Extra Mile - Sierra Leone

We might be new to LinkedIn but we have been working hard since 2007! Extra Mile is a UK registered charity helping to break the cycle of poverty by providing free secondary education to girls and boys whose families cannot afford to pay in the Goderich area of Freetown, Sierra Leone, the poorest country in West Africa. Its ongoing objective is to run its own free-school, recruit volunteers to teach in local English-speaking schools, to help train local teachers and school leaders and to share best practice with partner schools. The Extra Mile school opened its doors for the first time in September 2016 with an intake of 50 pupils. These girls and boys are from families unable to financially support their children. From October 2020 we will have 140 children who will be educated free of charge. All pupils are taught by suitably qualified teachers from this area of greater Goderich with occasional invited volunteers from overseas. In order to encourage full attendance and maintain concentration levels through the working day, free meals are provided for all pupils and staff. Free uniforms and school learning materials are also supplied, and bring a sense of pride and unity to the girls and boys and their parents. The school follows the Sierra Leone national curriculum and pupils sit for the national exams at the appropriate ages. 17 of our students who had previously dropped out of education have passed their National Primary School Exam (NPSE) in 2020 and can now carry on into secondary education. In addition to the above, an annual programme of teacher training is delivered to the Extra Mile School staff and also to local teachers from other schools in the area, by several of our trustees. Over the last ten years the charity has brought in more than 50 volunteer teachers from across the world to work in local schools, mentoring their staff, head teachers and proprietors and providing much needed school resources.