At Education West Africa, we ask children, teachers and headteachers what their greatest needs are, and set up projects to fulfil those needs. Our main projects are school uniforms, school furniture and building refurbishments. All pupils must have a uniform before they can start school. EWA's school uniform project provides funds to pay local tailors to make uniforms for children whose parents are too poor to provide one. This crates employment for the local community, and enables more children to attend school. A school uniform costs £5. Many schools in Sierra Leone are short of furniture, so EWA employs local carpenters to build desks and benches for schools. This enables the funds to be used twice: providing employment for the furniture makers and desks for the schools. The sustainability of the wood and the quality of the furniture is monitored by associates in Freetown and Bo, and by Trustees on their visits. The cost of a desk set is £26. This provides a desk and bench, seating 3-4 children. Trustees have found on their visits that some schools can be in a poor state of repair. When funds allow, we contribute towards refurbishment costs, paying for materials and asking the local community to help provide the labour. We ask the local Education Secretaries in Freetown and Bo to send us photos of schools which are in urgent need and detailed costings of what is required. Once we have agreed to release funds for a school, we ask for photos of the completed work.