BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In 2014 - 2015, a period of massive breakdown in socio-economic activities loomed across Sierra Leone. It was an emergency situation, an Ebola crisis demanding a national lock down of schools and other educational institutions which resulted in a lost year of learning. On the back of this fatal occurrence and high levels of poverty already engulfing the past war-weary nation, emerged a very gloomy prospect of lost educational opportunities for thousands of children across the country. A post Ebola needs assessment conducted by AWISH-SL Management Committee with community women and parents largely demanded for a strategy to urgently enroll a teeming population of out-of-school children that were largely vulnerable including orphans, dropouts and survivors of the Ebola crisis. Working with donor partners such as Cross Roads International for educational material support, AWISH-SL initiated a number of interventions to help mitigate the effects of the Ebola threat, child labour, sexual exploitation and rapid spread of teenage pregnancy on urban and rural communities and sought reduction in the high incidence of out-of-school kids.
Actions undertaken to achieve the latter led to the founding of Sierra International Academy, in 14th April 2015 to help combat this situation and build hope in the children to become an agent of positive change in their society. Even though the administration of the school is undergoing serious constraints like the need to have its own institutional facilities, inadequate workspace and enclosure for hosting students and specialized instruction for the special needs of survivors and vulnerable children, the strategy has proven effective. In 2015 school admission rate of 340 students increased to 470 students in 2017 ranging from Pre-School, Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary.
Actions undertaken to achieve the latter led to the founding of Sierra International Academy, in 14th April 2015 to help combat this situation and build hope in the children to become an agent of positive change in their society. Even though the administration of the school is undergoing serious constraints like the need to have its own institutional facilities, inadequate workspace and enclosure for hosting students and specialized instruction for the special needs of survivors and vulnerable children, the strategy has proven effective. In 2015 school admission rate of 340 students increased to 470 students in 2017 ranging from Pre-School, Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary.
Vision
To uplift vulnerable children through educational empowerment thereby improving the socio-economic development of our country.
Mission
We serve our community by promoting social justice and by developing the academic achievement, character, and social-emotional well-being of our students. We work with partners, families, and communities to build capacity, train teachers, and to build infrastructures that will provide inclusive and equitable quality education.
Overall Objective
The overall objective of the school is to ensure that orphans and vulnerable children of school age attend school and are not deterred from attending because of lack of financial means, social-emotional needs, stigma, discrimination or any other constraint. We hope to ensure that out-of-school orphans and vulnerable children are brought back into school or provided with alternative educational opportunities.