Solar Panels for Richard Ormsby School in Baiwalla

In the remote Kailahun District of the Eastern part of Sierra Leone is the small village of Baiwalla. Baiwalla is an extremely impoverished community where people mainly live on income from subsistence farming–income of approximately $1.50/day. Civil war in Liberia and Ebola have threatened the community. Nutrition, education and clean water are high priorities for developing self-sufficiency.

A vital and hopeful part of this community is the Richard Ormsby School. Hamline Church Earthkeepers, to further our support for green energy and social justice, donated $5,000 this spring toward the cost of installing solar panels on the school roof. A generator served as an expensive power source for the school’s first three years. In addition to greening the school and community infrastructure, use of solar power will reduce the school operational costs.

The funds will go toward the purchase and installation of the solar panels, including miscellaneous expenses such as transporting the solar panels from Freetown to Baiwalla (an 8 hour drive), salary for temporary unskilled workers who will be installing the panels, and hiring an electrician to work with the engineers from Eki Foundation who will supervise the installation. The installation was planned for April and May of 2022, but was delayed due to supply chain issues. Held up in Spain, they are expected to arrive in Sierra Leone in June. The community still plans to have the solar panels installed and working before the new school year starts in September. The entire solar project will be paid off over 10 years.

The Ormsby School is supported by the OC Ministries of the Minnesota Annual Conference. The ministry includes a church, a store, a farm and the school. The store and farm are designed to bring in money to support part of the school operations, as well as to serve as training facilities to teach students how to operate a small business or do integrated farming using modern farming techniques. It is one of the best equipped schools in the region, and will serve generations of children to come. It is a strong statement of the right of all children to a good education. Every student comes into Ormsby School speaking an indigenous language and must learn English as a second language, which is the language of education and commerce in Sierra Leone.

In its third year, Ormsby School is now serves 330 students. In its first two years, many students arrived unprepared to do 7th grade work. However, last year all students passed their Basic Education Certificate Examination, which certifies the student is prepared to move to the next grade! Three classes of upper elementary students were added this year to the one class of high school students to ensure that students would be better prepared for high school.

The school computer lab is operational, and has Internet and the use of a remote access server filled with educational materials. All students and teachers are learning how to use the computers and to learn from materials accessed using the computers. The school library is open extended hours after school to accommodate students’ reading and homework needs. Morning devotions are part of the school day. Physical activity is also important; the boys play on soccer teams and the girls play on volley ball teams. The school provides a nutritious lunch for all students. Principal Tinga Belia is highly motivated to develop the school into a model school for the country, using the latest teaching methods to prepare the students to have meaningful work lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

A special offering will be collected on April 24, 2022 to support the Solar Power portion of the Baiwalla Project. Donations to Ormsby School are also welcome for ongoing needs:

Sponsor students ($300/year pays for a high school student’s uniform, shoes, backpack, school supplies and partial tuition)
Equip school science labs
Provide school lunches (one of a few schools that provides student lunches)
Provide computers for teachers
Provide sports activity equipment

To make a donation, go online to www.ocministriesmn.org with a credit card, or send a check written to “Minnesota Annual Conference” and mail to Room 400, 122 W. Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, MN. 55404. Write “Baiwalla Ministry” in the memo line.

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