On the evening of Wednesday 20 February, the Acting British High
Commissioner, Ms Lesley Beaton, hosted a reception at the High
Commissioner’s Residence to formally present Miriam Mason-Sesay with the
MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) that she
had been awarded in the most recent New Year Honours List. This award
was in recognition of Miriam’s outstanding contribution in the fields of
education and charitable work in Sierra Leone.
The
Diplomatic Service and Overseas New Year 2013 Honours lists awards to
British people doing outstanding work for the UK internationally. The
List has 99 awards in a range of fields such as for peace and security,
stabilisation and development, education, science, British business and
community/voluntary work plus exceptional contributions to London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The
evening included a presentation from Miriam outlining the current work
of EducAid and how it has developed since it began in 2000 and a
statement from one of the governors, Emmanuel Gaima, on the challenges
EducAid currently faces in delivering its ambitious agenda for the
development of education in Sierra Leone. There were also contributions
from some of the real EducAid success stories:
·
former pupils who had trained as teachers and were now working in
EducAid schools giving back and inspiring the next generation;
·
current primary school pupils who made impassioned pleas to the
assembled audience asking for support from key players in the Government
of Sierra Leone in taking forward a range of initiatives for the
benefit of the young people of the country;
· a wonderful song highlighting the empowerment and capacity of the girls currently resident in the EducAid safe house.
After receiving her award, Mrs Mason-Sesay said:
At EducAid, we passionately believe in the power of education to destroy poverty.
The
hunger for education amongst the country's poorest youngsters is what
first motivated us to start our programmes. It is still what keeps us
excited and hopeful for a strong Sierra Leone with an educated
population able to participate in moving the country forward and
upwards. EducAid is a growing family and we look forward to having an
impact on more and more young people's lives. Sierra Leone is a
wonderful place to work and the young people who we work with are
inspiring. It is great to have our work recognised by the Queen and the
opportunity to thank all those who have worked with us over the years.
Together through education amazing things can be done. There is plenty
of work to be done but we are ready for the challenge.
Following the event, the Acting High Commissioner said:
“I
am absolutely delighted to have been able to provide a venue for such a
unique event. Award recipients usually opt to travel to the UK to
receive their honour at Buckingham Palace. It is testament to Miriam’s
commitment both to EducAid and to the future of Sierra Leone that she
chose to receive her award surrounded by those who have been
instrumental in the success of EducAid as it has developed. I know that
Miriam and the team have a number of ideas on how best to increase
access to education for all. Many of these will require the support of
the Government of Sierra Leone and I look forward to working with
EducAid in pursuit of their goals in this area.”
If
you want to know more about our work, get involved or you know of
someone else who would like to volunteer or support our work or if you have items you would like to donate please email us at
annbeatty@educaid.org.uk
If you want to
make a donation please go to www.educaid.org.uk and click on the
mydonate button. Remember it costs £15 per month to educate and feed a
child, that is a pizza and a drink in the UK. The best gift
you could give us is to sign up for a direct debit of £15 per month.
If you are interested in knowing more about EducAid's work with vulnerable young people, please go to
Its time for change worldwide and small small steps make big big change, keep supporting our girls and girls worldwide ; )
