Gibraltar Chronicle Logo
Features

Charity water well aids 800 pupils in Sierra Leone

A donation by local business the Specialist Medical Clinic has brought clean water to around 800 pupils at Peace Village School in Tonkolili District in Sierra Leone via the charity Action4Schools.

The well is the 80th water well dug by the charity which has been raising funds since 2013 and helped over 35,000 people in the process. Increasingly more individuals or businesses and even one school, St Paul’s, are raising the money to fund a well entirely. In doing so their name is then written on the well and a message of thanks is always given from those who benefit.

David Deardon Chief Executive of SMC, has seen first hand the need for clean water and the benefits it brings having travelled to Sierra Leone with Jimmy Bruzon, the founder of Action4Schools, in 2012.

He expressed his delight at the new well, well number 80.

"We have been supporting this fantastic charity for many years. Action4schools has changed the lives of so many thousands of children and it is a pleasure to be directly involved in the funding of this milestone well at Peace Village School located in a very remote location,” he said.

“We will continue to support as much as we can and are hoping to start a partnership with Action4schools on the medical front supporting their hernia operations project during 2022 and beyond.”

The hernia project Mr Deardon refers to is the appeal that Action4Schools started this year where by sponsored hernia operations they gave relief to many children suffering from an umbilical hernia in a country where the condition is very common due to low birth weight and premature births.

The operations are carried out at Masanga Hospital at a cost of £120 for each procedure. Mr Bruzon explained that umbilical hernia operations are relatively simple procedures but that they have a huge impact on patients’ lives.

To donate or set up a direct debit or standing order these are the necessary payment details:
Action4schools-Sierra Leone
NatWest Bank, GIBRALTAR
Account 48084352 – Sort Code 60-60-60

For more information go to www.action4schools.gi or call 57631000.

From left: Jimmy Bruzon and David Deardon in Sierra Leone

Most Read

Local News

DPC clears two major developments

Download The App On The iOS Store