Poverty is the number one reason hundreds of millions of children globally do not attend school. Yet education is the best pathway for breaking the cycle of poverty.
For every year a girl can stay in school, her earning potential as an adult soars by 20% — and her risk of unplanned pregnancy drops by 6%.
The data is clear: if our mission is to end poverty, we must ensure children — and especially girls — have access to education.
Helping girls in Sierra Leone stay in school
The odds are stacked against girls in Sierra Leone.
As a result, nearly 70% of women have no education at all. This greatly limits their incomes and their ability to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.
With your support, this year Lutheran World Relief launched a new pilot program to keep girls in school. Working closely with local government and school officials, we use innovative technology to monitor school attendance and identify girls at risk of dropping out.
Then, we provide small cash transfers each month so children can afford school fees, uniforms, supplies and other essentials. (The cash is conditional; in order for families to continue receiving support, their child must consistently attend class.) Then we address non-financial barriers by connecting girls and their families with health care, disability services, counseling and other support so they can better care for themselves.
In total, it costs about $348 to provide the opportunity for one vulnerable girl to stay in school for one academic year.
Early pilot program results
After its first school year, our approach is showing incredible promise in ensuring girls have a chance to learn.
We look forward to sharing more in-depth results as our team processes the data.
For the next phase of the program, our current goals are to:
- Ensure that each eligible girl currently active in the pilot is re-enrolled and has access to services she needs.
- Enroll another cohort of eligible girls, for a total of 2,000 supported.
Breaking the cycle together
Kadiatu Ibrahim Kamara and her mother Aminata M. Kamara in their school uniforms.
Kadiatu Ibrahim Kamara, 12, began receiving cash transfers this year after she was identified as having several risk factors for dropping out of school. One major challenge she faces is that her mother Aminata M. Kamara is only 23 years old.
The good news is Aminata believes in education — and she is setting a good example for her daughter. Aminata, who is pictured wearing her own school uniform, has re-enrolled in secondary school so that she can better provide for herself and Kadiatu.
Aminata and Kadiatu have walked a difficult road so far in life, and many challenges are ahead.
Fortunately, you are walking alongside them through your caring generosity. And there are hundreds of other children and families whose lives are being changed with each month you invest in them — and each month their knowledge grows.
