Category: news

 

In June 2020, The Treetop Foundation received its largest donation to date. Kenilworth Lions kindly donated hundreds of thousands of pencils and art crayons, 55 mattresses, beds,  a wheelchair, mugs and many other items. These items will be distributed amongst schools in the remote, poverty-stricken town of Tombodu, Sierra Leone. The generous donation is set to be shipped out as soon as travel restrictions have been lifted.

Kenilworth Lions is the largest Lions Club in the region.  It is part of the Lions Clubs International (LCI) organisation, operating in 200 countries around the world. Kenilworth Lions organise and run three of the largest and best-loved events in the Kenilworth community calendar – the Grand Show in June, the outdoor Carol concert just before Christmas, and the famous Boxing Day Duck Race. They also organise smaller and one-off events through the year as well as running a Second-Hand Furniture Store and Bazaar from premises in Farmer Ward Road throughout the year.

As a result of the continuous hard work of the club members, the Kenilworth Lions Club has become a significant donor to many local charities and organisations with total donations now approaching £50,000 a year!

We’re excited and proud to announce that Kenilworth Lions have decided to continue their support of The Treetop Foundation Charity.

Should you wish to learn more about Kenilworth Lions or their upcoming events you can find out more at http://kenilworthlionsclub.co.uk/

 

 

Mr Samuel Quee is the Headmaster of the UMC School in Tombodu. After visiting Tombodu several times, we decided that it would be beneficial for Mr Quee to attend a school in England to improve the standard of education in his school. The St. Anne’s School in Grantham kindly volunteered to have Mr Quee spend the week with them to show him modern and efficient ways of teaching children.

It was Mr Quee’s first time to leave Sierra Leone. With his small bag filled with long-sleeved shirts, Mr Quee believed that he was well-prepared for the cold British winter. Nighttime temperatures’ in Sierra Leone rarely dip below 20 degrees, and even this temperature is what Mr Quee would describe as being ‘freezing’. Nothing could prepare him for the cold air that was to hit him as he walked out of Heathrow airport. Mr Quee spent the whole journey to the hotel staring out the car window in awe of the well-lit roads, the bridges and petrol stations.

The next morning, we picked Mr Quee up from the hotel to take him to the St. Anne’s School. As he got in the car, he asked us if we were going to stop off at the river to wash before going to school. We laughed at his joke and started our journey to school. After seeing the confusion on his face, we quickly realised he wasn’t joking and took him back to the hotel to show him how the shower worked. He couldn’t believe that we had access to a constant supply of clean water.

Mr Quee spent five days at St. Anne’s Primary School in Grantham, where he gained some insightful knowledge about the UK’s education system. He described the experience as ‘unforgettable and eye-opening’. Since returning to Sierra Leone, Mr Quee has told us that he has already implemented many changes to the UMC Tombodu school.

The recent global outbreak of COVID-19 is already showing devasting impacts across the world. After the Ebola outbreak devasted the country just a few years back, Sierra Leoneans are in panic after the first case of COVID-19 has been recorded in Sierra Leone.

Sam from Sierra Leone works for The Treetop Foundation. He has given us an insight into the impacts COVID-19  is already having. ‘In a nutshell, we are advocating for wash materials and masks for the people of Tombodu. It is terrifying here as the country is going through serious financial constraints, prices of commodities are at such a high rate. I am afraid that if people here do not die of the virus, they will die of starvation. No one can afford food since the prices have gone up. I am petrified for my country’.

So far, The Treetop Foundation has provided the village with buckets and handwash. Sam and Lawrence, who work for the Treetop Foundation, have been making posters and distributing them in town to educate locals on how to prevent the spread of the virus. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, The Treetop Foundation has also provided 5 tons of rice to feed the villagers; this is one week’s food supply for the whole village. We are urgently requesting donations to help continue to feed the villagers to prevent deaths from starvation in Tombodu.

Since the recent global pandemic, food prices in Sierra Leone have soared, which has caused widespread panic. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, The Treetop Foundation is providing weekly shipments of food to the town of Tombodu. Without it, many would starve and become malnourished. Each food shipment of rice costs £1,800. We have managed to feed approximately 4,000 poverty-stricken people and, in doing so, have helped alleviate the suffering caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Tree Top Foundation now sponsor The Treetop Academy. This secondary school was so impoverished that it was not recognised by the government. Building materials were provided immediately to help restore the dilapidated building. The charity also has plans in place to carry out further renovation works.
The Treetop Foundation started the daily feeding programme for xxx students at the Treetop Academy.