Allowing Secondary Education for Girls in Sierra Leone
Project location: SIERRA LEONE
Project start date: July 2017 -
Project end date: December 2019
Project number: 2017-042
Beneficiary: Street Child Of Sierra Leone
The goal of this project, which received a grant from the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, is to create adequate conditions within families, communities and schools, in order for girls to gain a quality education in a "girl friendly" environment. Also we will contribute to raising awareness about the importance of gender equality in education. The project will target school-age girls in urban areas whose physical or socio-economical condition hinder or threaten their access to education and the successful completion of school. Experienced social workers and business officers will provide monitoring and business support, in conjunction with a grant to allow families to become economically self-sufficient.
Social workers will work with the families of 20 teenage mothers, providing business grants to ensure that the child returns to school. They will identify 70 primary school-age and 70 secondary school-age girls currently out of school or at risk of dropping out. The project is will start at the beginning of the 2017 school year. Beneficiary selection and school enrolment will be in August/September. A final assessment of girls retained in education will be conducted at the end of the academic year. Street Child aims to bridge the educational gap by reducing the barriers that lead to girls dropping out of education. Interventions such as family business grants and tailored counselling will target these barriers and give the vulnerable girls the best change to gain a quality education.