Back to school
After a well-deserved break in August, our team returned to work last week and have been busy preparing for one of the most important days in our diary. Today is the first day of the new school year!
This morning, children and young people across Sierra Leone are putting on their uniforms and returning to the classroom to start the 2026/27 academic year.
Over the next year, we'll be working alongside almost 200 young mothers in Bo district as they pursue full-time formal education or vocational training, including six university scholars.
Whilst there will no doubt be a few butterflies, the general atmosphere is one of hope and anticipation. 'The girls are so excited,' says Ami, one of our social workers. 'They are even going around their community motivating other girls to go back to school too!'
Hawa, with her young son.
80 of the 200 young mothers have newly enrolled onto our programme this year. For many, this will be the first time they have set foot in a classroom in years, or ever.
They include 17-year-old Hawa, who has chosen to pursue a vocational training course in weaving. She has never been to school. She tells us, with sadness, that she often goes hungry and struggles to make ends meet. 'I want to empower myself so I can support my family,' she says, explaining why it's so important to her to learn a trade and earn.
For the past few months, Hawa has been attending weekly life skills and mentoring sessions with her cohort, alongside literacy and numeracy classes. The purpose of these sessions is fourfold: to build confidence and self-esteem, to teach practical skills, to build a support network of other young mothers, and to give them the tools to pursue their ambitions.
A weekly life skills session in action.
This is key to the success of our project. We don't just hand out uniforms and textbooks. We give young mothers the emotional support, the confidence and the network they need to reach their goals.
We wish the girls the best of luck with their learning, and can't wait to share stories of their progress with you over the coming school year.
In other news
A huge congratulations to Dr Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone, and to everyone behind the resolution passed at the United Nations last week. On 4 September, the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to establish 27 November as an International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. 'Today, the world has spoken with one voice: child, early, and forced marriage has no place in our societies,' said Dr Bio.
Approximately 30% of girls in Sierra Leone are married before their 18th birthday, and our team sadly see it first-hand frequently. Many of the girls we meet have been threatened with early marriage, which risks cutting their schooling short and leaving them exposed to poverty, isolation and violence. The government has made real strides, and in 2024 parliament set the legal age of marriage at 18 with no exceptions. But in a country so poor, a law alone doesn't remove the risk.
Massah was 17 when she left a marriage she had been forced into. She is now training as a hairdresser, and earning her own money.
Our holistic, long-term support gives young mothers and their families other options. Families who are supported to keep their daughters in school are far less likely to turn to child marriage as a way of coping, so removing financial barriers is key. Almost 100% of the young mothers on our programme remain in education, and since 2018 we've had no incident of a participant being forced out of the project or out of school to marry.
And for those who reach us after later, it isn't too late. Massah was 17 when our team met her, and had run away from a marriage she was forced into. She's now training as a hairdresser and earning her own money. 'Everything has changed through mentorship. Now I have courage.'
