03 Apr Sewing Machines for Centennial School in Sierra Leone

Joe Abu (right), Sierra Leone Liason to UB Churches in North America

The infrastructural rebuilding of Centennial Secondary School in Sierra Leone is well underway by the tri-partnership of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the Centennial School Community, and the alumni association of the school (Centennial Old Students Association, or CeOSA). There are fringe benefits that are directly and indirectly in collaboration with the project implementation. This the story of one fringe benefit.

During the second trip of Engineers to Centennial Secondary School in order to refurbish the toilet/bath houses, the team members were appalled at the devastating lack of teaching materials/tools in all of the areas of the school, especially in the laboratories–the chemistry lab, physics lab, home economics lab, etc.

Jamee Pemberton, one of the EWB team members, returned home and shared the plight of the school with her women’s guild called Keystone Quilters. This group not only raised money for some sewing machines, but also collected needles, thread, and other kinds of sewing materials. Also, at the 2011 CeOSA convention, a group of the alumni association donated funds to buy five sewing machines for the school. God bless their hearts! Following are some pictures when the machines and sewing materials were presented.

The five sewing machines have been delivered to Centennial, along with a beautiful quilt from Keystone Quilters and boxes of various sewing materials.