People of Bumanjah Village in Upper Sandor Chiefdom in Kono District, Eastern Sierra Leone have called on authorities to solve their problem after flooding of their local stream prevented pupils from attending school.

Speaking to Sierraloaded, Sahr Bonga, a local of the village said that the stream has been affecting the village population for several years now.

“These people have been suffering for the past years over the stream that connect the village, school and the main road to Koidu and other surrounding villages across the district,” Bonga said.

He added that the elders of the village have made calls to the Parliamentarian of the Chiefdom, Sahr Momodu to assist in the construction of a bridge as echoed during his campaign in the 2023 elections.

The stream, which flooded on Friday, halted school in the village as the water prevented the pupils from crossing the stream.

Sahr Samuel Komba, Head Teacher of KDC Primary School in the village said there was no school this past Friday for fear of drowning of the pupils in the stream.

“There was no school for the past days but today is worst as pupils cannot cross the stream,” the Head Teacher said. He added that this issue is a recurring one every year.

“Even the teachers are facing difficulties in crossing (the stream). We need help,” Komba said.

“Several years we have spoken about this and this (video) is a pictorial evidence that highlights our suffering in this part of the country,” he said.

The Head Teacher said the pupils were forced to sit at home due to the stream and therefore cannot access education last week.

“We are appealing to the government, NGOs and the Ministry of Education to intervene,” he pleaded.

Access to education in the wet season in rural Sierra Leone is difficult for most people living in the lowlands. Parents afraid of losing their children to flooding, discourage them to attend school in the wet season. The wet season which lasts for six months Sierra Leone often times result in loss of interest from some parents in sending their children to school.