BY MARILYN KING
232NEWS, FREETOWN
Sierra Leone First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio on Thursday 28th September 2023 joined Orange Sierra Leone to commission Beamay Nursery and Preparatory School at the Wilberforce Army Barracks in Freetown.
The school was renovated by the Orange SL under the management of Sekou Amadou Bah, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as part of it Corporate Social Responsibility.
Orange CEO, Sekou Amadou Bah, during the official handing over ceremony, said as a company they understood the essence of giving back to the communities in which they operate, that was why they had not hesitated to provide the philanthropic support required to the local community school in order to create a positive impact on the lives of children and to foster educational sustainability.
Bah explained that, when they received the request from the Army Wives Association to support with the renovation of the school, they were compelled to take action to refurbish the school due to the deplorable state of the building that made it unfit for learning because they recognized that good facilities and infrastructure are important for producing good school outcomes.
He noted that they were happy to say the refurbished school with 7 classrooms will host about 280 pupils, giving the children of Beamay School better facilities for an effective learning environment to nurture the leaders of the future.
He promised that Orange will continue to play a key role in the five big game changers of the government through it various Cooperate Social Responsibilities and the Foundation project to drive human capital development and youth empowerment to contribute effectively to President Julius Maada Bio’s vision.
He furthered that they were happy and proud to formally handover the learning facility to the school administration together with the First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio.
He expressed his profound appreciation to the First Lady for collaborating with them on that project and they looked forward to much more future collaboration with the office of the First Lady.
He thanked the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education for their collaborative approach through the years and also the Army Wives Cooperative Society and the School Administration for giving them the great opportunity to support the school.
Sonatel Chief Executive Officer, Sekou Drame, explained that the project is a reflection of Sonatel and Orange’s group commitment towards fostering sustainable development in education, to build seeds for the future.
He continued that the object of their group’s CSR policy is to deploy sustainable development goals at the heart of all their affiliates across Africa and Middle East that will be imbedded in four explicit areas, which are, well being of communities in which they operate, good governance, growth and economic development through their investments, preservation of the environment.
In Her Keynote address, Sierra Leone First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio thanked Orange Sierra Leone for the renovation of the Beamay School and also thanked the Army Wives Cooperative Society for such gesture.
She expressed happiness to commission the school, and the joy to see pupils learning from that school which will brighten their future.
She also noted that Education is the key to success and that Orange has done a very good work for which she was thankful.
The ceremony was climaxed by the commissioning of the Beamay Preparatory and Nursery School by the First Lady of Sierra Leone.
