In Northern Sierra Leone, around 26 miles (42 km) from Kabala, the district headquarters town of Koinadugu, lies the Kakondobie community. The majority of the village’s inhabitants are farmers. As of 2024, Sierra Leone ranked 144th on the Legatum Prosperity Index. As a country, it has increased its ranking in Social Capital (66th) and Personal Freedom (86th), but Education still lags behind (150th ). And with the world economy’s bleak outlook, 2024 will not show any marked improvements. The specific school costs are not substantial by American standards, but many of the parents in Kakondobie cannot easily afford them as most are subsistence farmers. Uniforms are $8.00. Shoes cost $10.00, and notebooks are $10.00 per dozen. Our 2024 benefit concert/fundraiser provided $1,232. These funds were used to purchase 100 uniforms, 60 pairs of shoes, 480 notebooks, pens and pencils for each student, which will support each student for the entire year. In 2024, we focused on expanding our reach to also help the volunteer teachers with supporting their schooling which they’re in the process of completing within the next year and a half. With a little over $1,300, we were able to pay for the school supplies, uniforms and shoes and start to pay for the teacher’s schooling costs. Efforts to cover the costs of the teacher’s schooling fees will also result in then receiving higher pay and less financial burden placed on the community to supplement their income so more money can go back to the families. Our continuing goal is to raise funds to help the children attend school and obtain more training for their teachers. Raising funds to help the children attend school would help offset the costs families would have to pay for school. Currently, volunteer teachers receive a small compensation from the community. If the volunteer teachers receive funds to gain their teaching certifications, they can be recruited by the government to teach. The government would pay them, helping the students and the local economy. In the last two years of raising funds for Kakondobie School, we have been able to cover all the school fees and uniform costs for the students along with funding costs for ongoing teacher training. Thank you for taking the time to read and learn about Kakondobie Village. Your donation, no matter the amount, would profoundly impact the children, their families, and the community of Kakondobie. Sending children to school without parents having to worry about tuition costs and allowing the volunteer teachers to receive teaching certification will enable the children to receive a higher quality education, the teachers to receive more income and help support the community of Kakondobie. Below is a video of the students receiving their uniforms and school supplies from last year. For the last couple of years, the day of distributing supplies has become a celebration within the whole community where they gather together.
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