Reviving hope among vulnerable girls through education

Kambia – Thirteen-year-old Wullamatu's face brightens up as she sets foot into the courtyard of Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood School at Rokupr Village in the Northern West district of Kambia. For a young girl who usually looks shy, afraid, and withdrawn, this welcome change in her countenance reflects the hope that a good education will change her story.

From an early age, Wullamatu has suffered a lot of setbacks and her academic path has often been disrupted. At the age of eight years, Wullamatu’ s left arm had to be amputated after an injury which she sustained during play, became septic. Her family did not have money for her to get immediate medical care.

She would have wished for the companionship, love, and support of her parents during this traumatic experience, but sadly, both her mother and father passed away within in that same year. For more than a year, she was unable to go back to school as she recovered from the amputation and later had to adjust to a new life of living with her uncle Mohamed, in a household which had nine other children.

“It was difficult year for me as I tried to come to terms with losing an arm and both parents. I also missed my friends a lot because I was not going to school for a long time and I could not see them,” says Wullamatu, as she explains how these events affected her life.

“It took a long time for me to get back to school, and when I eventually did, I only had a torn uniform to put on and had no bag to carry my books,” says Wullamatu, as she explains some of the challenges she faced as she returned to school. “I also found it very difficult to fit in at school. Because I only had one arm, I could not do many of the things that other children were doing – this made me feel sad and left out.”

Across Sierra Leone, access to education is often affected by social and economic stumbling blocks, which include poverty and orphanhood. Disability is another barrier to girls’ education in Sierra Leone and many girls like Wullamatu end up hiding in the shadows, afraid to associate with their peers. According to the National Assessment of Out-Of-School Children in Sierra Leone, 2016 a total of 218,294 girls (184,713 in primary school; 33,581 in JSS) of school-going age are said to be out of school.

Despite these setbacks, Wullamatu is determined to continue her education so that she pursues a career as a Bank Manager in her adult life. This goal is achievable for Wullamatu, with thanks to the support she is receiving under the Accelerating Girls’ Empowerment (AGE) in Sierra Leone, a project which is allowing girls to enjoy their right to education.

With funding from the Swedish Committee for UNICEF, UNICEF in Sierra Leone, together with a local partner, Development Initiative Programme are providing girls like Wullamatu with an essential school kit, which contains new uniforms, shoes, and a backpack to support their reintegration into school.

Engagement with the school authorities and encouragement to parents, and caregivers, has also helped the retention and safety of vulnerable girls as they re-enter the school system, sometimes after a long stay at home due to pregnancy, childbirth, poverty or an accident as in the case of Wullamatu. A total of 1,200 girls from two districts, Kono and Kambia, are recipients of this support.

At Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood School where Wullamatu is in her sixth grade, fifty other girls, whose vulnerabilities range from disability, orphanhood, and poverty at home, have received this support and are now able to confidently associate with their peers, without fear of being shunned.

“Through the Government-led Free Quality School Education programme in Sierra Leone, learning is free for every child in Sierra Leone. However, access to education is sometimes hampered when other school provisions are lacking. This is therefore the gap that the AGE programme is trying to fill,” says Celeste Staley, UNICEF Chief of Education.

Eleven-year-old Mariatu, is also a recipient of this support under the AGE project. Mariatu, together with her three siblings, have been staying with their elderly grandparents since their mother died four years ago. 

“I am very happy with the support that Mariatu is getting. My husband and I are old, and we have many grandchildren in our care because three of my children have died and left these very young children to us,” says Mariatu’s grandmother, Mabinty , as she sobs with emotion while expressing her gratitude for this support.

With more support to Wullamatu, Mariatu and other vulnerable girls in Sierra Leone, there will be more opportunities for girls to overcome the barriers to education.