Nations Cry

Our first college graduate!

Denver — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:34:55 +0000

Salma Ruth Conteh recently graduated from a secretarial college program at the REAPS Vocational Training Institute. Congratulations Salma!

Nolan’s TedTalk

Denver — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:43:16 +0000

The President of Nations Cry, Nolan Watson, was a presenter at a recent TED Talks event in Vancouver. Nolan’s message was “Compassion Kills.” Click the link below to watch the video: TEDxVancouver – Nolan Watson – Compassion Kills (read more...)

Wall Construction is Complete

Denver — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:48:22 +0000

We just received word from Sierra Leone that the wall construction is now complete. We are putting together the plans for the school and will keep you posted. Below are a few photos of the completed wall.

More Waterloo Photos

Denver — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:02:21 +0000

Below are some recent photos from the Waterloo site.

Progress in Waterloo

Denver — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:51:21 +0000

Below are a few photos that show the progress being made at Nations Cry’s Waterloo site. The wall is nearing completion and then we’re on to planning for the school construction. Stay tuned…

2011 Annual Fundraiser

Denver — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:22:57 +0000

On behalf of the board of directors and volunteers of Nations Cry, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our 3rd Annual Fundraiser this past weekend.

The night was a tremendous success, raising a total of $500,000.

The event was truly a group effort with a special thanks going to our hosts (DeWitt family) and all of the sponsors who contributed.

2011 Sponsors
Absolute Spa, Anchor Guitars, BC Sportfishing Group, Cactus Club, Southpoint Exchange, Cassels Brock, Coastal Pacific Aviation, Comor, DLC Distribution, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Golf Town, Innovative Fitness, Julian Carlson, Kerrisdale Design, Kerrisdale IT Consulting, KPMG LLP, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Lavish Liquid, LUSH, Nita Lake Lodge, Obakki, Ralph’s Radio, Red Galleria, Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Silver Wheaton, Steve Nash Sports Club, Studeo 55, TE Fitness, Thai Jewelers, The Body Shop, Travel Masters Vancouver, U.P. Securities, Vancouver Art Gallery, West Central Forest Products, Whistler Skydiving, Ziptrek Ecotours

Progress at the Waterloo Site

Denver — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:49:59 +0000

Before the Junior Secondary School construction begins in Waterloo, a security wall is being built around Nations Cry’s property. This is common practice in Sierra Leone and is necessary not only for security reasons but for reasons of land title as well.

We just received word that the foundation has been completed and the wall is going to start going up next week. In the meantime, the team has been working on design plans for the school. Below are a few recent photos of the property.

The $650 Cupcake

Denver — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:40:39 +0000

I work with a great group of people and they are all extremely supportive of Nations Cry and my involvement in the organization. For a few of the individuals that I work with, this support translates into any possible excuse to make a donation.

A few months back there was a small birthday celebration at work for myself and few colleagues. Myself and the other birthday boys received a large cupcake and a card signed by everyone in the office. The cupcake was large (and I mean large) and before long I was challenged to eat it in under two minutes (this kind of thing often happens in the office where I work). The kicker was that if I pulled it off, a donation for $200 would be made to Nations Cry. A few other colleagues jumped on board, for some reason thinking that watching me eat a giant cupcake as fast as I could would be quite entertaining, and the states got as high as $650!

The pressure was on. I will let the photo below fill you in on the outcome:

Contributed by Denver Harris

Education Update – More than curriculum

Denver — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:56:17 +0000

I recently finished reading a book called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (by Kristof & WuDunn). The book covers many situations that the couple encountered in a variety of developing countries. It gives examples of research showing how important it is to educate girls/women and for developing countries to value them as contributing members of society. Some of the stories in the book were very difficult to read, especially with two young daughters of my own, but it gave me an even more earnest desire to make sure that the girls in the community we are helping, Waterloo, have an equal chance to attend and finish school.

The drop-out rate for girls who attend junior high school increases dramatically after hitting puberty. One reason is that most of these girls don’t have access to hygiene supplies and so cannot attend school for one week each month; this causes them to fall too far behind their male peers. Elise, one of our Nations Cry volunteers, recently put me in contact with an organization called Project Thrive (http://www.projectthrive.org). This small organization, based in Washington, has agreed to partner with us and provide each girl who attends the Waterloo school with a feminine hygiene pack. These packs will allow the girls to attend school without missing one week a month during their period. It may not be part of the curriculum, but I see it as an essential piece of our mandate at Nations Cry which is “to change the world through practical, long-term, life-transforming solutions”.

Contributed by Dana Watson

Education Update – Resources

Denver — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:54:13 +0000

My dad recently attended an event for his job at BCIT and during it he heard about an organization called TESSA. As a good father would, he sent me the link to their website. It took me about 2 months to find time to go exploring, but I am very glad I did. TESSA appears to be an organization based out of the UK and Africa that is working on revamping the organization of African curriculum. They do not currently have projects within Sierra Leone, but they have focused on teacher education in other countries as well as primary curriculum. Being an effective researcher is a very important “hat” to wear as a teacher. I was taught in my undergrad, “Don’t reinvent the wheel”. As a young teacher I learned very quickly to beg for and borrow everything I could from excellent and seasoned teachers. Although I really enjoy putting my own personal touch on my lessons and materials, there are only so many hours in a day. Sometimes it is best to find what others are doing that matches your teaching style or fits with what is needed and work with what is already available.

On the TESSA website they have materials available for teaching teachers good practices in the classroom. These are skills that all good teachers know and you probably remember your favourite teachers using in their classrooms. Things like allowing students to ask questions, using story to help students remember a lesson, and using a variety of sound assessment strategies. In countries like Sierra Leone where teachers are, for the large part, poorly prepared for teaching and lacking resources to improve, teaching the teachers we hire for Waterloo will be a huge task in and of itself. It is great to know that others, like those working for TESSA, are already addressing these needs and hopefully they don’t mind if I borrow what they have already done.

Contributed by Dana Watson