Oct 17th was the International Day of Eradication of Poverty and education is a proven way to alleviate poverty and bring lasting change.

"To Educate Girls is to Reduce Poverty"- Kofi Annan

One of the girls your support has recently helped is Milicent who recently received school supplies and tuition support for this school year. She is starting Senior Secondary School (SSS) this year which is equivalent to high school. Her favorite subject is English and she would like to become a nurse when she completes school.

Today we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. This year's theme is "Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being" 

September 8th is International Literacy Day and it serves as a reminder of the work that remains to be done to ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to become literate. 

Girls' mentoring sessions are held throughout the year covering a multitude of topics. One topic was drug abuse and its effects, and to make it more interactive the girls were split into groups and were told to write their own play and then act out the skit on why youngsters resorted to taking drugs and how they could seek help if they were struggling with drugs.  

In the heart of Sierra Leone, a story of resilience and compassion unfolds at the Develop Africa Sierra Leone Office.  At the center of it all stands Theresa, whose journey from beneficiary to benefactor exemplifies the transformative power of support and education. 

Theresa learned about Develop Africa in 2015 when she became pregnant during the Ebola Outbreak.  Girls who were visibly pregnant were not allowed to go back to school.  To help with this, Develop Africa opened the Creating Pathways Centre, which was set up to help girls like Theresa.

Thomascias is a bright college student with dreams of becoming a Social Worker so that she can give back to the community that supported her in her times of need.  She has been a part of the Develop Africa Scholarship program since she was a little girl, and she is so thankful for the support she has received from donors like you that have enabled her to complete high school and now attend college. 

Thomascia expressed her gratitude to donors in this video. 

Elizabeth talks about what she learned at a recent health & wellness mentoring session, "Hello, my name is Elizabeth, a beneficiary of Develop Africa. In today’s mentoring program, I learned about health, nutrition, and exercise. I also learned that exercise helps us to sustain and improve our health. Also, I learned about a balanced diet; when we take in a balanced diet, we will be healthy, thank you."

Thank you for your continued support of girls' education.  Recently one of the Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) team interviewed Fanta, a young lady taking computer classes at the DASL Computer Lab. Below is the report from the field following Fana's interview-

As a young girl growing up in Sierra Leone, Fanta always dreamed of becoming a nurse. She studied hard and worked tirelessly, determined to make her dream a reality. Her dreams are getting closer and after writing her West African Senior Secondary Certificate Exam (WASSCE), she awaits her results.

Youth unemployment remains a challenge globally.  According to the International Labor Organization, the youth unemployment rate in Africa remains below the world average estimation in 2022.  Young people in Sierra Leone have faced the consequences of recent setbacks to the global economy.  It is in that regard that Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) organized a girls' mentoring session on designing slippers & headbands with beads.

As we celebrate International Women's Day, we reflect on some of the girls and women who have been empowered by your generous support with computer training, vocational training, and microfinance loans for small businesses in Sierra Leone.

We invite you to watch this video that shares stories of how your support has empowered these beneficiaries