The flagship Muddy Lotus Primary School, founded in 2006, is the first sustainable schoolhouse built in Sierra Leone. In partnership with the Bongema Community, Shine On Sierra Leone provides a free and excellent education to 400 students each year.
“As a general rule, teachers teach more by what they are than by what they say.”
THE CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS AT MUDDY LOTUS EMBODY Shine On Sierra Leone VALUES
SPIRIT
Be your authentic self, bold take risks, and breathe joy into your life, daily.
OWNERSHIP
Own your beliefs, words, and actions, and create the life of your choosing.
SENSIBILITY
Be mindful of your impact, and thoughtfully build healthy relationships with yourself, with others’, and with your environment.
LEADERSHIP
Lead by example, and be an agent of positive transformation in your community and nation.
WHOLISTIC CORE EMPOWERMENT: EDUCATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT
At the center of Muddy Lotus is the underlying objective for every student to have a strong, proactive, and healthy sense of self. At Muddy Lotus we believe that a genuine and positive transformation begins from the inside out, while empowering each individual at their core.
To foster each child’s self-possession, confidence, and authentic identities, Muddy Lotus provides social and emotional skills instruction that builds upon each academic year.
The school’s core values and focus on wholistic empowerment is infused in the fibers of Muddy Lotus and in the everyday school rituals.
As children progress through the different levels of their education, their understanding of our core values grows in complexity, and our students gradually transition toward assuming greater levels of responsibility and ownership over their schooling experience.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND NON-CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
We have an open-door policy with our students’ family members, who are welcomed to observe classroom instruction and meet with our educators and school leaders. We support a thriving parent teacher association committee, and collaborate with caregivers to promote a strong home-to-school connection that will promote each child’s learning and wholistic development.
In Sierra Leone, corporal punishment practices are legal and widely practiced in many schools and homes. Muddy Lotus educators prescribe to a zero-tolerance policy for corporal punishment practices within our schools. We also work with families to educate caregivers on positive behavior management, and forms of discipline that foster relationships built on trust and mutual respect.
GROWING OUR FLAGSHIP TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS NURSURY-GRADE 12 EDUCATION TO OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES IN
When Shine On Sierra Leone restarted the Muddy Lotus Primary School in 2006, the school was ranked #736 out of the 736 schools in the entire eastern region of Sierra Leone. In 2015, Muddy Lotus Primary School ranks #2, out of the 736 schools in the region.
Data shows that as children progress through the school system in Sierra Leone, student academic achievement significantly drops, while student drop out rates grow. However, Shine On Sierra Leone is committed to the Bongema community, and are dedicated to build on the investment we made nine years ago–when we founded Muddy Lotus Primary School–and ensuring quality education spanning nursery school through high school.
OUR ORGANIZATION ALL STARTED WITH ONE SMALL SCHOOL IN THE KONO DISTRICT: MUDDY LOTUS PRIMARY SCHOOL
The flagship Muddy Lotus Primary School was restarted by Shine On in 2006. In partnership with the Bongema Community, Shine On Sierra Leone has provided a free and excellent education to over 400 students each year.
In 2006, Muddy Lotus Primary School was a school ranked #736 out of #736 primary schools in the eastern region. The school had been abandoned by its founding organization. Shine On Sierra Leone’s first project was to transform this school into a vibrant and supportive learning environment for students and teachers. We have transformed this once roofless, dilapidated, three classroom building into an eight classroom complex!
However, the true transformation began to happen inside of the school structure… Inside each classroom… Inside the 13 determined educators we hand-picked and developed… Inside each of the students who entered Muddy Lotus every morning.
At Muddy Lotus, our students and teachers
say 10 affirmations every day.
say 10 affirmations every day.
Today is a beautiful day filled with wonderful surprises
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn
I love my teachers, and my teachers love me
I show my gratitude by being a responsible, kind, and hardworking student
I am becoming a better person, each and every day
All of my needs are met
I have clean water to drink, clothes to wear, and good food to eat
I play harmoniously with my classmates
I have friends all around the world
Today is a great day, and so it is
What has occurred since this inner transformation, is an outer ripple effect, which has engaged, awakened, and inspired the entire Bongema community, and has transformed the beliefs and actions of our children and their grown-ups, alike. As a result, we are proud to share that our school is currently ranked #2 in the eastern region of Sierra Leone!