
Law Business Research provides the funding for us to provide a free quality primary education to disadvantaged girls living in the local community of Swawou. We do this in a child friendly environment where the rights and needs of the girls are at the heart of everything we do.
Our unique features include
Free primary education
Secure and clean facilities
Each girl is provided with uniforms and learning materials
A nutritious, hot school lunch every day
Zero tolerance on corporal punishment
Involvement of families and the community in school management and decision making
Why we do it
Access to education is a fundamental human right, yet in Sierra Leone almost a quarter of primary school aged children do not attend school. In a country where 70% live on under US$1.25 (£0.80) a day, poverty remains the number one barrier to gaining an education.
For those children that do attend school, learning conditions remain challenging. Cramped, overcrowded classrooms, poorly trained teachers, corporal punishment and lack of adequate learning materials all hinder the quality of education received.
Girls face additional challenges, including sexual harassment. Uneducated girls are more at risk than boys of becoming marginalised. They are more likely to be forced into early marriage and motherhood and less likely to have a voice in the social and political realities which influence the quality of their daily lives.
Educating girls is essential to the productivity, health and development of Sierra Leone. It not only empowers a generation of girls and women, but also helps to break cycles of poverty and results in raised income, healthier and smaller families, and communities that are more proactive in their development.