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Petition Tag - sierra leone
1. Let's Save The Annie Walsh Memorial School Grounds in Sierra Leone 
The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, once stated: "We've got a responsibility to live up to the legacy of those who came before us by doing all that we can to help those who come after us".
In 1816, the Anglican Church Missionary Society opened a small private school for girls in the mountainside village of Charlotte in Sierra Leone with only eight enrolled students. In 1865, the school moved to its present location in Freetown, on Kissy Road. In 1878, it was formally named the Annie Walsh Memorial School (the "AWMS").
The AWMS is the first Secondary School for Girls in West Africa. Its present site is part of our heritage, and MUST be preserved. The school has instilled very high educational values and standards over the years, and is renowned for nationally producing a number of female firsts. Furthermore, Sierra Leone is a member of the United Nations (the "UN"), and in keeping with the UN's General Convention regarding protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritages, the current location, and it's historical buildings must be preserved.
The sentimental values must also be upheld. The prayer of Miss Sass, the first Principal of The AWMS was: "....The AWMS may become a Holy, sanctified training place for women of this Country, and a lasting Blessing to West Africa."
2. Concerned Sierra Leone Citizens: Call to Action
In light of recent politically motivated violence in Sierra Leone, this is a call to active engagement and action among concerned Sierra Leone citizens to ensure that our 2012 elections are just and peaceful.
3. Stop the Deportation of Bernard Justice Leonard Charles
Home Office Reference: C1214740
Justice Charles was attacked by rebels whilst delivering food aid with the UN in his home country of Sierra Leone in 1999. Injuries sustained in these attacks have been confirmed in medical reports. Justice continued to be threatened by former rebels following the ending of the country’s ten-year civil war in 2001 and fled to the UK the following year to claim asylum. Since 2005 Justice has been in a relationship with British woman, Ruby Senior. The couple were married in 2008.
Ruby has five children and one grandchild from a previous relationship and suffers from lupus, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety. She says that Justice ‘looks after my children like they are his own’ and that ‘I have never been happier since I met him. My life has changed and my happiness has come back. I cannot afford to miss or lose my husband because that would break our family apart.’ Dr Lisa Dunkley, Consultant Physician in Rheumatology, has written a letter to state her concern about the severe effect the threatened deportation is having on Ruby’s health. This has been particularly bad since she found him collapsed on the bathroom floor after an attempted overdose when he heard, in May, that his permission to appeal against the decision to deport him had been turned down.
Despite the Coalition Government’s support for ‘strong and stable families of all kinds,’ the Home Office claims that Ruby and Justice have only a ‘Marriage of Convenience’. The genuine nature of the relationship over many years is affirmed by local City Councillors and others including the local Anglican Canon, who had to ensure that all qualifying conditions were met before allowing the marriage to take place in his church. As a former Asylum Seeker Justice has no right to work and no recourse to public funds, yet he has actually saved the Government money because of the reduced financial support that Ruby gets because he is there to care for her.
4. Petition to save William James from deportation
William (Will) James is 20 years old and was airlifted out of Sierra Leone’s warzone to the UK as a 7 year old with his British guardians Mr Willie and Mrs Gladys Rosenior. He has lived as a well-loved and valued member of the Rosenior family in London for the last 13 years.
However, his application for indefinite leave has been refused and the Border Agency now want to deport him. They want him to return to Sierra Leone – a country he knows very little about, where he has no known family and to a life completely foreign to him.
They claim he has no family life here in the UK. This is far from the truth. His appeal against this harsh judgment is on May 4th 2010 and the Rosenior family ask for your support by signing this petition.
Update on ‘Will Must Stay’ Campaign and the outcome of the hearing on 4th May 2010.
On 4th May 2010 the Home Office officially withdrew their application because they could not ‘sustain’ their action and will submit a new decision. The issue now, is whether Will is granted immediate indefinite leave to remain in the UK or, on condition of good behaviour, he is granted stay for 2 years followed by indefinite leave to remain. We must keep up the momentum in pressing the Home Office for the right decision. Whilst we have won the ‘sea battle’ we still need to win the ‘land battle’, so in light of this, we will continue with the petitions.
We will be in touch again, hopefully with more good news and thank you all for your support.
The Rosenior Family.
5. US Sierra Leone Diaspora Petition
March 17, 2009 - Recent reports of political violence, arson and rape in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, as well as election-related disturbances in parts of Pujehun District, threaten Sierra Leone’s stability, economic development and sustainable peace.