In Sierra Leone, girls are in crisis. One-third leave school by age 12. One in three marries before adulthood. One quarter are pregnant by 19. And 86% have undergone female genital mutilation.

In a country where 57% of people live in poverty, young girls are trapped in a cycle of hardship and missed opportunity. Nearly half of women have never attended school at all. This figure rises to 69% among women from the poorest households.

Why? In large part, it’s because poverty and a lack of education are a vicious cycle.

In 2021, a study (https://cgatechnologies.org.uk/projec...) by Corus organization CGA Technologies found that a lack of income is by far the largest barrier to girls’ education. Poor parents feel the financial burden twice: first in the cost of tuition (where applicable), uniforms, food and supplies, and second in the loss of income when their daughter attends school instead of working. (Child labor is common, with 49% of children ages 12-14 contributing to their household income.)

Another challenge is the cultural attitudes toward gender that assign education to boys and household chores to girls. Additionally, girls who are orphaned, get pregnant, have disabilities or poor mental health, live in rural areas, or have family caretaking responsibilities are also less likely to attend school.

Although the solution is complex, we believe education is a critical component to a brighter future for girls in Sierra Leone. For every additional year a girl can stay in school, her chances of getting pregnant drop by 6% — and her earning potential as an adult soars by 20%. On average, educated girls are less likely to be abused or face discrimination, marry later, are less likely to die in childbirth, raise healthier and better educated children, earn more and contribute more to the economy.

In 2023, CGA Technologies worked with the government of Sierra Leone to launch Wi De Ya (“We Are Here”) — a teacher and student attendance monitoring system. The data from this app, which is currently used in 300 primary schools, enables officials to make informed decisions about budget allocation, teacher deployment and more.

We look forward to building on this work to address the challenges and ensure all girls in Sierra Leone have the opportunity to attend school, graduate and support themselves and their families.

More information about Corus International’s education work in Sierra Leone:
Full list of CGA Technologies’ research in and updates on Sierra Leone: https://cgatechnologies.org.uk/projec...
Wi De Ya: https://wideya.org/
Video:    • Sierra Leone’s Education Minister spe...  
Blog: Tech for Development: Sierra Leone's Path to Educational Excellence: https://corusinternational.org/blog/2...
Research: Assessment of UNFPA's Global Programme to End Child Marriage: https://cgatechnologies.org.uk/projec...
Radio: "Wi DE YA: A Game Changer in Sierra Leone's Educational Transformation," Education Minister: https://corusinternational.org/story-...

More information about Corus International’s work in Sierra Leone:
Blog: Leveraging Corus collaborations to strengthen health system in Sierra Leone: https://corusinternational.org/blog/2...
Health portfolio: https://imaworldhealth.org/technical-...
Blog: Strengthening health systems through faith-based networks: https://corusinternational.org/blog/2...
Blog: How do we get back on track for SDG3? https://corusinternational.org/blog/2...


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