Julie Veronica Anne Basu (Part II)

Last week we introduced you to Julie Veronica Anne Basu, a student at Bumpe High School. She is 19 years old, loves studying government, and dreams of becoming a lawyer. Watch the video to learn what a typical day is like for her. Continue reading to learn more about Julie's inspiration- Christina Thorpe.

You may not be familiar with Christina Thorpe, but in Sierra Leone- a country with a female youth literacy rate of 37% (in comparison to a 60% literacy rate for male youth)- she is a hero for many girls like Julie.

Ms. Thorpe has spent her life educating many in Sierra Leone. She began as headmistress at a Catholic secondary school (and also was a nun), later became Minister of Education and the only woman in a government cabinet of 19, and went on to found Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), which raises awareness about the impact of education for women and works with NGOs to promote access, retention and performance of girls in schools.

In Sierra Leone, women with even a few years of basic education have smaller, healthier families; are more likely to be able to work their way out of poverty and are more likely to send their own children- girls and boys- to school.

BBC article on Christina Thorpe (click here)

Mining an Education

This video pod from Current.com focuses on children who work in diamond mines to pay their school fees. Despite the efforts of the Sierra Leonean government to protect children, including the passage of The Child Right Act of 2007, which sets the minimum age for employment at 15 years, many children must work to support themselves and their families.

To watch video, press the green play button above to watch video. Note that an advertisement may pop up over the video. To close it click the "X" in the upper right corner.

[video pod from Current.com]

Life In Sierra Leone

The Foundation receives many questions about what life is like in Sierra Leone now that the war is over. One of the goals of this blog is to provide answers and information that will give you a better sense of the current situation in Sierra Leone.

This video pod from Current takes a look at the 2007 Presidential Election in Sierra Leone.

To watch video, press the green play button above to watch video. Note that an advertisement may pop up over the video. To close it click the "X" in the upper right corner.

[video pod from Current.com]

Heifer International in Sierra Leone

[photo from November/ December 2008 issue of World Ark]

Heifer International recently featured an article on their work in Sierra Leone. Heifer International is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. It provides gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially disadvantaged families around the world.

In April 2008 Heifer International opened a country office in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Heifer International worked in Sierra Leone prior to the 11-year civil war, but operations ceased during the war.

One of the most valuable resources lost during the war was livestock. There is hope that with aid from Heifer International, projects focused on redeveloping the areas of livestock and agriculture will provide the opportunity for people in Sierra Leone to begin providing for themselves again.

Facts from the article:
- Sierra Leone ranks last on the 2007/2008 United Nations Human Development Index, a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living.

- Agriculture accounts for 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Click here to read the full article

A Mother's Anguish in Sierra Leone

[image from Washington Post article]

The Washington Post examines high maternal and infant mortality rates in Sierra Leone as the country has one of the highest fertility rates in the world.

Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.
1 in 8 mothers has a chance of dying from childbirth. In contrast, women in the US have a 1 in 4,800 lifetime chance of dying from childbirth.

Click here to read the article from The Washington Post