School sponsorship programme, improves Educational performance of vulnerable children in Kori Chiefd

Movement towards Education and Youth Empowerment-Sierra Leone (MEYE-SL) in August, 2017 conducted a two days baseline data collection survey on (Out of School Children) in seven (7) villages, Kwella, Foya-wulleh, Largo-kawema, Toobu, Njolorhun, Mogbodo, Mambayema, Konibortihun in Kori Chiefdom, Moyamba District. After compiling and analyzing of all data collected, we came to realize that there are many school age children that are out of school, even though very few of the children attend school and even worse off many of the girls never complete their primary school education before they are forcefully married out. This makes them feel inferior to others and lead to their dropping out of school to engage in violence, prostitution, arm robbery, alcoholism and misuse of drugs.

Through this a child school sponsorship program was initiated which started with ten (10) vulnerable children out of the fifty (50) vulnerable children that were targeted. The initiative supported them with access to school and learning materials and frequent follow up monitoring to help track their progress towards their education and work closely with structures like the School Management Committees SMCs, Teachers, parents in raising awareness and supporting the model of child friendly education system more especially girls in Kori Chiefdom. This action was as a result of fulfilling the organization commitment in working towards Sustainable Development Goal four (4) and thus the successful implementation of a planned school sponsorship project.

By the end of 2016/2017 academic year, the project beneficiaries were evaluated to know their impact in the programme. Out of the ten (10) beneficiaries that were selected for the 2016/2017 academic year, upon evaluation after a year the organization was able to build a success stories of three (3) of the selected beneficiaries who have created huge impact to the success of the project.

Bashiru Kovoma, is a 12years old boy. He lives together with four other grandchildren with their 78yrs grandmother in a small village called Foya-wulleh, Kori Chiefdom. Bashiru is attending the Ansarul Islamic Primary School at Foya-Wulleh, Kori Chiefdom and he was in class four (4) when he became admitted into the school sponsorship programme for 2016/2017 academic year. Bashiru has been engage into coal burning with his other siblings to help sustain their old grandmother who is 76 years old.

Bashiru Kovoma lack access to most of basic learning materials to go school like uniform, shoe, bag, and even decent notebooks despite to talk of textbooks. He used to wear his daily home dress to go school with no decent shoes, no bags etc. He was barely having no external support as he only survives from his coal burning with his siblings through the help of God.

Bashiru, been selected as beneficiaries in the school sponsorship programme was like a dream come true for Bashiru, as it has helped to boost his hopes and performance towards education. Upon evaluation of her 2016/2017 academic record this helps to prove the excellent performance of Bashiru in school as she was able to take up a double promotion which took home from class four to class six. The recent performance of Bashiru have made his teachers and his communities and family to grow much interest towards his education as they now allow him to be having time to study and Bashiru has grown much passion for his school work.

Bashiru is an 8years old boy and is residing with her single mother at Kawella, Kori Chiefdom. He have two brothers and one sister and they are all staying with their single mother who has been engage in subsistence farming for their livelihood. Bashiru used to attend school in their last community they use to stay, but since they relocated to their new village which is Kawella Village, Bashiru stopped going to school because her single mother cannot sponsor him together with his other siblings to school. As such only his elder brother who is 12 years old by then was going to school as Bashiru and his other siblings has to follow their mother to the farm to help sustain their family.

Bashiru was selected to be part of the school sponsorship project as to regards of his vulnerability status. Bashiru and her mom was so happy about his selection to be part the school sponsorship support programme as they saw the programme as a life changing opportunity for Bashiru and the family. Upon selection the organization started by registering him in a school called (Moyamba District Education Committee Primary School at Kawella) and he was place in class two.

The organization further helped in supporting him with access to school materials like a set of uniform, a pair of shoe, a school bag, a dozen of notebooks, a dozen pens, and pencils. The project team have also been helping Bashiru with counseling, effective monitoring and motivation towards his education.

After the 2016/2017 academic year evaluation we came to realize that Bashiru was such a potential deprive of some basic social amenities to help him in relinquishing his true potential. Been in the programme has really helped Bashiru as he was able to take up the 1st positon in class two to class three and his aspirations and passion for education have been motivate so much to the extent that he has enough time to study now, do his assignment and also goes to school always as he has all the affordable materials to go to school.

Eva Lavalie a 6years old girl, with four brothers and two sisters whom were all staying with their single widow mother at Toobu village, Kortiyai Section in Kori chiefdom. She is attending the Moyamba District Education Committee Primary School at Kawella and was in class two. She usually walk to school every morning, that’s she has to walk with other colleagues two miles to go school and two miles to return from school and they have to cross through three streams of rivers to access their school. Eva lack access to most of the basic learning materials, simply because her poor mother, who is a subsistence farmer and she cannot meet all the needs of Eva and her six siblings she is only engaged in subsistence farming for their livelihood. Eva was selected to be part of our school sponsorship project as to regards of her vulnerability status.

These problems have been leading to the poor performance of Eva in school as the mother was even planning to let her drop out of school to be joining her siblings to the farm. Through the intervention of the school sponsorship programme, Eva was successfully selected to be part of the school sponsorship programme. Been in the programme has really helped to steer the hope and aspirations of Eva as her performance in school increased greatly.

Upon evaluation of her 2016/2017 academic record this helps to prove the excellent performance of Eva in school as she was able to take up 4th in class two to promote to class three and her interest, hope and passion for education have been increase as she now has time to study, goes to school frequently and also participate in her school work actively.