Project Description

This project is implemented by CAUSE Kids and is in the second year of a multi-year, ongoing partnership with public schools in Sierra Leone—one of the most disadvantaged countries in the world (according to the UNDPHuman Development Index). Located in the Koinadugu District, the largest and poorest district in Sierra Leone, CAUSE Kids is supporting both quality formal education and proper nutrition for children. The community requires support to keep the schools functional. CAUSE Canada believes that with the right tools, people have the determination and intelligence to overcome their challenges and break the cycle of poverty. Addressing the second Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education, CAUSE Kids is a program that provides access to education for both children and their families.  Research and experience shows us that formal (ie. school-based) education is one of the most effective strategies for creating health and prosperity in a country.

Currently in Sierra Leone, only 41% of children get to attend primary school. This means that the average child will grow up to be illiterate and unable to benefit from the opportunities that formal education provides. This project gives people the opportunity to support Sierra Leonean students and be part of a proven solution to poverty.

The CAUSE Kids program comprehensively supports over 1000 students in three schools. Amongst other proactive and innovative initiatives, the program provides nutrition and health programs, uniforms, school supplies and teacher training. CAUSE Kids also works with other CAUSE programs to give their families access to literacy, health, agriculture and microcredit programs. 

Mothers of attending students will also have access to literacy training, which will enable them to assist their children with studies. More importantly, the training will give these women new confidence and allow them access to better employment opportunities. In turn, this will provide a chance to become more effective leaders, business people and care-givers in both their homes and greater community.

CAUSE Kids is committed to building a legacy of education, opportunity and justice in Sierra Leone.

Update from the field: April 2011

The CAUSE Kids mandate is to provide quality education for students in the CAUSE Kids schools and the 2010-11 school year has been the most successful to date. CAUSE Kids has been able to maintain the payment of monthly stipends to thirty seven teachers in five CAUSE Kids schools thanks to ongoing support from our sponsors and UEnd donors. Each year, more teachers enrolled in the Distance Education Program that ends with a Teaching Certificate. Participation in informal workshops is enthusiastic and the Ministry of Education is working with UNICEF to offer teachers as many opportunities as possible to receive training in the Student Centered Teaching Method, Improved Teaching Methodologies, peace education through the Student Government Program and other areas of professional development.

While CAUSE Kids is pleased to invest in the heroic teachers of Sierra Leone, we know that the primary beneficiaries are the students. They are receiving a better quality of education, improved nutrition, health monitoring and access to medical care. Every teacher wants to serve his or her students to the best of their ability, but this can be overshadowed by the pressing needs of daily life. The financial and professional support offered by the stipends and the CAUSE Kids program are helping to change this reality.

 

Update from the field: September 2010

CAUSE Koindadugu Operations Map

Update from the field: August 2010

Although schools are on holidays, there has been plenty of activity at CAUSE Kids this summer. Teachers received training at the end of last semester in the effective use of textbooks in the classroom. Our 20 Peer Literacy trainers began receiving computer classes at the ILC and 7 new recruits just finished training for the coming year. CAUSE Canada has been active in encouraging these young teachers – themselves students in High School – pursue a career in teaching. Through generous support, CAUSE is able to support young women interested in becoming teachers. Six out of eleven teachers from our CAUSE Kids schools who are pursuing a Distance Education Course held here in Kabala graduated at the end of last academic year. Although many teachers in the school system have little or no training, CAUSE Kids is helping promote training courses to enhance the level of education the students are receiving.

Update from the field: May 2010

Monthly stipends, job security, a supportive working environment and professional development have brought teacher morale in CAUSE Kids schools to its highest point in years. CAUSE Kids wants education to become a community priority and we know that teachers are taking hold of this vision because more and more of them are signing up for our Distance Education Program and ongoing workshops.  Distance Education means that volunteer teachers (who receive no salary and depend on their communities for support) can obtain their teaching certificates through correspondence. Workshops improve the skills of certified teachers and demonstrate a belief in the importance of educators. Thank you for prioritizing the teachers and students in rural Koinadugu, Sierra Leone.

Update from the field: November 2009
CAUSE Kids is very happy to be partnering with more schools, thanks to supporters such as Uend. We are now working with 38 teachers in five CAUSEKids schools (compared to 23 teachers in three schools last year). All the teachers are receiving professional support and we will be offering our new teachers the same stipend that our current teachers receive as of January 2010. We are pleased to see that we have had no turnover in teaching staff as the stipends we provide, added to the small salary provided by the government, have made working in a school a sustainable living.
All of the teachers attended a workshop in Nov that focused on developing the phonetic abilities of their students, part of a determined initiative to balance improved and sustained enrolment with better quality education. We know that our teachers want their students to be successful and professional development is one of the best ways we can support them as they struggle with large class sizes and minimal teachings and learning resources. Five teachers are enrolled in a Teaching Certificate Program and we are taking applications from teachers who still require this accreditation.

One of the most satisfying benefits of providing teacher support is that we can encourage the employment of female teachers who are under-represented in this field in Sierra Leone. We held our first student government elections in May this year and noted a high number of girls elected to the different roles; it is not likely a coincidence that these results occurred at schools where female teachers are championed as role models. Add to this our Peer Literacy Program, in which secondary school girls tutor younger students in phonetic use and basis reading skills and one has a strong sense of female empowerment.

We thank our teachers and all of the staff who work in the CAUSE Kids schools. Together, they distribute nutritious meals, monitor student health, make sure that everyone has a new uniform and shoes twice a year, offer support to peer tutors and student government leaders, work with students in the school gardens and liaise with parents and community members. Thank you as well for choosing to support these heroic people and the children they serve.

Update from the Field: April 2009
With help from Christmas Future, CAUSE Kids has been supporting 23 primary-teacher’s wages over the last two years. Many teachers in Sierra Leone are volunteers, and those who are paid by the government get an average of $40-$60 a month. The extra funding we give these teachers allows them to support their families and stay in the teaching profession (as opposed to finding other more lucrative jobs). It is also a great encouragement as the teachers feel their efforts are valued by people as far away as Canada! Dusuba Conteh is one such teacher that we are proud to work with. Mrs. Conteh teaches grade one where she instructs over 100 students from several villages in her classroom. Extra wages have allowed her to support her three young children and has encouraged her to stay as a teacher despite challenging conditions. Dusuba is also recognized as a role model in her community to young girls who see her as an educated woman who is able to have a career and support her family. We are also very proud of Dusuba as this year she will officially get her teaching certificate from a Sierra Leone college. CAUSE Kids also supports teachers in furthering their education so that they can be better teachers. We would like to congratulate Mrs. Conteh on this achievement, thank her for all her hard work and also thank all of you who are encouraging her along the way!