Local Middle Schooler Gives Back

Blue-eyed, blonde Rheanna McDaniel is anything, but your average sixth grader at Scio Middle School. At 11 years of age, she wants what any girl her age would, to go to school, hang out with friends, play her favorite sport of volleyball, or sometimes watch “The Voice.” However, unlike fellow 11 year old girls, she also envisioned, undertook, and completed a project of monstrous proportion

After hearing of a school in Buedu, Sierra Leone, Africa, that in order to receive funding from the government, needed matching uniforms for all of its students. McDaniel decided to tackle the task head on. Months of planning, fundraising, and hard work finally ended in success. Making 260 dresses from assorted sizes of pillowcases, buying the needed t-shirts to go under them, only led to a larger project. Not only did the girls at the school need matching uniforms, so did the boys.

      With a dedicated mind set, McDaniel decided to also make navy blue shorts for the boys, pairing them with yellow polo shirts. Several months, dozens of long days sewing away with her friends and family, and finally, the uniforms were ready to be delivered.

          On Jan. 21, with her mother Terise McDaniel and friend Fiona Kyker by her side, McDaniel embarked on the 18-hour flight that would take her to Africa. After landing in Monrovia, Africa, the party first visited the Mt. Barclay School Kyker funded. While they were there, McDaniel saw all the students sitting outside. She asked why and was told that they were sitting outside to take a test, because while they were inside they were sitting too close together, and the teachers didn’t want the ability to cheat.

            While in Monrovia, the group went to their “big” bookstore, about the size of an average bedroom, and purchased many books for the school.

           “At the end of the day, the receipt that McDaniel got was taller than she was,” her mother explained. “The reason for this being that they didn’t simply multiply the price by the number of items you bought. Instead they counted and checked each and every one out of their system. It took forever.” 

            In the store, all the prices were written out both in American dollars and in Liberian dollars. “…When they saw white people the price of things automatically went up,” said McDaniel, “so that’s probably why they had all the prices written out.”

             In the bookstore, there were other books than just textbooks, but they weren’t your average leisure books. These books dealt with subjects, such as how to deal with the death of a person with AIDS, or going to the market place. Once they had spent a few days in Monrovia, they continued their journey to Buedu, Sierra Leone, about an 18 hour drive.
 
            Upon reaching the school, pure chaos erupted when word was quickly spread that they had arrived with the goods. Each child received a uniform, shoes, pencils, a notebook, chalk, and a slate.
“Some of the kids felt like they were too dirty to put on their new clothes, while others simply dropped everything and changed as soon as they got them,” said McDaniel with a laugh.

            One girl in particular remains in McDaniel’s mind. The young girl chose a pair of shoes that were much too small for her, but kept saying repeatedly that they were exactly what she needed. No one could convince her to take a larger pair of shoes. Later on, they found out that the girl had a little sister without shoes, so instead of taking the new shoes for herself, she found a pair that would fit her little sister.
Along with the textbooks, pencils, slates, chalk, uniforms, and shoes, McDaniel also was able to purchase some medical supplies for the school pharmacy.

           
            McDaniel’s friends were also supportive and some even helped with the sewing part of the project. “It was awesome that she wanted to do something and actually did it,” stated one of her friends, Wednesday Sprague.
           
          McDaniel had plenty of laughs on her trip, and hopes to someday go back, maybe with better knowledge of the language they speak there. “I don’t know what they were saying because they were speaking in a weird language and laughing at me.”