“Bo Fest” at All Saints raises money for education in Bo

All Saints School in Warwick held a special “Bo Fest” to raise funds for the One World Link-EducAid project in Bo. The children sold cakes, face paints, football cards and crafts!

The first year of the project is coming to a successful conclusion and the first five linked schools have received their certificates. Now we are looking forward to the second year, when another five schools will have continuous dedicated training from an EducAid mentor to improve standards and attendance.

Our link schools, teachers and supporters are raising funds to pay for the coming year of the project. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to take part or send us a donation.

Come to Afternoon Tea – a One World Link fundraiser

Join the OWL Quiz on 12th August

We had a full house at St Pauls Church Centre on 24^th January for our AGM which followed a delicious lunch of samosas, salads and other treats.

The Chair, Paul Atkins, welcomed our special guests: The Mayor of Leamington Spa – Councillor Ruggy Singh, The Mayor of Warwick  – Councillor Jackie D’Arcy, The Mayor of Whitnash – Councillor Adrian Barton and Councillor Ms Cathy Herbert

There was plenty to report as Paul led a review of the year’s activities in chat show format.

Education Link

Liz Garrett looked back over an eventful year which started with some initial plans to work with EducAid  and now finds the Ignite Bo project in full swing with five of our partner schools which had been selected from applicants as those most suitable to benefit this year.  EducAid runs role model schools in Sierra Leone and OWL is now one of their partners. Liz described  EducAid’s Top 10 Strategies for improving teaching and learning. We aim to hit a target of  £15000 this year for this project. The teachers’ trip to Bo this February will include activities to inspire young women in  Bo. Another celebration of the Day of the African Child was held at St Patrick’s RC Primary School, enabled by a generous grant from Leamington Town Council, whose mayor kindly attended the AGM.

Planning Link

Phil Clarke updated us on the developments with planning in Bo. During last November’s visit we  met the new mayor of Bo City Council and visited the central market. The council have invested in a  project to improve the central market. We also heard from Haja Lukay about plans to develop a new  market outside of the city. Haja, a friend of OWL who has been mentored by Phil, has qualified in  planning in China and is now Deputy Chief Administrator on the council. In recognition of his work with  The King’s Foundation, Phil was invited to Buckingham Palace last year.

Health Link

Saran Shantikumar was welcomed to OWL as a medical doctor who moved into public health, specialising in  infectious disease and epidemiology. He teaches at the University of Warwick and has been working with Dr Nnedi Dede-Konkwo who has been developing the link over the past year. OWL provides a good  opportunity for international networking partnerships between academics. The first priority, though, is  community health especially maternal health, and carrying out a needs assessment. We were visited recently by Doris Bah, Minister and National Director of Environment in Sierra Leone, providing an opportunity to extend connections in Njala University and Saran is looking forward to a visit to Bo.  Samuel Dauda, a mainstay of OWL with a medical background, was attending the meeting via Zoom and there are hopes that he may be able to visit the UK soon.

One World Link AGM – 24 January 2026

The One World Link UK Annual General Meeting will be at 1.15pm on Saturday, 24th January, 2026 at St Paul’s Church Lounge, Leicester Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4TE.

Do come along to find out more about the OWL community and our current projects!

500 Children celebrate the Day of the African Child

Over 500 enthusiastic primary school pupils from across Warwick District came together on Tuesday, 17^th June, to celebrate the International Day of the African Child in a joyful and educational event that highlighted cultural diversity and global friendship.

The annual event, hosted this year by St Patrick’s RC Primary School, was organised through the longstanding One World Link (OWL) initiative, which connects 15 local schools with partner schools in Bo District, Sierra Leone. The children paraded around the sports field with banners displaying their school links and enjoyed a full day of African-themed workshops, including dancing, drumming, art, singing, storytelling, sport, and craft-making – all designed to foster understanding and appreciation of African culture.

See more photographs on our Education pages.

In a heartwarming moment during the day, contact was briefly made with Bo, where our linked schools were also marking the occasion with a colourful town parade, proudly carrying banners with campaign messages and artwork. The real-time connection brought the shared celebration to life, reinforcing the spirit of global friendship.

Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa Cllr Ruggy Singh and Cllr Naveen Tangri, Chair of Warwick District Council, were warmly welcomed in the afternoon after touring the workshops. Both praised the energy, creativity, and global awareness demonstrated by the pupils, and commended OWL for its tireless work in building bridges between communities. “Seeing young people immersed in such joyful and meaningful activities is a real testament to the values of peace, friendship and understanding that One World Link has championed for decades,” said Mayor Singh.

The day concluded with a powerful presentation from the children, who delivered campaign messages as part of the Send My Friend to School initiative, calling on world leaders to “Invest in Education.” A representative from local MP Matt Western’s office was present to receive the messages and listen to the children’s hopes for equal access to education worldwide.

One World Link is especially grateful to Leamington Town Council for its generous community grant funding, which helped make this vibrant day of learning and connection possible.

For over 40 years, OWL has nurtured strong partnerships between schools and communities in Warwick District and Bo, Sierra Leone. The Day of the African Child remains a cornerstone of this connection, inspiring young people to become informed, compassionate global citizens.

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For more information on One World Link and its school partnerships, visit: oneworldlink.org.uk