Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah Completes Sustainability Tour of the 7-year EWB Water & Sanitation and Solar Project

By: Abdul Malik Bangura

The week of January 17 through February 23rd was scheduled to do a follow-up sustainability inspection tour of the 9-year EWB Project at Centennial School in Mattru Jong, Bonthe District.  

The EWB team toured to inspect technical challenges Check Up: Tom Power and Chiara Dooley also went to Centennial and gave them soccer uniforms.

The EWB Mission is to Partner with Developing Communities, Implement sustainable Engineering Solutions to improve Quality of Life, and Promote Globally Aware Engineers and Students.

The EWB Lehigh Valley Professionals’ 5-year Mission at Centennial Secondary School, for sustainable infrastructure for education. The 5-year project was extended to 7 years due to Ebola disruption.  Some of the project installations included the following:

 Clean Water  Appropriate sanitary facilities  Power for all school needs  Safe building.

January 2010: Assessment Trip  February 2011: Sanitation: Installed Boy’s and Girl’s Urinals  November 2011 Electrical: Installed solar powered lighting in three classrooms  April 2012 – Water: Drilled deep well, Instituted student infrastructure fee  February 2013 – Sanitation: Installed toilets (bucket flush) and rain gutter system for boy’s and girl’s washrooms  April 2013 – Water: Installed solar powered water distribution system throughout campus.  March 2014: New Roof on Chemistry/Physics Building  March 2016: More electrical and education  January 2017: Library electrification.

2008-2009, EWB Project Writer, Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah embarked on Needs Assessment.  Upon approval, Rev. Joseph Abu (Joe Abu) and Dr. Sillah volunteered to travel with each group of engineers over the years to serve as local translators of culture, American English and other logistical support system.  Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah, got involved in the Needs Assessment, Implementation and has not gotten involved in the Sustainability by embarking on a Sustainability tour to assess  both the positive impact and challenges of all stakeholders including students, teachers, staff and a cross-section of community leaders to record their Feedbacks interviewed all representative stakeholders in the Mattru Jong Community to assess the impact of the 9-year EWB Project which was successfully implemented from 2010 – 2017.

EWB ENGINEERS INCLUDED SOME OF THE FOLLOWING:

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Civil Engineer

Chemical Engineer

Construction Engineer

Nuclear Engineer

Maintenance Engineer

Chemist, Teacher and Rotary Club President 

Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah hosted another dinner at her office on Saturday, February 1, 2020, with some invited guests including Mr. Peter Amara from the Board of Director and Ing.  Framcos Lahai, Deputy Managing Director of Guma Valley Water Company, Rev. Joseph Abu who traveled with the engineers, Ms. Agnes Wai and Mr. Betty Faley Conteh from CeOSA-UK strong supporters of the school, and Popular Journalist Hosts of popular TV Program “We Yus”, Madam Lucy Ann Ganda, who is also the Director of Administration and Human Resources of Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). Engineers on this trip include:  Tom Power, Sean Dooley, his daughter, Chiara Dooley and Jose Silverio.

EWB POSITIVE IMPACT ON CENTENNIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL AND MATTRU HOSPITAL               

Because of the solar light study sessions both Centennial students and other school students have been impacted with a public exam passing rate from 10% to 95%, Reduction of Water-borne disease impacted both students and communities using the treated water system.  Mattru hospital and OIC students are also currently benefiting tremendously from the ongoing EWB Projects.

Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah interviewed the School Bus Driver and assigned to Bonthe District and the diverse students riding the bus.  Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah ended her tour by interviewing non-EWB-related positive impact on school transportation.  She interviewed the government school bus driver at Centennial Secondary School as well as all the diverse students who were enjoying the bus ride from other schools.  Everyone was happy except some students from neighboring Luawa who gave Dr. Will Sillah a message to relay to the government that they were very far away in distance from their schools and humbly requested the government to consider their own community to extend the school bus system to their village communities.

In addition to her academic work, school infrastructural development programs,  Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah, International Coordinator of WIMI,  is also involved in training and empowering women through the WIMI (Women In Ministry International) Sierra Leone program.  WIMI was founded by Apostle Kemi Searcy, co-pastor of Fresh Anointed House of Worship in Montgomery, Alabama.   Women in Ministry International (WIMI) is a non-profit ministry with the vision of empowering women all over the world by providing support and training for them to reach their God-given destinies.

UNITED NATIONS ADVOCATE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Dr. Lauretta Will Sillah is involved in advocating and attempting to implement the first 5 Goals of the UN SDGs.  The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. 

Most of her projects in Sierra Leone are related to the addressing of Goals 1 – 5:  

GOAL 1 -No Poverty

GOAL 2 -Zero Hunger

GOAL 3 -Good Health and Well-being

GOAL4 -Quality Education and Life-long learning opportunities

GOAL5 -Gender Equality

Dr. Will Sillah has been attending the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goals as well as the UN General Assembly for the past 3 years, 2017, 2018 and 2019.