In the first semester of 2022, the Education Outcomes Fund and the Government of Sierra Leone jointly selected five grantees; Save the Children, EducAid, National Youth Awareness Forum, Rising Academy Network and Street Child to participate in the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge. Each grantee has been allocated to one out of five areas that cover the entire country and each will have the opportunity to implement their unique interventions, adapting them as necessary according to the needs of the schools and communities. Grantees were selected following a rigorous competitive process that had two stages:
an expression of interest, in which applicants that were eligible to participate were shortlisted
a formal Request for Proposal
During the second stage, applicants were asked to send their technical and financial proposals together with supporting material to comply with qualifying criteria for operational capacity, safeguarding, and financial viability. The proposals were reviewed by a selection panel members of the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) and the Government, and the final Grantees were chosen based on their theory of change, performance track record, technical knowledge, local experience, approach to inclusion, and data collection and monitoring practices.
National Youth Awareness Forum
The National Youth Awareness Forum Sierra Leone is a local NGO engaged in educational, socio-economic, and sustainable development activities in Sierra Leone. The organization was established in 2001, immediately after the devastating civil war. Its theory of change is built around the importance of collective leadership across the different institutions that influence education. It aims to involve the community and Government in its educational program and ensure the holistic development of all people involved. It will provide training for teachers and headteachers, supplementary materials and focus on creating a culture of joy and inclusion throughout the schools.
Rising Academy Network
Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, Rising Academy Network is a growing network of inspiring schools in West Africa. Their mission is to unleash the full potential of every student, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and character to succeed in further study, work, and day-to-day life. They serve more than 250,000 students across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana. The network’s intervention will increase students' exposure to more effective and better targeted curriculum content, improve the quality of teachers' general and subject-specific pedagogical skills, and improve school leadership for increased accountability and greater capacity to drive school improvement.
Street Child
Street Child is one of the world's fastest-growing children's charities and works across 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe. It works with an expanding network of 95+ local organizations to harness the power and purpose of local-level organizations. Street Child aims to improve learning opportunities for students through a ‘transformation model’. This utilizes multiple core components including individualized student support; student-centered instruction; strong school leadership; and shared school ownership, reinforced through a focus on data-driven structures and strategies.
EducAid
EducAid has been working to strengthen education in Sierra Leone for more than 25 years, running free, high-quality schools and sustainable school improvement projects. EducAid's respect-focused schools inform its work across Sierra Leone with data-driven projects that create sustainable solutions that empower schools and communities to improve education. EducAid's intervention relies on mutual accountability and support networks created between schools and communities. Its intervention focuses on teacher and school leader training with ongoing in-school and community support to build a common understanding of what excellence in respect-focused effective education looks like and how we can hold each other accountable and support each other to achieve this vision.
Save the Children
Save the Children has been in Sierra Leone since 1999, at first working in Kailahun to support children who were displaced during the civil war. It has since expanded its operations to four more districts and works with the Government and decision-makers to advocate for child rights; partners with local and international civil society organizations, academic institutions and collaborates with child-led and child rights groups to ensure children survive, learn, are protected and able to participate in creating the change they want to see. Save the Children will build teacher capacity in literacy and numeracy teaching techniques, increase children's access to reading and math materials, and provide support to communities and caregivers for supplementary learning that will enable children to practice math and reading at home. It will also train teachers in child protection and positive discipline strategies to create a safer environment for children in school. Its community learning facilitators will support school communities to conduct sessions with parents and caregivers on children's right to education, the value of education (particularly for girls), and the protection needs of girls and boys.