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.

We greatly appreciate your ongoing support for girls’ education in Sierra Leone. Thanks to you, more girls are getting the computer training they need for success in today's technology-driven environment, like Marian & Augusta.

Marian & Augusta benefitted from computer classes on Microsoft Office at the Develop Africa Sierra Leone Computer Lab in Freetown. 

Augusta & Marian were both very thankful for the computer training and said-

We are so thankful for the continued support to help build a nursery school in Kamawornie.  

In early 2022, we started construction of a 3-classroom block. The roofing and the building have been completed. You can see photos of the building process in this album.

On January 24th we celebrated the International Day of Education with the theme being To invest in people, prioritize education.

Education is a proven way to alleviate poverty and bring lasting change. 

This year's theme for the International Day of Education (January 24th) is “to invest in people, prioritize education”.   Education is a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility.- https://www.unesco.org/en/days/education

One of the ways educational support is provided to future leaders is through vocational training.  This provides crucial training in marketable skills, which are vital for poverty reduction, economic recovery, and sustainable development.  Thanks in part to your support, Musa recently started his second year of vocational school for electrical engineering. 

Musa sent this video of gratitude for the educational support he's received saying 

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.

Thank you for your support towards empowering and educating girls in Africa with girls' mentoring sessions.  Mentoring helps girls go through challenging life transitions, including dealing with stressful changes at home, critical decision-making, problem-solving, and transitioning to adulthood. 

Finda & Mariama talk about what they learned at a girls' mentoring session on peer pressure in this video.

We are delighted to share with you that Develop Africa is a 2023 Top-ranked organization, a Vetted organization, and Effective Organization on GlobalGiving.

We are very thankful for the opportunity to be an active member of the GlobalGiving community.  GlobalGiving provides tremendous access to learning opportunities, new donors, and committed recurring donors.

Happy New Year! Mishael is starting off the new year in college thanks to generous #yearend support.  

Mishael is so thankful that he is starting college and sent this video of appreciation saying

Hello, my name is Mishael, a beneficiary of Develop Africa. I want to say a very big thank you for the tuition fees you have provided me with in order to further my education. Happy New Year!