How long have children been sponsored through Develop Africa?
Develop Africa started its child sponsorship program in 2008 in an effort to connect kids In Africa with sponsors. The program provides a great opportunity for sponsors to build a relationship with the children they are sponsoring.  Kids and sponsors learn about each other, exchange letters, videos etc.

How many lives have been touched and what are their stories?
Since 2008, over 400 kids have been sponsored at one time or the other. Sponsors have sponsored for varying periods with the some sponsors being active for over 5 years. The primary impact that child sponsorship has made is enabling kids from an impoverished background to continue their education. Some of the families who are struggling economically are not in a position to cover all the school related expenses. In such instances, without the support of a sponsor, the parents would not be able to pay school fees or purchase uniforms etc.  The added burden of uniforms, school supplies etc. has made kids start school late or drop out of school completely.  Child sponsors have been an answer to prayer for many families – meeting a vital need and ensuring that kids are able to stay in school.

What is the distribution pattern of the lives being touched?
Children have been sponsored from several countries including Kenya, Cameroon, Gambia and Sierra Leone.  Currently the majority of kids are from the Sub-Saharan region of West Africa – primarily Sierra Leone, with a smaller number of kids in Cameroon and Gambia. Having a large number of kids sponsored in one area helps us keep our operating costs lower. Additionally we are also able to provide other services to the families – such as tailoring training through a vocational institute, after school classes/ coaching for the kids etc.

Per UNDP, Sierra Leone remains among the world’s poorest countries, ranking 180th out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index in 2011. Poverty remains widespread with more than 60% of the population living on less than US$ 1.25 a day and unemployment and illiteracy levels remain high, particularly among youth. http://www.sl.undp.org/content/sierraleone/en/home/countryinfo.html   

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Sierra Leone was reported at 48.43 % in 2015, according to the World Bank. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. 

Education is one of the priorities of the government and also of Develop Africa. In many instances, due to conflicting demands that families face, the education of children is given lower priority in terms of family needs.  In some instances to help ensure that the kids stay in school, we ensure that school needs are taking care of by directly paying for school fees, sewing uniforms / distribute school supplies etc.