Sport & Development

Sport has been widely recognised as a positive force for social change. The love of sport can be harnessed to encourage education and improve health whilst reducing poverty.

It can serve to promote rights, by empowering women and girls and those living with disabilities. It can also help to prevent conflict by reversing the social exclusion felt by young people that can breed violence.

 

Why Sierra Leone?

Sierra Leone is a small country (the size of Wales) located on the west coast of Africa. Though rich in fertile land and natural resources, it is one of the poorest counties in the world. A brutal civil war between 1991 and 2002 left the country devastated. After 10 years of peace, life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 48 years (18 below the global average) and the likelihood of a woman dying in childbirth is greater than anywhere on the planet (UNDP 2010).

Considerably less than half of the population are literate, with adults averaging less than 3 years schooling each. Despite government efforts since the war, with less than 45% of children currently attending school, this is unlikely to change. The vast majority of these go to primary school, as it is now compulsory and free, while access to secondary school remains very limited as fees are out of reach for most families.

 

Social Development & Peacebuilding

Although the conflict is over, recovery has been challenging and many of the root causes of the decade-long fighting are still present. Most urgent among these is the exclusion of youth from education and employment opportunities.

Sierra Leone has a very young population, with children accounting for over 40% of the country’s 6 million population. A further 35% are classified as youth – currently 70% of young people in Sierra Leone are unemployed. Many of them grew up during the war and are unprepared to make the transition into sustainable livelihoods.

We believe that access to secondary education for all young people is a vital element of peaceful development. Education is essential to finding a way out of poverty and a meaningful place for youth in society. The is why we focus on using education to  empower a new generation to change their own and their communities’ lives for the better.