It is widely agreed upon that a sure way to 'development' for any nation is through education and Sierra Leone is no exception. But what if the school in your community is nothing more than a makeshift shack, or a delepatated collapsing building with no desks, no tables, and no books...chances are the floor is made of dirt, and the roof leaks in the rainy season, reducing your classroom to a giant mud pit. This tragic situation is one of the biggest challenges facing communities across Sierra Leone in providing their children an opportunity to attend school.
The 1991-2002 Civil War left over 1200 schools destroyed across Sierra Leone. While the past 10 years has seen the government address certain accessibility issues little has been done in terms of rebuilding school infrastructure. When education is understood as a basic human right like food and shelter it becomes obvious to the observer that in Sierra Leone education is still a privilege. With over 70% of the country living on less than $1/day and struggling to meet their basic needs, education becomes a mere afterthought. Often, large families will only have the chance to send some of their children to school and it is usually the boys - this leaves many girls without the ability to go to school. However, even when these challenges are overcome access to education in a community means very little if there is no proper school for the students to attend.
Knowing this, where can we begin? Well, we can help by building schools and fixing schools. We can create a space of learning and make universal education possible for the people of Sierra Leone. Everyone deserves to go to a school they can learn in, be empowered in and develop the skills that will make them our leaders of tomorrow.
The 1991-2002 Civil War left over 1200 schools destroyed across Sierra Leone. While the past 10 years has seen the government address certain accessibility issues little has been done in terms of rebuilding school infrastructure. When education is understood as a basic human right like food and shelter it becomes obvious to the observer that in Sierra Leone education is still a privilege. With over 70% of the country living on less than $1/day and struggling to meet their basic needs, education becomes a mere afterthought. Often, large families will only have the chance to send some of their children to school and it is usually the boys - this leaves many girls without the ability to go to school. However, even when these challenges are overcome access to education in a community means very little if there is no proper school for the students to attend.
Knowing this, where can we begin? Well, we can help by building schools and fixing schools. We can create a space of learning and make universal education possible for the people of Sierra Leone. Everyone deserves to go to a school they can learn in, be empowered in and develop the skills that will make them our leaders of tomorrow.
Education has the power to raise a Nation and it begins one brick at a time...
Currently, Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is helping re-build two schools in the communities of:
- Jimi - which hosts over 200 students in a run-down school
- Senehun - which hosts over 175 students in a shack
For more information or to see how you can help please go to: www.khadarlis.org
