Christmas Gift Scheme and Newsletter
v2 WP newsletter 2023v2 DRAFT WP 2023 CGS form (1)
OUR CURRENT PROJECTS INCLUDE:
AGM 2023
The Annual General Meeting of the Waterloo Partnership will take place on Monday 20th November at 7.30pm via zoom.
Everyone is welcome.
Please send a message via the website if you require the zoom details.
The Opening of Bernaur Street Well
This is the opening of the Bernaur Street Well. Some of the ladies of the mosque and community prayed for the Waterloo Partnership for their kind assistance in providing them with safe and clean drinking water. Haja who pumped out the first bucket was previously unable to so as she was unable to use the bucket and rope. They all greatly appreciated the hand pump.
Marine FC is the new patron of the Waterloo Partnership
Marine FC Press Release
Marine become the new Patron of Waterloo Partnership charity
Club News September 7, 2023
Marine FC are proud to have been named as Patron of the Waterloo Partnership, a charity which has a two-fold purpose – to support the people of Waterloo, a village in Sierra Leone, West Africa and to establish links between the two Waterloo communities.
The Waterloo Partnership was founded in 2005 and its work has focused on educating street children, supporting Ebola orphans on, helping women farmers in the swamps, building vital bridges and wells for clean water.
Marine FC is proud to have been named as Patron of the charity and will support on fundraising initiatives and to raise awareness for the great work that continues to go on behalf of the charity.
James Leary CEO of Marine: “The Waterloo Partnership is a well-known local charity and has done unbelievable work in helping support the people of Waterloo, Sierra Leone. I hope that through this partnership we can continue to support the work to further enhance the charity.”
David Moorhead, trustee of The Waterloo Partnership: ” The people of Waterloo, Sierra Leone are incredibly resilient and hopeful. They have endured a civil war, poverty, Ebola and Covid. They are my heroes. Football is a huge passion in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. Many follow the English Premier League and where there is a rough patch of ground you will see children in bare feet playing football. Therefore, the charity is delighted to have Marine FC as its patron as we all work to build a fairer world.”
Marine FC lies in the heart of Waterloo, Merseyside. For more information visit www.marinefc.com
Elvis Fundraiser – 16th August at 7.30pm at the Plaza Cinema, Waterloo
Come and join us. An evening of fun for all the family.
https://plazacinema.org.uk/whats-on/blue-hawaiiElvis Blue Hawaii Ticket
Youths Help Clear the Drains
Youths gathered to show the power of team work and cleared the drains following recent storm damage. If all the rubbish were left in the drains then it would heighten the risk of malaria and other diseases. The Waterloo Partnership were proud to support this project.
The Joy of Water.
Here are two film clips showing the new improved well at Wilson Street. Clean water is beautiful. Clean water is necessary for good health. Clean water is a joy.
The Wilson Street Well
The Waterloo Partnership are proud to fund the improvements for the Wilson Street Well. Access to regular, clean water is essential for good health. Previously the only way to fetch water from this well was to use a rope and bucket. The rope was left on the ground and would be encased in dirt. Also, there was no lid. These combined factors led to an increase in diarrhoea, especially among the younger children.
Today there is a new pump and a lid for the residents and school children who live and study in the Wilson Street area.
Here are the before and after photographs.
Repairing Ronnie’s Well
The Waterloo Partnership were glad to help repair Ronnie’s well. The annual review and maintenance is essential in order to keep clean water available for so many in the community. School children, motor drivers and many others rely on this well. ” Thanks to all our donors who helped fund this project. Without clean water the health of the community is at risk.”
The 2022 Newsletter and Christmas Gift Scheme
Here is the 2022 newsletter highlighting the challenges and successes of the last 12 months. Thank you to all our marvellous supporters whose help has changed lives for the better. As we look to 2023 we have big dreams. If you would like to help, you can support us via the Christmas Gift Scheme.
v3 WP newsletter 2022 (1)
v1 WP Gifts for Life 2022 (1)
Education Update 2022
Providing education for orphaned and vulnerable children.
It has always been considered that education is of the upmost importance to the future of Sierra Leone. From the beginning of the partnership children have been identified as needing particular care, sometimes due to being orphaned and sometimes because they were particularly vulnerable.
