Child Protection

In Abibatu’s community, not being able to read or write makes life especially hard. Literacy opens doors to jobs, independence, and respect. Yet, nearly half the population (48.4% according to the 2015 Census) is illiterate. This is a major barrier to Sierra Leone’s growth and development.
Twelve-year-old Abibatu, a bright and determined girl from Bombali District, knows this too well. Her parents, Yeanoh and Amadu, cannot read or write. Yeanoh works hard as a farmer, while Amadu takes small building jobs when he can find them. Life is tough.
Still, Abibatu shows up to school every day with a smile on her face. She is a student at a local Junior Secondary School and determined to change her future.
“I want to be educated so I do not end up like my parents. My parents are suffering. Sometimes I sit and watch how my mother carries heavy loads on her head, and how she works very hard on the farm. I want to be able to take care of them after getting an education,” she says.

Rebel Attacks, Early Marriage and Lost Opportunities
Abibatu’s mother, Yeanoh, never had that chance.
“I wanted to go to school like my colleagues, but I did not have the opportunity to. When the rebels attacked our village, we were all running for our lives. I could not see my parents. The sound of guns was all over the place. An elderly man found me crying and picked me up. He took care of me and helped me locate my parent’s village shortly after the war was declared over. He handed me over to my people. Going to school was not an option for me, then. My kinsmen quickly gave my hand in marriage to Abibatu’s father.”
Forced into marriage at a young age, Yeanoh spent her youth and adulthood toiling in the fields. Today, she wants something different for her children.
“I do not want my children to suffer the way I am suffering. I see the difference between me and my peers who are educated. I look much older because of the hard labor on the farm each day. I can recall one of my childhood friends, Sia, is educated, has a house she built herself in the capital, Freetown, and has moved her entire family to the city. That is the life I want for Abibatu and her siblings,” she explains.
“I know when they are educated, they can take care of themselves well. I farm alone, carry firewood on the way to sell so we can get some money out of it. It is out of this that I am surviving with my children.”

Investing in Education Against All Odds
Abibatu is thriving at school. She’s never repeated a class and works hard to make her parents proud.
“I am putting a lot of effort into my schoolwork just to make my parents proud. Sometimes my mother sells firewood to ensure I get what I want for school,” she says.
Her siblings are also in school. Sento (18) is in Senior Secondary School 2 at the same school, and Peter (14) is in Class 6 at one of the local primary schools.
“Of all my children, Abibatu is the smartest and most promising. Abibatu had double promotion from grade one to three,” Yeanoh says proudly.
In many rural parts of Sierra Leone, girls Abibatu’s age are already being approached for marriage. But not in Yeanoh’s household.
“No suitor will have the guts to approach or talk me into giving my daughter’s hand in marriage. Over my dead body! I know what I have been through. I invest in my two girls because I want them to be strong in society.”
ChildFund and its local partner, Daindemben Federation, are working with families like Yeanoh’s to end child marriage and promote girls’ education.
“People from Daindemben Federation (ChildFund’s local partner) come to talk to us and our parents from time to time, to see the need to send us to school instead of giving our hands in marriage,” says Abibatu.

The Free Quality Education initiative

Today, school is free for all children in primary and secondary schools across Sierra Leone. Yeanoh is using this opportunity to the fullest.

“At least now we have no excuse to not send our children to school. We do not pay school fees. We only get them ready for school by buying school materials such as: bags, books, pen, pencil, and give them lunch each day.”

“Sometimes I think illiteracy is a disease. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would go to school again. But since that is not going to happen, I have made up my mind that my daughters should be educated no matter what the condition is at home.”

Abibatu dreams of becoming a nurse, and she’s not letting go of that dream.

“My wish is that I am not counted as an illiterate woman when I grow up. My mother always tells me that illiteracy is a disease, and that I should do my best not to end up like her. I will not disappoint her. My plan of becoming a nurse must be fulfilled.”

Education is a priority for ChildFund. We are committed to supporting the Government’s Free Quality Education initiative to ensure more children can access and complete school. Our programs focus on improving learning outcomes by helping children build strong literacy, numeracy, and life skills. We work with communities, schools, and families to create safe, inclusive learning environments where children, especially girls, can stay in school and succeed.