Gender Equality Sierra Leone Project #3935

Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation - Sierra Leone

by Develop Africa, Inc.

Project Report | Dec 28, 2021
Behind the Scenes - Persisting Through Power Fluctuations from The Grid

By Sylvester Renner | Project Director

Girls learning in the computer lab

Here are some behind-the-scenes updates. This gives you a glimpse into what some of what we do to provide ongoing computer training to our girls.

Last month (November) the power company was doing some maintenance near the FAWE computer lab. Unfortunately, one of the tall street poles (that carry the electricity cables) fell.

This resulted in a power disruption that affected the entire school. This problem persisted for over 2 weeks.

Impact:

The voltage of the power in the lab became so low that the over projector did not turn on.
The power supply adaptors for 3 of the monitor burned out as a result.

Action Taken:

We have replaced the power supply adaptors.
We resorted to using the 2.7 KVA standby generator that is shown in this video - https://youtu.be/6B7aLWuTnEU. We used the generator for around 12 hours a week on average
We also had to help cover the purchase costs of a roll of cable.

Routine Generator Maintenance includes the following:

Change oil
Change oil filter, fuel filter, and air filter
Inspect wiring/electrical system
Change spark plugs

We are deeply grateful for your ongoing support. This enables us to provide uninterrupted training - exactly what the girls need to develop proficiency. We are so thankful that we can do this together.

Thank you so much for your generosity.

Sylvester and the Develop Africa team

PS. Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022!

monitor adaptors

generator with new plug

Generator plug

Links:

Update on Generator cable repair

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Dec 16, 2021
Girls Mentoring on Mental Health

By Amy M Baty-Herbert | Project Leader

Dear Project Supporters,

Thanks in part to your ongoing support, the Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) team held another girls’ mentoring program at the end of November on the topic of mental health. Twenty- five young ladies between the ages of 10-20 years old in Freetown attended the mentoring session. Lunch and transportation were provided to the girls in attendance as well as toiletries including body splash, deodorant, 4 bars of soap, vaseline, toothpaste, and a toothbrush (pictured above).

The purpose of the session was to create mental health awareness among the girls. Dr. Sarah C. was the guest speaker and she gave a one-hour presentation on the following: What is mental health, causes of mental health disorders, warning signs of mental illness, examples of mental health disorders, how to identify mental illness, and drug abuse.

The session raised awareness on mental health issues among the girls and was very interactive as some of the girls shared personal and emotional stories concerning depression, addiction, peer pressure, low self-esteem, drug abuse, among others. One of the girls burst into tears while sharing her personal story of losing someone very dear to her. One of the girls talked about being pressured by her friends to take a stimulant to stay awake at night to study and perform well in exams. Dr. Sarah gave the girls some coping mechanism tips and advice to protect themselves from trigging factors of mental health disorders.

Thank you for your ongoing support towards empowering and educating girls in Africa. You are truly making a difference for girls with your generous support. Please share this with your contacts and invite them to consider supporting this ongoing project.

Making a monthly donation is the most effective way to help girls get their education, but every dollar donated makes a difference! If you are not yet a recurring donor and would like to sign up for a recurring donation go here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at GlobalGiving@developafrica.org.

With great appreciation

Amy and the Develop Africa team

Links:

Start a recurring donation-Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation

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Dec 6, 2021
Thank You for Your #GivingTuesday Generosity!

By Amy M Baty-Herbert | Project Leader

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