By George M.O. Williams
Freetown, March 27, 2026: Street Child of Sierra Leone has rolled out a nationwide grant distribution worth more than NLe 6.5 million, benefiting 3,606 caregivers across ten districts.
The disbursement, part of the Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project, was launched in the Western Area at Buxton Hall, Freetown, and simultaneously extended to Kenema, Kailahun, Port Loko, Kambia, Tonkolili, Koinadugu, Falaba, Bombali, and Western Area Rural. Each caregiver will receive NLe 1,800, transferred directly through mobile SIM accounts.
The EFECT project, valued at $4 million, has enrolled more than 35,000 vulnerable children into primary schools since 2022. Implemented in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation through its Educate A Child Programme, and supported by the Qatar Fund for Development, the initiative prioritizes widows, single mothers, and other vulnerable caregivers. Over 30 percent of beneficiaries are women.
Street Child Country Director Emmanuel Kelfa Kargbo said the grants are designed to help caregivers start or expand businesses, generating sustainable income to support children’s education. He emphasized that beneficiaries also undergo basic business and financial management training to ensure effective use of the funds.
“This intervention provides not only financial relief but also renewed hope for a better future for their children,” Kargbo noted.
Kargbo recalled that Street Child began operations in Sierra Leone in 2008, initially focusing on moving children from the streets into schools. Research later revealed that poverty was a key driver of children dropping out, leading to the introduction of caregiver support in 2012. Since then, more than 51,637 grants have been distributed nationwide.
Project Coordinator Isatu Bai Bureh urged caregivers to use the funds responsibly, investing in businesses and improving children’s welfare.
Community leaders and beneficiaries welcomed the initiative. Chief Mary Kamara of Kroo Bay praised the support, while Fatmata Koroma, a single mother of five, described the grant as “timely,” saying it would help sustain her children’s education.