About Waterloo Schools Charity

Fifty years ago Laurie Read, founder of the Charity, worked as a teacher in Sierra Leone, Africa before returning to the UK to take up medicine. His love for this little African country never left him. At that time, newly independent Sierra Leone was developing and full of promise for the future.

However, the subsequent years of dictatorship and civil war brought the country to its knees and made it difficult for Laurie to keep in touch. Upon retiring from the NHS in 2005 he and his wife, Sue, made a visit to Sierra Leone to see whether he could work there as a surgeon. It also gave Laurie a chance to visit the Peninsula Secondary School where he had been principal and had taught science so many years earlier. He was horrified by what he found. As a direct result of that visit Waterloo Schools Charity was founded in 2005 and its aim is to co-operate with the people of Waterloo in restoring and developing nursery, primary and secondary school education.

Sadly, Laurie Read passed away in 2014 but his legacy lives on through the efforts of a committed group of trustees, here and in Sierra Leone, and ably led by Sue Read.  Thanks also go to our dedicated and hardworking team of fundraisers and all our donors who give so generously.

The work of the Charity

Waterloo Schools Charity works entirely through local organisations which represent the citizens of the town and the parents of children attending our three schools.  These organisations include Waterloo District Council, the chiefs and elders of the township, the schools boards of governors and the Peninsula School Old Student's Association (POSA).

Many of the members of POSA were, in fact, students when Laurie was principal and now hold important positions in both Waterloo and Freetown. A working party of these past students organizes and supervises any project funded by the charity and is therefore our main partner. A video of visits to Waterloo can be seen on YouTube – just follow this link!

Board of Trustees

• Susan Read
• Rodger Robertson - Treasurer
• Margaret Mandrell
• Neil Morland
• Morlai Kamara (in Sierra Leone)
• Kenneth Kromanty (in Sierra Leone)

Charity Income & Expenditure

Photos of our work

Waterloo Schools Charity - UK Reg.1110488

For donations or more information please call +44 (0)1386 553891