Secondary school aged girls living in Sierra Leone, particularly in the Eastern Province, face an uphill battle to complete basic education and therefore transform their life prospects. Primary schools in the region are chronically under-resourced and are unable to prepare children to transition into secondary school. The students who are able to take the next step face economic barriers, with their families struggling to cover the associated costs. Nearly a quarter of children in Eastern Sierra Leone never finish primary school, and even more leave without being able to read or write.

Street Child has been working against the dire education indicators in the Eastern Province since October 2008, and through our partnership will expand its programme to support 40 primary schools and 1,000 plus families.

Primary schools will be transformed into productive learning spaces through renovations and teacher training, girls will be supported to enrol into secondary school with extra support including counselling and materials, and their families will be empowered to keep them in school through Street Childs Family Business for Education model.

Of the £1 million target, £500,000 will be spent in Sierra Leone.

Additional funding raised will be used on an 'opportunity for impact basis, to leverage other funding or respond to under-resourced situations. Street Childs belief is that every child deserves to be safe, in school and learning.

Children who are denied access to a basic education miss out on all the benefits that learning confers, including increases in income earning and employment, enhanced gender equality and improved health and hygiene. Education also results in increased participation in democratic processes and a better understanding of climate-conscious practices, including how to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

Street Child currently works in 16 countries across Africa and South Asia where children are least likely to be safe, in school and learning, and works to establish the family circumstances and educational institutions that enable children to flourish. From 2021-2024, Street Child pledges to make a meaningful, material contribution to increase safety, access to schooling and learning for a million children, and to make multiplier investments in the capacities and contributions of its partners to reach millions more.