Pipo no fit believe wetin hapun for one Sierra Leonean village as pipo dey cry for di front of di bodies of two teenage boys wey dem wrap in white cloth.

Di day bifor, 16-year-old Mohamed Bangura and 17-year-old Yayah Jenneh comot dia house for Nyimbadu, for di kontri Eastern Province, as dem hope to make small extra money for dia families.

Dem bin go in search of gold but never return. Di makeshift pit wey dem dey dig fall ontop dem.

Dis na di third fatal mine accident, wey don leave a total of at least five children dead, in di last four years for dis region.

Mohamed and Yayah na part of one happening wey don make plenti children miss school for some parts of Sierra Leone to go mine precious metal for potentially dangerous pits, according to headteachers and community activists.

Di Eastern Province dey known for diamond mining. But in recent years, informal - or artisanal - gold mining don expand as di diamond reserves don reduce.

Mining sites dey pop up wherever local people find deposits for dis land wey dey loaded wit riches - on farmland, for former graveyards and along riverbeds.

Few formal mining companies bin dey operate for here, but for di areas wey no dey considered profitable, di landscape get unregulated pits wey fit dey as deep as 4m (13 feet).

Dem fit see similar and equally dangerous mines for many African countries and reports of deadly collapse plenty.

Most families for Nyimbadu dey rely on small-scale farming and petty trading for a living.

Alternative employment scarce so any opportunity to earn some extra cash dey very attractive.

But di community for di village wey gada for di local funeral home know say di work dey also come at a price, wit di loss of two young lives full of promise.

Yayah mama, Namina Jenneh na widow and she dey rely on her young son to help provide for her oda five children.

As pesin wey dey work for di pits herself, she confam say na she introduce Yayah to mining but say: "E no tell me say na dat site im dey go - if I know I for stop am."

Wen she hear about di collapse, she say she beg someone to "call di excavator driver.

"Wen e come, e clear di remains of wetin bury di children."

But e dey too late to save dem.

Ms Jenneh tok wit deep pain. Ontop one mobile phone wey di screen don crack, she scroll through pictures of her son, one boy wit bright eyes wey support her.

Na Sahr Ansumana, one local child protection activist carry me go di collapsed pit.

"If you ask some parents, dem go tell you say dem no get choice. Dem poor, dem be widows, dem be single parents," e tok.

"Dem need to take care of di kids. Na dem dey encourage di children to go mine. We dey struggle and need help. E dey worrying and e dey get out of hand."

But dem no dey hear di warning – di loss of Yayah and Mohamed no tok say make oda children no find dia way to di pits.

Di day afta dia funerals, miners wey include children don go back to work, dia hands dey work through di sand wey dey river or dem dey manually excavate di earth dey find gold.

For one site, I meet 17-year-old Komba Sesay wey wan become lawyer, but e dey spend day time here to support im mother.

"Money no dey," e tok. "Dat na wetin we dey try find. I dey work so I fit register and sit for my [high school] exams. I wan go back school. I no dey happy here."

Komba earnings dey very little. In most weeks, e dey earn about $3.50 (£2.65) – wey dey less dan half di kontri minimum wage. But e get hope say im go hit beta money one day. On some, very rare, good days e dey see enough ore wey dey fetch am $35.

Of course, e know say di work dey risky. Komba get friends wey injure for pit collapses. But e feel say mining na di only way e fit make some money.

No be only pupils dey comot schools.

Roosevelt Bundo, di headteacher of Gbogboafeh Aladura Junior Secondary School in Nyimbadu say "teachers also dey comot classes go di mining sites, dem dey mine togeda wit di students".

Wetin dia govment dey pay dem no fit compete wit di money dem fit make from gold mining.

Big signs of change also dey around di mining hubs. Wetin dem once consider as small camps don turn into towns for di last two years.

Di govment tok say dem dey address di issue.

Information Minister Chernor Bah tell BBC say govment remain committed to education, but add say di state recognise di plenty challenges pipo dey face.

"We spend about 8.9% of our GDP, di highest of any oda kontri for dis sub-region, on education," e tok, e add say di money dey go to teachers, school-feeding programmes and subsidies wey di aim na to keep children for classroom.

But on di ground, reality dey different. Immediate survival dey often win ova policy.

Charities and local activists don try to remove children from di pits and carry dem go back school, but without reliable alternatives for income, di pits too dey attractive.

For Nyimbado, e show say di families of di two dead boys don tire and dem empty.

Di loss no be only of two young lives. Na di steady loss of hope of possibility for a generation.

"We need help," di activist Mr Ansumana tok. "No be prayers. No be promises. Help."


Pipo dey dig up di rich earther wherever dem tink dem fit find gold



Yayah Jenneh bin go into mining to help im mama support im five siblings




Komba Sesay go like to become lawyer but e dey miss school in oda to go mine



Pipo dey use small tools dig di ground to find some gold