We’re halfway through our flagship Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project aimed at addressing the education crisis and removing barriers for out-of-school children in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. In partnership with the Education Above All Foundation (EAA)’s  Educate A Child program,  we’ve spent the last two years enrolling marginalized elementary-aged children in education through social work, economic support for families, and school construction/refurbishment.

Thanks to our fantastic local partners, we’ve made significant strides toward our goal of providing access to elementary education to 96,000 children. By June 2024, more than 48,600 children had been enrolled in school through EFECT across all three countries, achieving 50.7% of our target! The 97% retention rate of the 16,800 children enrolled during the project’s first year indicates that our approach – engaging families and addressing major barriers to education – is effectively keeping children in school. 

Building the Foundations for Change 

For children to access a quality elementary education, they need safe and reliable schools. That’s why EFECT has prioritized building schools and Temporary Learning Centers in conflict-affected areas. In Year 2, we constructed 20 new schools—19 in Sierra Leone and 1 in Liberia—each with three classrooms. These schools will provide education for more than 1,600 children who previously had no access to schooling.  

Additionally, we began refurbishing 46 classrooms in government schools across Nigeria. This not only enhances the learning environment for current students but also helps out-of-school children transition back into education through the government’s Accelerated Learning Program. 

The Accelerated Learning Program offers a flexible, condensed curriculum to help children catch up on missed lessons and overall learning, which is especially vital in north east Nigeria, where the ongoing 13-year conflict has severely disrupted education. Over the past year, we trained 100 more teachers, who are volunteers from the community, in this government-approved model, helping marginalized children re-enter formal education. 

Ensuring lasting impact 

One of EFECT’s main goals is to ensure that families are able to afford the cost of education beyond the program’s end date.  

That’s where our Family Business for Education program comes in. Over the past year, we’ve trained more than 7,800 caregivers in business skills and given cash grants to help them generate steady income for schooling. As a result, 92.5% of families reported being better able to afford education, proving the program’s effectiveness in creating lasting change. 

Our community-wide support has also helped 35 communities in Sierra Leone and 16 in Liberia start agricultural projects like seed banks and communal gardens. These projects aim to provide sustainable income for new schools until government funding kicks in to cover maintenance costs.  

What’s next for EFECT? 

As we move into Year 3 of the EFECT project, we aim to enroll 31,000 more children. Our focus remains not only on providing children with access to education but making sure they stay there. We’ll keep building on our successes, using this momentum to identify and support more out-of-school children through social, economic, and infrastructural support. 

Every classroom built, teacher trained, and caregiver supported brings us one step closer to a future where every child is safe, in school, and learning. 

Data reflects updates from the EFECT program as of July 2024 and may be subject to change as the program progresses.