UPDATE - DECEMBER 2025
Thanks to the continuing generosity of CWS members and supporters, we have sent £200 every month during 2025 to the Byseee project, with only a small shortfall that is made up from personal sources. This short video gives a glimpse into the life of the school, showing the children at work and play.
Our giving is an expression of solidarity, trust and friendship with Yema Jusufu and Edita Fofana, who have dedicated themselves to continuing the work of their late mother, who started the project at the request of the community. We are not a registered charity, and we do not use images of misery and suffering to raise funds. Many of these children come from poor families and they are no strangers to hunger and fear. Sierra Leone has a recent history of civil war which has left a legacy of poverty and violence, with one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. But we offer an insight into the lives of children who, like children everywhere, thrive and flourish when they are loved, cared for and respected. The Byseee project promotes the dignity of children of all ages through its holistic approach to education, which includes many activities designed to give the children a sense of joy, hope, and self-respect.
I have tried to capture some of this beauty and delight in the video, which is made up of photos and short videos that Yema sends to me every month.
We are particularly pleased to report that, thanks to the generosity of a women's religious community that has requested anonymity, we are able to pay for the installation of solar panels at the school. Frequent power cuts create problems, especially during IT lessons on the computers that we funded through money raised by Ursuline Girls' High School in Wimbledon, with whom CWS has a productive partnership.
We have an ambitious project for the coming year. Our ability to raise funds on a regular basis is likely to become more challenging, especially as CWS is no longer as active as it used to be. We are therefore committed to raising funds to buy a minibus for the school. This will save on vehicle hire for school outings. When it is not being used, it can be hired out to supplement the school's income so that Yema and Edita are no longer dependent on our donations.
It remains for me to say thank you again for the continuing generosity and support of all who make it possible for us to support this project.
Tina Beattie
All funding for the Byseee Project comes from individual donations from CWS supporters. 100% of all money donated is sent to the project via Western Union. There are no deductions for overheads, which are covered separately.
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Thank you for supporting our community project. Every pound we raise goes towards providing education and support for children and their families in one of the world's poorest countries.
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BYSEEE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PROJECT, CALABAR TOWN, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
A holistic Catholic education for girls
The school, which comes under the auspices of St Peter the Rock Parish in Calaba town in Freetown, offers a wide range of educational and care facilities to women and children, particularly orphans, girls from broken homes, and single mothers. While the school takes some boys as well as girls, its main focus is on educating girls to give them a sense of personal dignity and self-esteem after the traumas of war and amidst the ongoing challenges of poverty, violence and abuse.
Why Byseee?
When asked to explain the puzzling spelling of the name "Byseee", Yema wrote that their late mother was asked to start a girls' school by parents in the community. She had six children - three girls and three boys - and she used the initials of each of her children to name the school:
Bernadette - Yema - Sydney - Edward - Elis - Edita = Byseee
A well for drinking water
In addition to helping with salaries, maintenance, and learning materials, our monthly contributions have funded the digging of a well that provides clean drinking water to the school and the community.
School lunches
The children often arrive at school without having eaten. We fund one free school lunch a week. If we could attract more donations, we would increase this to two lunches a week.
Our Partnership with Ursuline High School, Wimbledon
Thanks to generous funding from Ursuline High School in London, Wimbledon, we have been able to provide the school with computers so that girls can learn IT skills before going to high school.
Past news updates and videos
