EduNations 2017 Annual Newsletter

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

Thank you for your continued prayers and contributions to EduNations.

Please know that your prayers and contributions bring hope to countless individuals in Sierra Leone. Many have come to a new hope and to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through your support.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: New President!

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Field Report

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Biggest Needs

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New Staff Member

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Our Musa

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Student Sponsorship

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Concert

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Giving

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Y E A R

E N D

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EduNations Has a New President!

After helping to found EduNations in 2005 and serving these past 12 years as Vice-President and then President, Dean Weaver stepped down as our president effective May 31, 2017 to take on additional responsibilities within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Sierra Leone. This is the next and important stage of development for EduNations.

We are excited, proud and grateful to announce that the next President of EduNations is our own Mr. Samuel Sesay.

Having entered into an extensive time of prayer and discernment, the Board of Directors believed that the ministry created to serve the people of Sierra Leone should now be led by someone from

Former president Dean Weaver passing the presidency role to Samuel

Samuel has served the organization faithfully for the last 5 years as our In-Country Director and has done an exemplary job earning the trust and respect of Sierra Leoneans and Americans alike! "Samuel has helped us as an organization grow to the next level of development and he has become part of our family" noted EduNations Board member Betsy Rumer.

The whole family of EduNations give thanks to Papa God for his life and calling him to this ministry!

We tell Papa God Tenki!

Field Report By: Samuel Sesay Mapainda, Mayatta, Mabum, Fintonia and Gbenekoro. All of these children are receiving free and quality education including free learning materials and uniforms. We also have about 100 staff members including Principals, Head Teachers, teachers, chaplains and

School Updates The number of students attending our EduNations Hope Academy schools continues to grow annually, with a present school roll of over 2,000 students in Preschool, Primary and Junior Secondary schools in the six communities of Rokassa,

administrative staff. Together, we seek to fulfil the mission of EduNations by ‘Igniting hope among the least of these’.

Since the start of this year, we are: •

Continuing to improve the school environment

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Field Report Continued from Page 1

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Training teachers to be more effective

Sierra Leone including: •

Engaging parents and communities in the life of the schools

The completion of the Junior Secondary school in Gbenekoro

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Working well with School Management Committees

The construction of two additional classroom blocks in Mapainda

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The construction of two new buildings for the commencement of the nursery school program in Mayatta and

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The completion of the construction of Orfonthy Community Health Center in Rokassa.

Piloting new ideas around teacher performance and motivation.

As a result, EduNations schools have reported an increase in monitoring visits by the government school authorities, which enables us to have two of our primary schools and one of our secondary schools fully recognized by the government. This gives us a great opportunity to gain government assistance in the coming years.

Construction Projects This year, thanks to many generous donors, we have invested in a number of construction projects in

Newly Constructed Gbenekoro Junior Secondary School

As an organization, we continue to celebrate our partnership within the Sierra Leone Alliance by highlighting that in Gbenekoro we were able to join with World Hope International to drill a well in our newly completed Junior Secondary School. Also, while in Rokassa, we were able to draw up a Memorandum of Understanding with Jericho Road Ministries to operate the Orfonthy Community Health Center.

Orfonthy Community Health Center As many of you know, lack of access to medical services is one of the key problems our communities face. For instance, in Rokassa, people routinely fall ill and die from curable diseases or have to travel long distances for basic medical care. As a result, the Board of Fast Fact: Directors of On opening day, EduNations the clinic was began to tackle able to serve 250 this problem, patients! which lead to the construction of the Rokassa clinic. We are pleased and thankful to update you that the construction of the Rokassa clinic was completed this year and is up and running. We are thankful for this opportunity for the people of Rokassa and the surrounding villages. It’s impact will be immeasurable!

Newly Constructed Orfonthy Community Health Center

Some of our EduNations students in the classroom

Biggest Needs for the Coming Year Looking to the biggest needs of 2018, we have two.

Land Cruiser or Range Rover “Dogface” that can travel through the toughest terrain is Our first major need is to purchase a much sturdier all- recommended, and requires an investment of $60,000 US terrain vehicle for our incountry staff. A single, “water dollars. If you’d be interested tight” vehicle such as a Toyota in joining us, please designate your giving as “EduNations

Vehicle.”

investment of $3,000 is Our second crucial need is for needed to provide adequate workspace for learning. If you sturdy furniture in our classrooms. Currently, some would like to donate specifically to this need, please of our students have to use designate your giving as wooden benches as desks to “Classroom Furniture.” do their schoolwork. An 2

Welcome Sarah!

A Life Saved for Eternity One of the highlights of 2017 was our intervention to save the life of Musa Kamara, a 14-year orphaned boy who was registered with our ‘back to school program’ after the Ebola crisis. Although Musa was not an Ebola orphan, he was a complete orphan as is his dear sister, Sallay Kamara.

Musa was diagnosed with a rheumatic heart disease which impeded his growth. After many failed efforts to try and provide medical care for him in country, we turned to our board of directors in the US. An appeal was made for Musa to have a lifesaving surgery in Kenya and God’s people rallied around him and provided the much-needed funds as well as many prayers and encouragement. Our Ebola response Psychosocial Coordinator flew with Musa to Kenya where he had a successful surgery in a missionary hospital. During the month long stay in Kenya, our psychosocial worker shared the gospel with Musa who put his faith in Christ and converted from Islam. Musa would later recover, go back to school and grow in his faith. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ and at church, he was actively involved in Sunday school. As if the Lord finished his quick work of grace in his life, in June, a healthy looking Musa went to bed on Monday, June 12th for a nap and never woke up again. His life was saved not only through the surgery but for eternity. We are grateful for your partnership that gave Musa comfort in his last days.

