By Richard Ngevao in Bo
Five girls of the R.C. Model Primary School in Bo, who sat to the National Primary School Examinations, have benefited from a tuition-free secondary school education and an annual cash envelope of Le 250,000 for their uniforms. This will be paid for by Mrs Peagie Foday, a Sierra Leonean resident in Sweden, as a start of her scholarship scheme for girls which will later extend to some other schools in different parts of the country. Making the donation on behalf of the philanthropist, David Woobay who is her father and the outgoing Chairman of the Moyamba District Council, said the event marked “a red letter day in the history of the Woobay family” adding that at least one of the virtues of rendering assistance to the needy that was inculcated in his children was being manifested by his daughter, Peagie. He said that his daughter had become a victim of teenage pregnancy when growing up, noting that it was against this backdrop that she decided to introduce the scholarship scheme targeting, for a start, kids of the R.C Upper Model Primary School where she started her schooling. He said the five girls were selected after an essay-writing competition on the ills of teenage pregnancy. Mr. Woobay admonished parents and teachers present at the awards ceremony not to be “too harsh with your children especially girls when they fall prey to teenage pregnancy”, adding that the unborn child might be a blessing in disguise. In his speech, the headmaster of the R. C. Upper Model Primary School, Patrick Vangahun expressed profound thanks to the Woobay Family. He said the gesture by Peagie was clear indication that there were still people always proud of their heritage.
He joked that as a teacher when God looked at their work, He was pleased and smiled. But when he read in his palms He wept bitterly because of their poor conditions of service. Delivering her closing courtesies on behalf of colleague beneficiaries, Abibatu Sannoh pledged to make judicious use of “this golden opportunity which is indeed a dream come true for us”. She thanked the benefactor and prayed that she would never lack. In July another set of awards will be given. An essay writing by JSS 1 girls on the topic "The goals I will achieve in ten years as a girl" is currently underway with the benefactor marking those already written. Peagie told Politico on the line from Sweden that while grading the essays she “noticed the poor quality and level of education in my country”, adding that “as ideas are borne through education, I will dedicate two weeks of my six-week vacation in December to help girls in schools back home at least with basic writing skills”. She said the “poor quality of their essays made me weep because at that age and in that class I could write very good essays”. She said that by June she would increase the number of awards to 32, adding that essays for those awards were being written at present in several towns throughout the country. Of the 32 beneficiaries, she said, four girls would be chosen from Freetown, four from Timdale where she hails from, two from Kenema, two from Makeni, two from Kabala, two from Gbaima Songa, two from Magburaka, two from Moyamba, two from Bonthe and two from Pujehun. “In addition to educating the girl child” Peagie says, “I am going to help teenagers who drop out of school due to teenage pregnancy and put in place day care centres where they will drop off their kids and go back to school”. This, she went on, would start in two districts – Moyamba and Koinadugu – where my research has shown teenage pregnancy rates to be highest in the country”. She said she would pay tuition for teenage mothers returning to school and a package of Le 250, 000 annually per girl mother.
