SIERRA LEONE / CROSS BORDER SCHOOLS

It was in the sleepy village of Bomaru in Sierra Leone where rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) first crossed into the country from neighbouring Liberia marking the start of the conflict. Among the well documented atrocities were the forced conscription and drugging of children by rebels to create child soldiers. Education was one of the early casualties of war, schools burned down teachers among those who fled. Today, Sierra Leone experiences a severe lack of trained teachers. Many schools are forced to operate with untrained teachers filling the gaps. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:05:02
• Production Date: 9 April 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; EDUCATION; EDUCATIONAL POLICY; EDUCATIONAL PLANNING; EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES; EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
• MAMS Id: U110409a

Description

STORY: SIERRA LEONE / CROSS BORDER SCHOOLS
TRT: 5:02
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

DATELINE: 17-21 NOVEMBER 2010, KAILAHUN, SIERRA LEONE

1. Wide shot, Jungle Kailahun Province
2. Wide shot, people walking on dirt road
3. Wide shot, People walking in village. Bike goes by.
4. Med shot, mother sitting with baby and boy on floor
5. Close up tilt up villagers serving rice from pot
6. Close up, war commemorative sign
7. Wide shot pan left, 2 boys and man by building
9. Med Shot, two boys standing
10. Wide shot, children walking on dirt road
11. Wide Shot pan right, interior of abandoned house
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Abel Ngafua, Headmaster, RC Primary School:
“There was no school in this area for 12 years. There was no school. Except maybe for children who went to Liberia, some went to Guinea. Some of them attended school there but in this Part of Sierra Leone there was no school.”
13. Wide shot, R.C. Primary School
14. Med shot, Abel Ngafua ringing bell
15. Close up, boy in class
16. Wide shot, classroom
17. Med shot, boy raising hand
18. Med shot, girls writing in class
19. Close up, girl writing in class
20. Med shot, teacher writing on blackboard
21. Wide shot, classroom during class
22. Close up, hand of student writing.
23. Med shot, boy writing on blackboard
24. Med shot, boys attentive in class
25. Wide shot, students on school grounds outside
26. Med shot, teacher in classroom
27. Wide shot, teachers meeting
28. Wide shot, town
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Lydia Kapana, Save the Children:
“The state of education in Sierra Leone was that the structures are there obviously but there was a need for them to be built up, so our mandate was to strengthen those existing structures and initiate those that were not there in the first place.”
30. Med shot, teacher Francis Josiah in at the blackboard
31. Wide shot, students in class
32. Med shot, Francis gives chalk to student who walks up to the board
33. Wide shot, singing class with Francis
34. Close up, girl singing
35. SOUNDBITE: Francis Josiah, Teacher (English) “The training was about managing children's behavior,then how to keep them safe in school then how to teach actively.”
36. Wide shot, children in the village
37. Wide shot, Liberian flag
38. Wide shot, Tamba Gbemoh lowering a crossing wood pole
39. SOUNDBITE (English) Tamba Gbemoh, Liberia Border Guard:
“Like me, I have a wife from Sierra Leone. So if my Children go to school in Sierra Leone, it’s no problem.”
40. Wide shot, children walking to school through the jungle
41. Med shot, adolescent girl walking to school through the jungle
42. Med shot, young girl walking to school through the jungle
43. Med shot, David Vandy in class
44. Med shot, David Vandy in class
45. Med shot, teacher dictating class
46. Wide shot, David crossing flooded area on wood poles
47. Med close up, David’s feet crossing over the pole.
48. SOUNDBITE (English) David Vandy, Student:
“I told my father: I want to go to school now. But I want you to help me with the school fees. He told me that he couldn’t help me with my school fees.”
49. Wide shot, village
50. Med shot, chickens
51. Med shot, camera follows David from behind
52. Close up, ants on the ground, David in the background defocused.
53. Wide shot, David working in the fields
54. Med shot, David bent over working in the field.
55. Med shot, David walks up to Chili pepper plant.
56. Close up, David’s hand picks some chili peppers
57. Close up, David’s hand opens to reveal chili peppers
58. Med shot, welcome to Kailahun sign
59. Wide shot, Kailahun village
60. Med shot, children outside playing
61. Wide shot, children playing with teacher Francis Josiah
62. Close up, wall with bullet shots
63. Med shot, destroyed building
64. Wide shot, destroyed building
65. Med shot, girls in class
66. Close up, girl writing in class
67. Med shot, David Vandy in class
68. Close up, David’s book.
69. SOUNDBITE (English) David Vandy, Student:
“When I’m done with school I want to be a teacher.”
70. Med shot, interior of car driving past people.
71. Med shot, destroyed tank
72. Med shot from top, girls in class writing
73. Close up, boy in class writing
74. Wide shot, boys playing in village streets
75. Wide shot, boys walking to school
76. Med shot, David Vandy with friends

