The renowned humanitarian organization, Sunday Foundation (SF), with its Headquarters in Holland, has opened the Sunday Foundation School of Health Sciences (SFCHS) in Makeni with free tuition and uniforms for students, a feat that has been acclaimed by not only the students, but the entire country, as it will ultimately contribute to the development of Sierra Leone, especially human capital development, which is the government’s flagship program.
The state-of-the-art facility is located on a five-acre land in Maboleh, three miles from Makeni in the Shebora Chiefdom, Bombalii District, will include an E-library, modern teaching and learning methods, a skills laboratory for practical, computer laboratory, administrative building, lecture halls, staff room, Registrar and Principal’s Offices, water well, electricity supply, 12 offices for administrative, Faculty and Departmental staff and toilets. There are also plans for future expansion of the school facility.
According to various stakeholders, including the newly enrolled students who were interviewed in and around the community, the school is expected to become one of the fastest growing not only in the Bombali District, but the entire country.
The college is offering Diploma and certificate courses in Nursing, Public Health, Reproductive Health, Community Development Studies and Information, Communication Technology in the 2025/26 academic year, and that the school also has trained, qualified, experienced and over and above all, committed and dedicated staff.
All the courses offered by the college are approved by the relevant regulatory bodies set up by an Act of Parliament and these include Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), the National Council for Technical, Vocational and other Academic Awards (NCTVA) Sierra Leone Nurses and Midwives Council (SLNMC).
The newly-established institution is located in a serene environment conducive for teaching and learning, and for the current academic year, a little over 100 students, mostly female, are now pursuing various course in different fields that will last for three years, with plan by the school administration to upgrade some of the courses to degree level in future, based on accreditation by the relevant authorities.
The administration of the institution is also making frantic efforts to facilitate the affiliation processes with other academic institutions of high repute in Sierra Leone.
The school has enrolled students from different parts of the country including Kabala, Bonthe, Kambia and even Freetown, with some of the students coming from Sunday Foundation Schools in various parts of the country.
Some of the students interviewed included Fatmata Kamara, pursuing a three-year Diploma course in Nursing (RN), commended the lecturers for their commitment and dedication to duty as well as punctuality and regularity, revealing that it is strictly forbidden for them to sell or buy pamphlets.
She added that after graduation she would save lives by serving the country, as she has passion for nursing, and commended the school administration for the free tuition, which she reiterated, is a golden opportunity that cannot be missed.
Another student, Abdul Rahman Sesay, studying Business Administration, revealed that the lecturers are up to the task, that they take weekly tests. However, he went on to catalogue some of their challenges such as transportation, hostels and a masjid (a place of worship). The college authorities are optimistic that the college will soon be granted university status to offer degree courses in the near future, as students are very determined to put the college in a pinnacle of academic excellence.
Over the past 20 years, Sunday Foundation has established 67 schools in various parts of the country, providing free tuition and uniforms, in addition to technical and vocational centers.
According to the National Coordinator of Sunday Foundation in Sierra Leone, Mr. Alimamy Sawyer Bangura, all the laudable developments of the organization in the country can be attributed to its founder and CEO, Mr. Sander De Kramer, the Kramer family and his team of like-minded friends in the Netherlands for their huge sacrifice to support the people of Sierra Leone. The National Coordinator also commended him for providing education, the key to development and enlightenment, to millions of underprivileged children in remote parts of the country, without which they would have become illiterates, liability and a social menace to society.