Thanks in part to your support, another boy’s mentoring session was held at the end of January on Drug and Substance Abuse. The goal of the mentoring session was to educate the Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) mentees on drug abuse and its effects and to raise awareness of the high prevalence of drug abuse in the Country.  Fifteen boys attended the mentoring session. All mentees received provisions (corn flasks, milk, and sugar) as take-home packages. In addition, the mentees received transportation and lunch at the end of the mentoring session.

Mentoring sessions empower future leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to counter stereotypes and obstacles and it helps them become motivated and more confident.   Thanks in part to your support, mentoring sessions have made an impact over the past year. We asked mentees what they learned this past year in mentoring sessions.   Ibrahim, Nathaniel, and Frederick tell us in this video one of the things they learned from last year's mentoring sessions.

Thanks in part to donor support, another girl’s mentoring session was held at the end of January on Drug and Substance Abuse.  In 2022, Sierra Leone was identified by OSIWA as one of the major gateways in West Africa for Cocaine trafficking. A report published by OSIWA in 2022 similarly indicated that a series of drugs (tramadol, Pampas, Marijuana, and Tobacco, among others) are taken by youths in vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone. 

This past month, forty-five (25 girls and 20 boys) beneficiaries participated in an inter-mentoring debating competition about whether or not formal education is the key to personal success.  The goal of the debating competition was to improve beneficiaries' research and public speaking skills and to shed light on formal education and personal success.

In December, an inter-mentoring debating competition was held on the topic “formal education is the key to personal success”. Forty-five (25 girls and 20 boys) beneficiaries attended the event.

Mattia is studying to become an engineer at Milton Margai College of Education & Technology and attends the boys mentoring programs that started in 2022 thanks in part to GlobalGiving donors like you.   He tells what he learned at a mentoring session that covered smart thinking and leadership.

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.  

The mentoring program took 47 students (28 girls & 19 boys) on a field trip to York Village. Thanks in part to your support, each attendee received a take-home package of cornflakes, 1 roll of powder milk, one packet of sugar, and packets of biscuits. Transportation and lunch were also provided to the beneficiaries.