“I have been building low cost houses and schools across the world and the worst place on earth I have been to is the slums of Freetown. So God gave us a vision to establish a new town with schools where we can relocate people to start a new life,” said Hyde.
According to him, they are also working on providing adult education for the parents of kids in the school. Destiny Grace Academy comprises of six classrooms and an administrative block. There are plans of establishing a secondary school in the near future.
The classrooms will accommodate about one hundred and eighty (180) children with prospects to multiply as the community grows from fifty six (56) homes to three hundred and forty (340), according to Mr. Hyde.
In his keynote address, the Deputy British High Commissioner, Alistair White said, one of the objectives is to ensure that every young person has right to access education. He stated that it is a privilege to be part of Home Leone’s contribution in helping children from the slums and reaffirmed their commitment to working with the company.
Kadijah Jalloh is a parent with three kids at Destiny Grace Academy. She is among many parents who were relocated to the community from Culvert (Colbot) Community.
For Kadijah, it is a great pleasure to be relocated to an environment she now considers home. “We moved into this community eight months ago, and I am proud to call this place home and will like to extend my immense gratitude to Home Leone for such a development”
“It’s good to see my child in school uniform. I love the environment and believe that my child will get to learn new things” said Jarai Jalloh another parent.
Home Leone’s detailed relocation strategy stems from 15 years’ experience of building low-cost homes in 6 developing nations and securing over £3 million ($4 million) of inward investment in social infrastructure. It draws on 5 years in-depth study of informal settlements and local slum-dwellers’ needs; developing partnerships and contextualizing within the nation’s opportunities and constraints.
Home Leone’s holistic and sustainable pilot “Destiny Village” is relocating over 2,000 people to its 25-acre site, comprising 6 strategic elements: low-cost homes, schools, WASH and waste management facilities in addition to energy supply and skills training.
