Educate a Girl, Educate a Nation - Sierra Leone

Dear Project Supporters,

Because of YOU, we are so super happy to report that in the last 2 months or so, 10 girls / young ladies have received full scholarships. Thanks to your specific investment into their lives, these girls are now eagerly looking forward to restarting school - when school reopens at the end of March.  This is so amazing and we are so grateful for your support!

Meet Augusta.  Augusta is an additional young lady who has received support through your donations. Your donations have provided for all her school-related costs.   Augusta loves school and would like to be an accountant someday.  Augusta comes from a poor family background. Both parents are illiterate and are not gainfully employed. Her mother is housewife while her father works at the Quay. His income is grossly inadequate to take care of Augusta and her siblings.

In the photo, you can see Augusta holding a radio and batteries she received earlier so she could listen to the radio broadcasts by the Ministry of Education.  She is likewise eagerly looking forward to reopening of school.  YOUR support is making her education dreams come true.

The African Union Summit just ended a few weeks ago in January,  According to a Huffington Post summary: "Due to weak gender policies, lack of credible evaluation and measurement, implementation and monitoring, vaguely imported programs and the willingness to act, African governments are letting women and girls down" - Africa's Poor Policies Letting Women and Girls Down. 

Because of this dire situation, hundreds of girls are still at risk of dropping out of school or not attending school at all. We are determined to keep working together till every child that desires to go to school has the opportunity to do so.  No girl or child should be let down or left behind. 

Your continued support will help us provide many more girls with full scholarships - so they can attend school - fully equipped.   Thanks so much for your support!

Best Wishes,

Develop Africa team

Links:

• Africa's Poor Policies Letting Women and Girls Down

As a team, we feel really good about a recent victory that we accomplished with your support.

Elizabeth lost her mother when she was eleven years of age.  Her father, a farmer, was finding it difficult to buy seeds to sustain his small scale farming business. A tribal man from Moyamba learned of his predicament and wanted to exploit the situation. He opted to help her father with some seeds.  He asked in exchange that Elizabeth later be given in marriage to him.

When Elizabeth became 12 years old, the man showed up to remind the father of their arrangement concerning Elizabeth. Joshua, our local Director, happened to be around at that time.  He reports as follows:

I saw the father looking distressed and asked, “You are not usually like this, what is the matter?” 

The father opened up and told me about the problem he was facing. “I do not have money to cover Elizabeth's fees and related school expenses".  I am already in debt.  What should I do?”

I suggested to the father that he first take Elizabeth to her Aunt Kadiatu. As an organization, we proceeded to take care of Elizabeth fees / related expenses and paid for her school uniforms and school materials.  

Elizabeth is now 14 years old and in Form 3. No more talk of marrying at 14 years old.

Elizabeth wants to be a lawyer when she grows. She likes English Language and Social Studies. She is very friendly and respectful. She cooks very well and is very hospitable to her Aunty Kadiatu. She is a good listener. 

Child marriage is still an unfortunate reality in Africa!  According to the International Center For Research on Women, up to 44% of girls in Sierra Leone get married before the age of 18!  

Thanks to your support we were able to make a huge difference in Elizabeth's life.  Our intervention enabled her to escape from the unfortunate threat of child marriage. Now she is developing herself, furthering her education and will be better able to support her family in the future. 

Together we changed the course of Elizabeth's life.  Your involvement and support made this possible.  Thanks so much.  

Today is a good day!  The world is a better place - thanks to YOU!

Links:

• Child marriage statistics