Free Education Sensitization Project.

Project status: completed
Location: kissy, Freetown.

Project Summary:
In early September this year, the President declared tuition-free education for all primary and secondary school kids attending government-owned or sponsored schools across the country.
This very important landmark declaration is aimed to boost education and empower citizens as promised in the government’s manifesto.
However, this declaration was met with either ignorance or deliberate political sabotage that was creating a huge misunderstanding of the school kid parents and even the teachers. False rumors contrary to the President’s declaration were been circulated around making it difficult especially for the illiterate parents to make a decision as to what is to be real.
In light with the challenges highlighted above, YARDO-SL as a youth led development organization took a grassroot approach to mobilize and educate relevant stakeholders in the education section of the Kissy and Wellington communities about the packages of the free education.
This 2-week project brought together community leaders, parents, pupils, teachers and youths to discuss and analyze the free education package. During the engagement meetings, the YARDO-SL team rightly presented to the citizens everything they need to know about the free education package as well as encouraging everyone present to put politics aside and embrace the free education package for better of their kids and Sierra Leone as whole.
One parent was quick to eye mark the essence of this YARDO-SL initiative as she spotted the difference between the real package and false package been rumored around.
During the meeting at Ngo Town, the youth chairman, Mr Bakarr Conteh praised YARDO-SL stating that seeing a group of young people committed to help push Salone forward always make him proud to be a youth. He was particularly impressed that the YARDO-SL team tried to reach out to a marginalized rural community like theirs.