An introduction

We have established a partnership with a school in Sierra Leone called ‘Destiny Grace Academy’. This forms part of the charity ‘Home Leone’ whose aim is to build villages and schools in order to move families out of the slums of Freetown. 

In Freetown, thousands of people live in horrific slums, with no access to clean water, sewage systems, safe homes or education. Home Leone is a project which is enabling 2000 people to leave the slums and move into a new village with thousands of low cost homes, supporting businesses, community infrastructure, education and training.

Destiny Grace Academy is a school running from nursery to Year 6. The children are relocated from the slums and have never had any education before. The plan is to move over 750 children from the slums to this new village and to give these children a much better future than they would have had. The school opened on 9 September 2019 with the first 92 pupils across 4 classes and is developing year on year until it is full. 

Our pupils here at Co-op Academy New Islington will have regular opportunities to send information over to the pupils at Destiny Grace Academy. Our pupils will receive information from Destiny Grace Academy pupils. We have arranged opportunities for our teachers to work alongside their teachers as part of their continuing professional development. Internet connections permitting, we will have joint lessons, joint music concerts etc.

We will hold fundraising events too!

Please click the link to read a little more about the charity and the school. It would be wonderful if you could follow them on Instagram too.

A request

From our latest online meeting with the team from Destiny Grace Academy, they have asked for our help in providing pencil cases with equipment (pencils, biros, rubbers, coloured pens, sharpeners etc) to give to their Year 6 pupils in September.

These do not have to be new. I am sure that some of our families will have spare resources –  unwanted or unused pencil cases with some unwanted or unused resources.

Might you be willing and able to bring them into school and we will arrange for them to be transported over to Sierra Leone. The target is for 60 complete pencil cases.

I am sure that we can do this! Please can our wonderful school community support Destiny Grace Academy in this first instance by bringing into school pencil cases complete with resources by Friday May 26th.  

Many thanks on behalf of the children of Destiny Grace Academy.