CanSerra:
Canadian Society for Education in Sierra Leone
A registered Canadian charity operating
from Thunder Bay, Ontario.
What we do
Build and Maintain Schools:
Canserra’s initial project in 2009 was to build a school after the war destroyed many educational institutions in Sierra Leone. Since then, several schools and additions have been built with the help of individuals and Canadian charitable organizations.
Once competed, we take on the maintenance of these building which requires painting, concrete and roof repairs, plus various upgrades. Damage due to wind and rain generated by tropical storms occurs fairly frequently. Periodically, fixtures such as benches and blackboards require repair and replacement due to normal wear and tear.
The annual grants for school maintenance are minimal and often will not cover costs.
All building and repair work is done by local people, employed by CanSerra. This ensures that people in the community are given jobs and the local economy is stimulated.
Provide Scholarships:
Opportunities for high school grads are limited so we give as many post-secondary scholarships as possible. The number of scholarships are limited by the number of donors available. We have established a holding fund where smaller donations are held until we have funds for a full scholarship from start to graduation We do this to avoid running out of funds during the recipient’s program.
All graduates and recent graduates of our school are eligible. Individuals who have enrolled in a post-secondary program on their own are eligible to apply as many students can’t continue due to lack of funding.
Selection is made based on marks, leadership, volunteering and initiative.
Recently we have established scholarships in specific fields such as health care, IT and sciences, business and teaching when the funding is available. This will allow to us to find the best candidates by matching the course with the skills required. For example IT candidates would need high marks in math and computer courses while primary teaching candidates would need to excel in English and reading.
Pay Teachers:
Teachers who are qualified and registered or ‘pinned’ with the government received about $90 monthly in their bank account. The problem is that half our teachers are qualified but are non-registered or ‘non-pinned’ with the government hence they are not paid regularly. The only money they get is from the government grant for the school for maintenance, supplies and salaries. This grant is irregular and inadequate.
Getting pinned or registered is very expensive and unaffordable for most teachers.
We have recently stepped in to pay a regular salary of $35/month to the non-registered teachers into their bank account. This money is used almost exclusively to buy rice.
Trade School:
Our Trade School offers courses in tailoring, computer science, hairdressing, culinary, and public and reproductive health.
Sports Days:
Presently there has been an annual school wide Sports Days event lasting several days. Most students look forward to this event and we include everyone. Teams prepare for it many weeks in advance. There is a friendly rivalry between the British style ‘houses’ and we have zero tolerance un-sports person like behaviour. The cost of this event is over $3000 and includes shirts, renting the facility, food, drink, equipment, security and clean up and set up.
Our partners in Sierra Leone
Even though we have several Canadian board members who grew up in Sierra Leone and Canadian board members who have spent time in different parts of Africa, we need help achieving our goals in Sierra Leone.
That is why we rely on the expertise of local builders, teachers, principals and administrators in the Sierra Leonian schools which we sponsor. The key figure in making all things happen is Bassie Kargbo, the schools’ founder and executive director of Canserra Development Agency which is an NGO or non-governmental organization in Freetown.
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The Charities Directorate, a division of the CRA, realizes the need for local
expertise and allows us to fund projects using an intermediary such as
Bassie Kargbo to receive our grants, complete the projects and report back
to us from Sierra Leone.
Bassie Kargbo has supervised many activities such as ordering truck loads
of sand, concrete, re-bar steel and setting up bank accounts to pay
teachers plus dealing with government requirements. He also coordinated
the shipments of containers of computers, books, bikes, soccer uniforms
and sports equipment to the schools in Sierra Leone.
His progress reports are sent to us and are included with our annual tax
returns. At this point no salaries are paid with the exception of a few living
expenses.
Without the hard work of Bassie and his connections, dedication and
creativity, we would be unable to complete any of our projects.
Our Founder
Bassie arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in 2005 as a refugee from the war in Sierra Leone West Africa. While in the refugee camp in Guinea he showed leadership by constantly contacting numerous settlement agencies in Canada looking for sponsors for his family as well as many of his fellow refugees.
After settling in Canada and starting to raise a young family, he received news from teachers in Sierra Leone that the school system was barely functioning and the buildings were in a terrible state. Immediately he formed a group in Thunder Bay, started raising money and rebuilt the Mabureh Village school. The rest is history and all the accomplishments listed above were not possible without his leadership and efforts.
Bassie is a board member and the Director of the Canserra Development Agency. They are our partner group in Sierra Leone. Bassie presently shares his time between Canada raising money and working and in Sierra Leone implementing the projects of Canserra: Canadian Society for Education in Sierra Leone.
As the Globe and Mail article below states “he has chosen to face the sun and leave the horrors of the war behind.”
Bassie, at left, in blue and white with Kalangba school children and at right, in red, with scholarship recipients.
Click on the box to read an article in the Globe and Mail's First Person about our founder, Bassie Kargbo, and his dream!
CanSerra Board of Directors
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Brian Vistorino, Director/Board Member
Brian is a retired school teacher and civil engineer who knows the value of education and its effects on combating poverty. He has been with CanSerra since the beginning and has been very instrumental in making big things happen!
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Wendy Vistorino, Secretary Treasurer/Board Member
Wendy is a retired school teacher and has a big heart for helping all children achieve their goals. She has a no nonsense approach and makes sure all our t's are crossed and i's are dotted - and we're not just talking about meeting minutes!
Donna White, Assistant Director/Board Member
Donna White is a retired school teacher and brings years of experience in fundraising to the board. She has witnessed the success of programs that combat poverty during her volunteer work in countries including Uganda, Malawi, Bangladesh, Armenia, and Dominican Republic.
Blaine Hill, Board Member
Blaine is a teacher and has seen how a good education can make a positive change in children's lives. He works hard to make sure it happens for the children in Sierra Leone.
Adiatu Kuyatah, Board Member
Adiata is a fellow Sierra Leoneon who now lives in Canada. While visiting Sierra Leone she witnessed the great work of CanSerra and immediately jumped on board to be part of the action. She brings a whack of experience to the board with her volunteer experience with the NDP, Black History Month, Sierra Leone Association of Alberta (SLAA), MacEwan University, and Edmonton’s Africanival.
John Grabish, Board Member
John is an expert when it comes to making positive changes! Founder of Caring Hands, an organization that uses the proceeds from the sales of hand-crafted items from Uganda to relieve poverty, he has been instrumental in providing food, livestock, medical attention, and vocational training for hundreds of people. CanSerra truly appreciates the expertise John adds to the group!