45 children were recognised as having particular needs and since the start of the partnership, these children have been provided with school uniforms, books, bags and a small amount of financial support to assist them in their education. This has been an extremely important and successful venture. The numbers were kept at 45 until 2015 when another 45 Ebola orphans were also identified. From then on the numbers of children in the initial scheme has been naturally reduced when the children left school as they reached the age of 18.
Some of these students have done particularly well and have been funded through tertiary education until they obtained degrees. Sacred Heart Catholic College has been very supportive in helping these older pupils achieve their necessary qualifications. Three of these students have obtained nursing qualifications and now assist their own communities through their care and nursing skills.
Benguema and Monkey Bush Schools 2016 to 2021
Following the Ebola crisis in Waterloo, Sierra Leone the community identified 45 particularly vulnerable children who had been orphaned by Ebola. Since then, schooling has been provided and basic food supplied to all the households.
Initially a system was designed to give foster parents modest cash grants to help them set up micro businesses in order to become self-sufficient however, due to the fact that most people were trying to sell the same commodities within a very small village community, this scheme did not really take off. On the subsequent visits to Sierra Leone the children and their foster families were visited by three of WPUK trustees and asked which was the best way forward towards improving their lives. It was decided that supplying bags of rice and ensuring children were fed was the most important aspect as many pupils were not able to adequately concentrate on their school work because they were hungry. 45 children and their families have been supported in this way since 2015. The scheme is now overseen by a Sierra Leonean teacher, Mr Unisa Koroma, who supports the children and their foster families and informs WPUK of the children’s progress.
The education of the original children, plus a few more, continues alongside the education and feeding of the Ebola orphans. This is overseen by WPSLchairman , Alieu Badara Mansaray, his wife, Aminata and the Trustees of the Partnerships.
NOVEMBER NEWS
The Waterloo Partnership AGM
Wednesday 23rd November 7.30pm
ZOOM
Everyone is welcome.
Please contact us via the website for the code.
Congratulations to our students
The Waterloo Partnership would like to congratulate all our students who recently passed their B.E.C.E exams and good luck to all our other students who are awaiting the results this week of their first term test one exams.
Smiling in the Rain
The Waterloo Partnership is currently supporting 45 Ebola Orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa. When the deadly disease hit the country a few years ago, many families suffered. The charity, which is based in Waterloo and Crosby, fundraise to help feed and educate the orphans.
” Most people think West Africa is incredibly hot, which it is for a lot of the time. However, Sierra Leone has a heavy rainy season, which lasts for months. We had a request for raincoats for the children, so they could be protected on their walk to school and then would be dry and comfortable in class when focusing on their education. It was a pleasure to fund this project and we thank our donors for their generosity. Those rain coats will make all the difference.” David Moorhead Trustee of Waterloo Partnership.
The children received the rain coats from Alieu Badara Mansaray, Chair of the Waterloo Partnership Sierra Leone. It was on the Day of the African Child, which was a very appropriate. He said ” The orphans were very happy with the raingears.”
Our early activities focused on the material needs of the schools in Waterloo SL. It so happened that in 2005 several local schools in the UK were closing because of falling rolls, and we were able to ship out a large quantity of redundant school furniture and teaching resources: about 60 tonnes over a three year period. We also sent goods such as bicycles, sewing machines and sports equipment to support the activities of the local community. Since then we have become involved in a number of community projects in Waterloo SL: our aim is to achieve lasting sustainability wherever possible.
Our previous projects included:
- Provision of bursaries for further education.
- Hen project.
- Resourcing an engineering centre for the disabled.
- Raising funds for a library/ resource centre.
- The construction of school classrooms and toilets.
- Funding for a co-operative of women bakers.
- Support for a motor mechanics training workshop.
The Waterloo Partnership has also facilitated the linking of UK and SL schools and the exchange of teachers, funded and supported by DFID and the British Council. A total of 26 schools have participated in the programme, which is now organised independently by the schools themselves. The children involved in both countries are learning about sustainability,
Message From Sierra Leone
“On behalf of Waterloo Partnership Sierra Leone, I wish to thank the Chair and all Trustees of the Waterloo Partnership UK , committee members, donors and all sympathizers for their support over the past decade plus.
