raise the bar so that more students have the opportunity for more and higher quality education.

Scholarships

We are proud to introduce our unique Adopt-A-Student program.  Contribute to our scholarship fund by making a selection below.  Then, each month during the school year we will e-mail (or mail) a picture of a student and a story describing the student’s family and life situation.  You will get to know many different students, and watch as they progress through high school and perhaps even go to college, or return to the village to start a business.

You or your children can Adopt-A-Student and send in contributions as low as $4 a month.  What better way for your kids can learn about the joys and challenges of being a student in an African country?  This would be a wonderful Back-to-School, birthday or holiday gift for your kids, grandkids or friends.

Primary School Support

You may also invest in the primary schools by providing funding for desperately  needed school supplies such as paper, pens, pencils, textbooks and even food.  Every penny you invest goes directly to investment in the villages, with no bureaucratic overhead. 

Donate: Your donation will make a tremendous, life-long impact on a student and support educational excellence in the schools.  For more information about how you can help, send your request for a brochure and/or questions to Sierra Leone-Plymouth Partnership leader Jeff Hall, or simply mail a donation as described below.

Please make your tax deductible check out to Plymouth Church, write “Sierra Leone” in the memo area, and mail it to Sierra Leone – Plymouth Partnership, 1900 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55403.  100% goes to Sierra Leone.

Four young girls in
their school uniforms.

Teachers have college degrees with excellent training, and they are deeply committed.  However, they are poorly paid and work with very few supplies.

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With no supplies, most disabled children get no schooling.  This lucky girl received a wheelchair from a donor in a nearby city.

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Many classrooms are crowded--up to 100 students and 1 teacher per classroom.
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Supplies are very short.  Most students share three to a desk.  Most children cannot afford paper or individual slate boards, let alone textbooks.  Schools cannot afford to buy such items for them.

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Students are bright and playful,
work hard, and want to learn.