Storyline

An early morning fog hangs over the jungle in the rural district of Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Kailahun was one of the areas worst affected by Sierra Leone’s brutal eleven-year civil war.

It was in the sleepy village of Bomaru where rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) first crossed into the country from neighbouring Liberia marking the start of the conflict. Among the well documented atrocities were the forced conscription and drugging of children by rebels to create child soldiers.

Education was one of the early casualties of war, schools burned down teachers among those who fled.

SOUNDBITE (English) Abel Ngafua, Headmasterc, RC Primary School:
“There was no school in this area for 12 years. There was no school. Except maybe for children who went to Liberia, some went to Guinea. Some of them attended school there but in this Part of Sierra Leone there was no school.”

Abel Ngafua is the head master of the RC Primary School in Dawa, a village which borders Liberia. Early international aid efforts focused on rebuilding schools and Dawa received a new school through Plan International.

But now, Sierra Leone is experiencing a severe lack of trained teachers. Many schools are forced to operate with untrained teachers filling the gaps.

Responding to this need, UNICEF and partners are working together to improve the education system and bring educational opportunities to all children in the country.
Among a number of interventions is the Cross Border Schools Project, which trains teachers and school managers.

SOUNDBITE (English) Lydia Kapana, Save the Children:
“The state of education in Sierra Leone was that the structures are there obviously but there was a need for them to be built up, so our mandate was to strengthen those existing structures and initiate those that were not there in the first place.”

Francis Josiah is the first and second grade teacher at Dawa School. After completing the teacher training programme Francis now plans his lessons and believes he is a much more effective teacher.

SOUNDBITE (English) Francis Josiah, Teacher:
“The training was about managing children's behavior, then how to keep them safe in school then how to teach actively.”

Intermarriage is also common to this region. During the war many people married outside the country and as a result children often move between families.

SOUNDBITE (English) Tamba Gbemoh, Liberia Border Guard:
“Like me, I have a wife from Sierra Leone. So if my Children go to school in Sierra Leone, it’s no problem.”

In Dawa, there is a small group of children who walk a 10 mile round trip from Liberia every day to and from the school.

David is 18 years old and will be among the second post-war class to graduate primary school in Dawa. When David returned to Dawa in 2003 he expressed his wish to attend school to his father.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Vandy, Student:
“I told my father: I want to go to school now. But I want you to help me with the school fees. He told me that he couldn’t help me with my school fees.”

Not to be deterred, David went into the forest outside the village and began clearing himself a small patch of ground for cultivation. He grows chili peppers and cassava which he sells in a nearby market.

Despite the challenges facing education in this region progress is slowly being made through efforts by organizations like UNICEF and Save the Children as well as individual sacrifice by people like Francis who want to see the lot of their community improve,

The healing of wounds from the war is far from over, but through a gradual improvement in education a new generation of children are growing up with hope for a better future. David's dream would not take him far away from the classroom.

SOUNDBITE (English) David Vandy, Student:
“When I’m done with school I want to be a teacher.”

In this challenging context, the development community and local partners are facing down the odds to bring education and the chance for a better future to some of the most marginalized and forgotten of Sierra Leone’s children.