Waterloo Partnership

Reflections from WPSL Chair Alieu Mansaray

The Waterloo Partnership UK (WPUK) and Waterloo Partnership SL (WPSL) have been in mutual existence for two decades next year.
This partnership has benefited hundreds of people in our impoverished community since the post civil war era up to present times.Interventions have primarily targeted education,health,water provisions, income generating activities emergency reliefs assistance etc.
Many children have received education in various
forms from nursery, primary, secondary and up to tertiary level over the period of almost two decades.Vulnerable and Ebola orphans are still beneficiaries of the education scheme.They are supplied with uniforms , books,bags.shoes and other educational items. Many have graduated from various colleges and other tertiary institutions in nursing, procurement, business management etc.Some are now gainfully employed and some ploughing back into the Waterloo community like Cynthia who now works at the Waterloo health center and currently pursuing a BSC degree in nursing.Some are teaching in our community schools.
Without this educational scheme most of these children would have become drop outs.
A three-classroom structure was also built for the Kulafi Rashidin primary school which has been holding classes in a rented delalapidated structure.A three -compartment Improved Ventilated Pit toilets were also provided for this school.Basic school furniture have also been supplied to many schools to provide sitting accomodations which have been non existing in most.
In the area on health some beds,basic furniture and teaching dolls were supplied to the Waterloo health center which also received chlorine,hand gloves and other items during the Ebola epidemic.
Over seven hand dug wells have been provided in different parts of Waterloo, providing clean and safe drinking water.Some other wells were upgraded with hand pumps.These wells are maintained annually and chlorinated.As rural-urban migration became the new trend, people from the city move towards rural Waterloo and satellite communities leading to the overpowering of public utilities especially water wells hence the need for more hand dug wells.
Income generation has been another important area of intervention by WP.The most successful has been women participating in farming.Most of these women are single parents who form themselves into 15 groups, totaling about 150,who are supplied with tools, seeds and chemical fertilizers which help them to produce timely bumper harvests leading to the generation of higher prices for their products.It’s mainly subsistence but excesses are sold to generate funds for the education and meeting the health needs of their children.Other dependants benefit from the farming
There is also an emergency relief component that helps with food and other items during the Ebola and Corona virus era. Local flooding(most recently women farmers)and fire victims have also benefited from food and other items.
All these interventions have benefitted hundreds of our impoverished community members over these two decades and have raised hundreds of them from hardship and improved the educational standards of many.
The activities of WP have been successful because there is an administrative committee structure headed by a chair and projects are generated based on the priotised felt needs of the community.Moreover committee members don’t receive salaries but annual honoraria.
Lastly the WPSL and WPUK exercise mutual partnership, consulting and agreeing with each other in terms of project funding and implementations.
The WPUK members don’t receive salaries neither honoraria.
On behalf of WPSL, I wish to thank all our different categories of donors and the selfless WPUK members and Trustees.I wish to assure donors that funds donated have been and will be used for their intended purposes.

Chair WPSL.