Child Protection

Six months after the completion of a transformative education initiative, ChildFund and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have undertaken a post-project monitoring visit to assess the long-term impact and sustainability of investments made under the program.

The joint visit brought together representatives from KOICA Nigeria and ChildFund to review key infrastructure, engage school authorities and reflect on how the project continues to improve learning outcomes for children, particularly girls and adolescent mothers.

The project, implemented over three years, focused on increasing access to secondary education for out-of-school girls in the Western Area while improving the quality of learning through the construction of classrooms and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities, alongside life skills, catch-up learning and community engagement.

Speaking during the visit, KOICA Nigeria Country Director Kim Eunsub said the monitoring exercise formed part of the project’s final phase to evaluate the quality, functionality and sustainability of the facilities delivered.

“This visit is part of the final phase of our post-project monitoring to assess the facilities constructed under the project,” he said.

Mr. Kim also praised the strong partnership between KOICA and ChildFund throughout the implementation of the project, describing it as a model for future collaboration.

ChildFund Sierra Leone Country Director Victor Kamara highlighted the project’s enduring impact, noting that its benefits continue to be felt well beyond its completion.

“Even now, the schools and communities where the project was implemented continue to benefit from the facilities that were constructed and the knowledge and skills gained through the various trainings delivered during the project,” Mr. Kamara said.

The project’s results demonstrate how investments in education systems can produce lasting improvements in both teaching quality and student learning. The project’s endline evaluation report said that 139 teachers received professional development training, with 100 percent reporting that they continue to apply the knowledge and skills gained in their daily classroom practice. Every trained teacher also reported improvements in professional conduct, reflecting the project’s emphasis on strengthening the quality of teaching alongside expanding access to education.

The report also pointed out that the project delivered major gains in learning recovery for girls returning to school. Ninety-six-point two percent (96.2%) of targeted girls attended catch-up classes, while 99 percent improved their writing skills and 98 percent demonstrated improvements in reading and numeracy. In addition, 97 percent successfully recovered missed learning content, and 99 percent reported increased confidence to participate in classroom activities actively. This serves as an important outcome for girls who had previously been excluded from education.

Mr. Kamara noted that these achievements created lasting opportunities for children, particularly adolescent mothers who had previously dropped out of school, by supporting their successful re-enrolment and helping them remain in education.

He further explained that the achievements and lessons from the KOICA-funded project laid the foundation for ChildFund’s current Salone Pikin 4 Play and Learn (SPPL) Early Childhood Development (ECD) program, which is now being implemented across five districts in Sierra Leone to strengthen early childhood care and education.

The project’s success is also influencing education programming beyond Sierra Leone. Representatives from KOICA Nigeria revealed that the WASH component, widely regarded as one of the project’s strongest achievements, is now being incorporated into a similar KOICA-supported education initiative in Nigeria, demonstrating the potential for successful development models to be replicated across countries.

At Services Secondary School, one of the participating schools, Principal Georgiana Bangura described the project as transformative for both the school and its students.

“The project really assisted us as a school,” she said. “We were struggling with accommodation, but with the classrooms provided by KOICA and ChildFund, we were able to accommodate more students.”

She also reflected on the remarkable transformation among girls who had re-enrolled through the project.

“Before the project, the re-enrolled girls were shy to interact and mingle with their peers. Through the catch-up classes and support provided, these girls have grown in confidence and are now taking on leadership roles. Three of the re-enrolled girls eventually became prefects in the senior school.”

The post-project monitoring visit is critical in measuring how development extends beyond the completion of activities. ChildFund and KOICA hope that investment in girls through learning recovery and re-enrollment, strengthening teacher capacity, and school infrastructure will support the development of education in Sierra Leone.

The KOICA Nigeria team was also represented by the Deputy Country Director, Ini Lee, and Manager, Mavis Eta. The Programs and Sponsorship Director for ChildFund, Osman Kargbo accompanied the Country Director during the visits.