If we were all to redirect a mere 5% of the billions of dollars that we already spend each year on gifts, there would be enough to eliminate extreme poverty in about 15 years.
UEnd:Poverty. Gift different.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Project of the Week: Literacy training for African Women in Koinadugu, Sierra Leone
Project Snapshot
Total Cost: $5000
Lives Affected: 440
Dollars Raised: $2,802
Dollars Needed: $2,198
Women. They are one the most powerful and effective tools out there in the battle against extreme poverty. We are all becoming familiar with the concept that if a woman in one of the poorest places in the world is empowered with an education, there is an immediate impact on the well-being of her family: everyone gets healthier, more money gets saved, and the kids go to school. A community full of families like this – families that are employed, healthy, and educated - well, that is a community that is on it’s way to thriving.
This project, implemented by CAUSE Canada, is designed to improve the quality of life and standard of living for those families living in both the largest and the poorest district in Sierra Leone, the Koinadugu district. 25 women will have the opportunity to attend weekly literacy classes for an entire year. The classes focus on much more than just basic reading and writing skills, but also educate students about human rights, financial management and health matters. Additionally, the participating women each decide on a household investment to save for, and are given the incentive of having their savings matched one to one.
If you want to donate to this project, or simply learn more about it, click here.
Friday Photo
Here is a close-up of some children in Koinadugu, Sierra Leone, working away in school. This northern province of the country is benefiting from the ‘Igniting Imaginations through Library Learning’ project headed by CAUSE Canada.
To learn more about this project, click here.
World Water Day – 5 questions with 3 partners. Part 3.
It’s World Water Day…
…And we have the pleasure of working with fantastic organizations doing great things around the world to help eradicate global extreme poverty. A few of our partners are specifically targeting water, making it easier for people to access clean, healthy drinking water. So we asked each partner 5 questions about their take on the current water crisis and what people can do to help.
(Part 3 of 3)
From Shelaine, who works with our partner Change for Children as they build water wells in in the Romano Village region of Sierra Leone: 
What’s your take on the current water crisis?
Water is sacred – it is fundamental to life – and it is a human right. Management of this precious and threatened commons needs to be the responsibility of everyone and requires collective and cooperative stewardship.
How is your organization trying to help?
CFCA has made water a priority – by encouraging awareness and action here at home in addition to advocating for support for our southern partners. We work with schools who have really become water champions by learning, teaching and fundraising. The real life stories of our Nicaraguan partners really resonate with school kids – they hear about our project partners and examine water issues locally and they really get it – and they want to do something about it.
What can WE (North Americans) do to help?
Start by being aware of your own water usage and your needs. Also we need to be stewards of this resource, to educate our children and our communities, to speak up …and simply not allow our water sources to be contaminated, depleted or commodified – and we need to apply this thinking to everyone, everywhere. Contributing to the Nicaragua Water Project is one way to make a real impact today and by demonstrating solidarity with people facing the crisis day to day.
Tell us something we don’t know about water.
For Canada, the average (per capita) daily domestic water use is 343 litres of water whereas in Nicaragua it is about 10 litres. The impact of a safe community well, locally managed is transformative -especially for women and girls who are often the ones charged with (and trapped by) the responsibility of finding water on a daily basis.
Who are some other people or organizations doing great things around water?
Locally, we have the North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper who’s mission is to ensure the north Saskatchewan watershed is safe for drinking swimming and fishing as well as informing citizens of their rights to clean waters.
Nationally (and globally), The Council of Canadians has been one of the strongest voices in the campaign to address water issues.
In Nicaragua, our partner organization Centro Humboldt is amazing in their effective and holistic approach to the water crisis in Nicaragua – from working with rural communities on access and management to advocating for laws to stop water privatization.
To learn more about the Romano Village water well project, to donate, or to give as a gift card to someone, click here.
Friday Photo
Don’t you just LOVE this photo! It was taken at a Change for Children water well project in Sierra Leone.
And now you can give a LOVE-filled UEnd gift with our Valentine’s Day themed gift cards. What better way to say “I love you” than with the gift of ending poverty.
Project of the Week: Children Education Program, Staff Wages, Sierra Leone
This blog post was written by awesome UEnd volunteer, LaToya Wilson.
Project Snapshot:
- Lives affected: 2,000
- Project cost: $42,000
- Dollars raised: $8,713
- Dollars needed: $33,287
With kids across Canada are returning to school, one can’t help but think about how lucky we are to have access to these opportunities, knowing that these are some of the most vital years of these children’s lives. Others are not so lucky.
In Sierra Leone, only 41% of children get to attend primary school. Considering that this is the first level of education, it’s alarming to realise that the average child will grow up illiterate and unable to utilise all the opportunities that education provides.
In combination with a program led by CAUSE Kids, UEnd is seeking to continuously fund an ongoing project that helps fund teacher’s salaries so that the kids in the Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone can receive the education they deserve!
About the Region
The Kionadugu District is the largest and poorest district in Sierra Leone. By the end of the 11 year civil war, there was not a single functioning hospital in the area, and multiple primary school were also left in shambles.
Since then, the region has been slow to recover, and there aren’t enough teachers to go around. In some areas, there are only one or two teachers for 300 students, and many have resorted to private tutoring in order to fulfil the educational requirements.
Sierra Leone
A country torn apart by violence, the process of recovery after a civil war that lasted from 1991-2002 has been difficult and trying. 70% of the population still lives in poverty and the literacy rate is only 35% (25% for women, 46% for men).
1270 primary schools were destroyed in the war, and while many have been rebuilt, the influx of children returning to school over the past few years has been difficult to keep up with. Additionally, the incentive to teach has been lost among many, as problems with the government led to as many as 3000 teachers not receiving a salary for over a year in 2009.
The Sierra Leone system is one where teachers need to be approved by the Ministry, even though so many schools are in desperate need of teachers. Without the security of salary, it’s understandable as to why many graduates are shying away from teaching.
The Importance of Education in Ending the Cycle of Poverty
If there is anything that is going to be the key to ending the cycle of poverty in Sierra Leone, and any other poverty-stricken country for that matter, it’s education.
Education creates opportunities, strengthening techniques, abilities, essential skills, and vastly increasing confidence. If the majority of the population is illiterate, they cannot contribute to the development process; voting, literacy of children, and knowledge about health and diseases are all stopped with illiteracy.
Essentially, education is linked to everything.
About the Program
CAUSE Kids has been able to maintain the payment of monthly stipends to 37 teachers in 5 CAUSE kids schools. Not only are these children receiving an education, they’re receiving a quality education, as well as being provided with proper nutrition and school uniforms.
In addition, parents are being offered resources in order to help their children during the educational process. This in return has helped multiple women gain the confidence needed to help their children and further expand their skills.
This CAUSE Kids program is not just about teacher salaries; it’s about encouraging others, including many women, to become teachers themselves. They’re providing job and salary security, as well as helping to close the gender gap that exists in Sierra Leone today.
How You Can Help
Learn more about the program by visiting its page on our site. With donations from people like you, we can help the over 2000 lives that are affected by this program. With UEnd’s three ways to give, we make it easy to help those in need. In spirit of the beginning of the school year, let’s end the cycle of poverty by making quality education accessible to all in Sierra Leone!
