Sunita Smith Speaks at the Leamington Peace Festival, 2026

It is a pleasure to be here today at this Peace Festival and to share a story of partnership that demonstrates how peace can be built through friendship, understanding and education.

Our charity, One World Link, is a small Warwickshire-based organisation active since 1981. Through the generosity, commitment and enthusiasm of many people, we have built a strong and lasting relationship with the city of Bo in Sierra Leone.

At the heart of our work is a simple belief: that peace grows when people learn from one another, respect one another and work together towards a common future.

One of the most important parts of our work is the educational partnership between Leamington Spa and Bo. Today, fifteen Warwickshire primary schools are linked with fifteen schools in Bo. These links allow children, teachers and communities to connect across continents, learning about each other’s lives, cultures, hopes and challenges.

Our friendships are nurtured through teacher visits, online connection and shared celebrations; however, our partnerships extend much further than exchanging letters, photographs and videos. They help young people understand that, although they may live thousands of miles apart, they share many of the same dreams for friendship, opportunity and a better future. Our reciprocal projects are often shaped around the Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of ‘peace and prosperity for people and the planet’. In a world that can often seem divided, these connections help build empathy, respect and global citizenship.

Over the past year, we have been working with a highly respected Sierra Leonean charity, EducAid, to strengthen teaching and learning in our partner schools in Bo. Together, we have been raising funds to support a school development project that focuses on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for children.

The project recognises that great schools are built by great teachers and strong school leaders. Through our partnership with EducAid, specialist coaches work directly with schools, supporting teachers in the classroom and helping school leaders create environments where children can thrive.

These coaches spend time in schools observing lessons, identifying training needs and providing practical support and mentoring. They work alongside teachers, encouraging professional growth and sharing proven teaching strategies that can improve learning outcomes.

The coaching programme also extends beyond the classroom. Coaches help build relationships between schools, local communities and government stakeholders, promoting a shared understanding of what good education looks like and how everyone can contribute towards it. They support strong community-led school governance and encourage sustainable improvements that will continue long after the project itself has ended.

What particularly inspires us about this approach is that it is based on partnership rather than dependency. The project is led by Sierra Leonean educators who understand their communities, their schools and their challenges. The aim is not simply to provide resources, but to empower teachers, strengthen leadership and build local capacity for lasting change.

This reflects the values that lie at the centre of both our charity and EducAid’s work: equality, mutual support and human understanding with the shared goal of protecting children’s wellbeing, ensuring safe and supportive learning environments, valuing every voice, and believing that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed.

When we speak about peace, we often think about the absence of conflict. But peace is also about opportunity. It is about creating conditions in which children can learn, communities can flourish and people can realise their potential.

Every child who gains confidence in reading, every teacher who develops new skills, every school leader who is empowered to improve their school, and every friendship formed between Warwickshire and Bo contributes to a more peaceful and hopeful world.

None of this would be possible without the dedication of our partner schools, our supporters, our volunteers and our friends in both Warwickshire and Sierra Leone. Together, we are showing that even a small charity can make a meaningful difference when people work together with shared purpose and mutual respect.

As we celebrate peace today, let us remember that education remains one of the most powerful tools we have for building it. By investing in children, supporting teachers and strengthening communities, we are helping to create a future where understanding triumphs over division and where opportunity is available to all.

Thank you for listening today. We are grateful for any and all support towards our EducAid project to help us invest in this meaningful development within our schools. We have a stall here today showcasing some of our work – number 32 – please feel welcome to come along and find out more about how to engage with and support our charity.

Thank you.