As EduNations has continued to grow and expand, we have realized the need for a full-time staff member who could devote time and effort into developing this organization further. This past June, we brought on Sarah Pietryga as our full-time Development Coordinator. Sarah graduated from Grove City College in May 2017 with a degree in Marketing Management.

Having previously been to Sierra Leone, she has seen firsthand the poverty that this nation faces, while also experiencing the hope that is being brought to these communities. She has a heart for the people of West Africa and is passionate about finding ways to further develop their communities so that they can be self-sustaining. Sarah is excited for the opportunity to put these passions into practice through raising funds to further provide the children of Sierra Leone with an education that will give them hope for the future! She is also excited to connect with all of our faithful supporters who have made EduNations into the successful organization it is today. If you have any questions or would like any other information from Sarah, please contact her at sarah@edunations.org or at 412-5224756.

Global Giving Campaign In September 2017, Sarah led a fundraising campaign through GlobalGiving for school supplies and resources. The GlobalGiving campaign raised over $13,000 and broadened our donor base. The students were so thankful to receive these supplies and are excited to put them to use this school year.

God is so good!

Student Sponsorship Update We thank all of our faithful supporters of our sponsorship program! You have made a vital difference in the life of your student in an EduNations Hope Academy school! You have provided for your student’s entire cost of education including uniforms, supplies and paying teacher salaries. Your student thanks you!

She sends this report from her work in the field: “All students are in school and doing great.

They are so happy going back to school to start the new school year. All learning materials have been given to them and they are excited about how safe and comfortable the school environment is for them. They have just started their first term evaluation. They are saying that Since school began in with EduNations they have free September, our Psychosocial access to education and are Coordinator, Fatu Koroma, has hoping for a brighter future. In been working to update all of our new schools, like Gbenekoro, our class lists and student students are so happy for the child progress reports as well as sponsorship and they are praying taking a new picture of every for their sponsors.” student!

We are so thankful for Fatu’s hard work to connect with all

our students. Be watching your mailbox for your updated student pictures soon! We are also excited to be able to streamline our student and sponsor communications. We can scan and email letters from our sponsors to Fatu in Sierra Leone, and she can deliver your letters to your student and scan and email letters back! You can send a greeting to your student at any time to our PO Box address (listed on the back page of this newsletter); no larger than a greeting card in size please. Contact me with any questions about your student or if you need to update your payment information for 2018.

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The gift of education is priceless and for only $28 per month or $336 per year, you can provide for all their educational needs and change that student’s future! Please consider this unique and tangible way to make a difference for a specific child in Sierra Leone. Go to our website to choose an available student and set up your monthly or yearly support.

Other payment options are available; contact me for more information and thank you for supporting our students!

Beth Weaver Student Sponsorship Coordinator beth@edunations.org 412-651-0044

Motivated by compassion for “the least of these,” EduNations gives forgotten children tangible reasons to hope. More than teaching the ABCs, we create schools in Sierra Leone, Western Africa, that become self-supporting beacons of growth and learning. Rescuing one child enriches a community, which strengthens a nation. By helping to educate forgotten children today, we help create a brighter future for this nation tomorrow. In addition to providing

EduNations Inc.

education to children during the week, these schools function as the center for their communities development by providing clean water, health education (eventually to

P.O. Box 233

include clinics), AIDS prevention, adult education, future

Ingomar, PA 15127

vocational training, and community empowerment. By

Phone: 412-522-4756

working closely with indigenous organizations and leaders,

Email: info@edunations.org

we create self-supporting schools that are pillars of nobility and strength. With your donations, support, and prayers, you are providing real hope to "the least of these."

Check out our new website! www.edunations.org

Sara Groves Benefit Concert On Thursday, November 30th, about 400 people attended a benefit concert by singer/ songwriter Sara Groves, hosted by Memorial Park Church in Pittsburgh. The concert was underwritten by generous sponsors—Tom Henry Chevrolet, Kelly O’s Diner, Alpine Pools, and Moran and Moran Attorneys at Law. Sara played a couple of songs from her new album Abide with Me, as well as some Christmas favorites. During the concert, a

freewill offering was taken for EduNations, in which Sara played her original song, I Saw What I Saw. This song was inspired by her own experience in Rwanda. Thanks to our generous audience that evening, over $40,000 was raised for the students of Sierra Leone and commitments were made for 15 new Student Sponsorships.

Sara performing at Memorial Park Church for the EduNations benefit concert

Year End Giving Season This concert was a great kickoff to our year end giving season. We are encouraged after the success of this event, that the Lord has many good things planned for us in 2018. To date about

$298,000 has been raised toward our annual EduNations budget of $330,000.

2018 brings a significant increase in budget as EduNations is expanding and we are experiencing staff additions and increased 4

student enrollment. It is our prayer that your year-end donations will enable us to finish the year strong and faithfully serve “the least of these” on your behalf in the year to come!