New School for Kambawama
Kambawama is a rural village in the southern part of Sierra Leone. Last year, the village experienced a devastating fire that displaced over 100 people. Through providing aid to this village, Programme for Children became aware of the severe need for educational opportunity for the children in this community. The chiefs, women’s leaders and other stakeholders approached Programme for Children and requested a junior secondary school. The nearest JSS to Kambawama and the two nearby villages was a 6-8 mile walk each direction. Because of the long distance, girls especially were suffering from lack of educational opportunity. Eight girls last year experienced early marriage or teen pregnancy, ending their education.
In April, Schools for Salone was awarded a grant by the students of the University of Washington Social Justice Through Philanthropy class, made possible through the Philanthropy Lab and Global Washington. The students awarded Schools for Salone $35,000 to build the school in Kambawama. Thanks to these students, the 230 JSS-age students in and around Kambawama will be able to continue their education.
In mid-June, two students from the class went on to represent UW and Schools for Salone at the Philanthropy Lab conference in Texas. At the conference, these students won an additional $25,000 grant to build the water well, latrines, and handwashing stations in Kambawama, as well as reproductive health education for all SfS network schools in the 2019-2020 school year. Thank you!
Construction is well on its way in Kambawama. The walls are up and the school will be complete in plenty of time for the new school year.
GiveBIG Classrooms Under Construction
On May 8th, generous donors collectively gave $40,000 to build additional classrooms for two overcrowded schools, one in Kandor and the other in Masanga. Kandor and Masanga are two of the earliest schools we built. Having access to education has increased the demand for school in these communities and the original buildings can no longer accommodate all the children who want to go to school. The generosity of GiveBIG donors completely funded two new classrooms for both of these communities!
Our incredible partners, Programme for Children, have broken ground at Kandor for the new classrooms and are planning to start construction in Masanga soon! Both sets of classrooms will be ready for students by the time school starts in September.
Menstruation Kit Special
In May, Schools for Salone and Programme for Children discounted the price of the menstruation kits produced by our team of wonderful tailors in Sierra Leone in honor of Menstrual Hygiene Day. The goal was to make this life-changing resource available to more women and girls across Sierra Leone and establish collaborations with other organizations working with women and girls. The response to this program was enthusiastic. We sold over 2,000 menstruation kits to NGOs doing crucial work with women and girls across the country. This special subsidy was made possible by generous donors. Because of their generosity, over 2,000 women and girls are receiving menstrual hygiene tools that will empower them to achieve their dreams.
Njomborhun Almost Complete
The junior secondary school in Njomborhun is almost complete! This community has been in need of educational opportunity for their children. Before Mona Foundation funded the construction of a junior secondary school, children who wanted to continue their education past primary school had to walk eight miles each way to the nearest school or live away from home. Both options presented dangers to students, and many chose instead to stop their education after primary school. This left girls vulnerable to pregnancy and early marriage. Now that the school is almost complete, the community, especially the children, are so excited for the opportunity this school offers. Students now can envision a future where they can continue to go to school, achieve their dreams, and lift their communities. The school will be done in time for the new school year!
