In partnership with the Education Above All Foundation’s Educate A Child (EAC) program, EFECT is supporting 96,000 vulnerable elementary-school-aged children in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia to realize their right to a quality education.
Our first year was focused on establishing relationships with local communities, building schools, training teachers, identifying families and enrolling children in school — many for the first time ever. Now we are starting to see the results of these efforts, which are making a lasting impact on thousands of children and their families.
A remarkable 97% of the 16,800 children we enrolled in year one across the three countries have been retained in elementary education, which speaks to our efforts to ensure children stay in school and continue learning in the long-term.
In Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency continues to interrupt children’s access to education, leaving many with gaps in their learning. As part of EFECT, Street Child has established 50 temporary-learning centers in Nigeria; these are non-formal learning environments where children can catch up on the lessons they’ve missed before transitioning back to formal education. Of the 4,200 children we enrolled into temporary learning centers, 100% successfully completed their qualifying exams and have transitioned into formal school!
In West Africa, poverty is one of the main barriers to education, as caregivers are often unable to afford school fees for their children. EFECT is focused on creating lasting, sustainable change for communities, so children can continue going to school well beyond the project’s life cycle. To achieve this, one component of EFECT includes supporting caregivers with business training and grants to earn enough income to invest in their children’s education.
Of the more than 3,700 caregivers who received business grants in year one, 97% met their savings targets and have profitable, thriving businesses! These businesses include selling food items and clothing, as well as hairdressing. The low dropout rate of caregivers highlights the positive impact of EFECT’s holistic model, which responds to social and poverty barriers at the household level.
Our team is showing no signs of slowing down, as we work towards EFECT’s core objective of reaching 96,000 elementary-age children across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. For the remainder of this year we will continue building upon the foundations set in year one.
We have mapped over 100 new communities where we will start building or renovating classrooms and temporary learning centers. Over 230 teachers will participate in training, so they are able to begin working in the new/renovated classrooms once construction is complete. More than 36,000 out-of-school children across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria are primed to enter school this year, while a further 6,000 caregivers will begin participating in the business grants initiative.
As we move forward, our team is filled with renewed determination from the results we’re already seeing. With each step, we’re inching closer to a future in which quality education becomes a reality for thousands of children.