Haja, Finda & Elizabeth talk about what they learned at a girls' mentoring session on Leadership and Smart Thinking in this video.

My name is Haja,  a beneficiary of Develop Africa. For today’s girls mentoring I learned a lot and the topic was leadership and smart thinking. These two work together because when you are a smart thinker you can be a good leader. 

In June 2022, the DASL program team facilitated a Lego project pilot; two sessions were organized (June 18^th & June 25^th) for ten young ladies using the 5 Legos Mindstorms sets purchased and shipped to Sierra Leone thanks in part to generous donors like you. 

Thanks in part to your support, another girl’s mentoring session was held at the end of May on Leadership and Smart Thinking. The goal of the mentoring session was to discuss adolescent leadership and smart thinking and to teach the girls essential problem-solving tips.  Thirty-four young ladies between the ages of 10-20 years old in Freetown attended the mentoring session. Food and transportation money was provided to all participants.  

Thanks to your ongoing support of girls' education, 100 girls at the FAWE School, an all-girl school, received notebooks to use in class.   A total of 624 notebooks were distributed to the pupils present ranging from class 1 to class 5.  

During the distribution, the girls were grateful for the notebooks they were receiving.  A senior teacher at FAWE said-

One of the ways educational support is provided to young ladies is through vocational training.  This provides crucial training in marketable skills, which are vital for poverty reduction, economic recovery, and sustainable development.  

One of the major struggles for school-going students in Sierra Leone is studying at home. Some lack literate adults to guide them in studying, and some lack the materials or the study-friendly atmosphere. Some students live in less privileged homes and communities and have no proper place to study and do their homework. Sometimes these students will sit on the floor or on rocks outside the home, but this is not an effective way to study. 

The March girls' mentoring session covered the topic of adolescence and relationships. Thirty-two young ladies between the ages of 10-20 years old in Freetown attended the mentoring session.   The goal of the mentoring session was to discuss adolescence, reproduction, and relationships.  Each girl received a Growth and Changes Booklet, sanitary pads, toothpaste, soap, and vaseline.  Transportation and lunch were also provided to the girls. 

Thank you for your support towards empowering and educating girls in Africa, like Marian.  Marian is truly thankful for the support she is receiving. She tells us in her video-

International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th each year.  International Women's Day celebrates women and this year UN says "This International Women's Day, let's claim 'Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow'."