Irrespective of the Corona pandemic which has devastated the world economy in general and the UK in particular ,WPUK continued to support WPSL orphans education and feeding, vunerable women farmers to generate income, the provision of safe and clean drinking water through the construction and maintenance of wells, emergency health support in the form of medical and food support to natural disasters such as fires and floods.
The recent food and uniforms support to the market women who lost all their wares and personal belongings is the latest.
I wish to assure all donors that the funds you generously contribute towards WPUK have been used and always be used for their intended purposes. We are therefore soliciting your support towards WPUK as their support to WPSL has changed hundreds and hundreds of lives in the impoverished Waterloo community and perepheral settlements.”
Alieu Badada Mansaray
Chair Waterloo Partnership Sierra Leone
Annual General Meeting 2022
The Annual General Meeting of the Waterloo Partnership will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 16th February online. If you wish to join us on zoom, please send us your details via the contact us email on the website. Thank you to all our supporters for helping to make such a big difference to the lives of the poor in Sierra Leone.
Female Farmers Flourish
The Waterloo Partnership want to thank all its donors for their great generosity and support. One of the charity’s projects in Waterloo, Sierra Leone, West Africa is helping a group of female farmers. Many of the women lost their husbands in the war and were forced to become the main breadwinners. They had to learn to farm in the swamp areas around the town. The charity provides resources such as seeds, tools, wellington boots and farming advice. This project has made a significant positive impact on their and their families lives.
” The seeds and tools project has helped me and my family to live a better life as we generate income to provide food and basic medical help for the family”
Aminata – female farmer
” This project is helpful as I am able to pay the school fees for my child and pay my house rent for the family”
Fatmata – female farmer
Ebola Orphans Graduate
Seven years ago Ebola sent a wave of death through Sierra Leone and left so many children orphans. Due to the generosity of donors from Merseyside, the Waterloo Partnership was able to help some of the abandoned children.
It is with great joy that the charity received news that some of the Ebola orphans have now graduated from secondary school, including Abu Bakarr.
“Waterloo Partnership has helped me with my education by paying for my school fees and supplying me with uniform, shoes and books. They have also supplied me and my new family with food supplies. With my accounting background I would like to work in a bank. I wish to thank the Waterloo Partnership for their support towards my new family and life.” Abu Bakarr
We are immensely proud of Abu Bakarr and Augustine for graduating from high school. After everything they have gone through, they have carried on with their studies and proved to be strong, hardworking individuals. It was a pleasure to help them. Many thanks to all our donors. We wish Abu and Augustine all the best in their future plans. There are other Ebola orphans still in school that need help.
Covid Update
Covid has caused problems for everyone around the globe. The Waterloo Partnership is a local charity run by volunteers on Merseyside. It has run for 16 years and helps the poor of Waterloo, Sierra Leone.
· During national Covid-19 restrictions, food supplies were given to 29 vulnerable elderly people just before a strict three-day lockdown. They were unable to buy food in, so without the waterloo Partnership to help to tide them over they would have faced extreme hunger.
· With expertise gained during the Ebola epidemic, our team delivered food and water to residents of two quarantined compounds in Cole Town and Lumpa. In all 97 people, including more than 18 children were in strict quarantine for 14 days: fortunately there were no new Covid cases.
· We provided ‘Veronica buckets’ and soap to schools and other institutions for basic hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infection, and also to comply with the stringent Covid regulations imposed in Sierra Leone.
“Access to food, clean water and soap posed great challenges to our friends in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. We were happy to help. As a community they are rich in resilience and hope.” 
Let There Be Light!
Our partners in Waterloo recently advised us that many of our children struggle to do their homework in homes without access to electricity, which is in any case intermittent due to frequent outages. Sierra Leone is near the equator , so daylight fades very quickly and there are about 12 hours of darkness all year round.
Through your support we have been able to fund the provision of solar lamps for 57 children in our care , so they can continue their school work at home. This will also give support to the families they live with.
The photo of a pupil using them at night is not available now because there are restrictions on our visits because of the risk in Covid infection. As soon as we can, we will post some photographs.
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