My name is Noa and later this year I intend on travelling to Sierra Leone. I will be experiencing daily life and offering relief through supplies. For years now, my school (St. Anselm's College) has had close links to St Francis School in Makeni through immersion trips with students and teachers as well as through taking vital supplies such as clothing, sanitary products, stationary and water. In later years, we have created ties with St Joseph's, a school for children with hearing impairments. The links have kept alive the memory of Brother Kerrigan, a former headmaster who was killed in Sierra Leone in 1995 during a civil war.

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest and most lacking countries on the planet. Having access to education, for all of the children, is vital for a brighter future. Our aid has proven essential in times such as providing supplies to the communities during the Ebola outbreak, following a devastating landslide that killed hundreds in Freetown as well as providing school equipment for education. I hope to contribute to this tradition of helping those in need in the most neglected of places. Whilst there, we will be helping to teach sign language and maths to the children, specifically in St Joseph's, and taking water and clothing to Makeni. We will also just be listening and getting to know the area, the history and the lives of the people.

I am overwhelmed with the opportunity to go, however the necessary cost is very high. The money raised will cover flights, injections, transport and necessary travel fees. The money raised will allow me to build on the strong ties that my college has with Sierra Leone but more so than that, will allow me to listen to the trials of life in Sierra Leone and look for solutions. It will afford me a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you for reading, any donation is appreciated greatly!

Attached below are images from the school's previous immersions to Sierra Leone: