Thank you for your ongoing support that has helped multiple vocational trainees at the Baptist Women’s Vocational Training Center. Trainees at the Center are working hard to create a better future for themselves and their families. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is one of the three main priorities outlined by UNESCO and has been identified as the focus for the most important annual report on education, the Global Monitoring Report, in 2012.

We greatly appreciate your support, which is helping young ladies get their education like Elizabeth and Hannah. These are only two of the girls that your support has directly impacted.   Elizabeth is finishing her first year in Senior Secondary School (SSS1). She loves going to school and would like to become a journalist. Hannah is finishing class 4 this year. She loves dancing and going to school. 

We greatly appreciate your generous support that is empowering small businesses with microfinance loans. These microfinance or microcredit loans give individuals a helping hand to start their businesses or to help them grow their existing businesses. Mariatu is thankful for the microfinance loan she received.

In this video, Mariatu expresses her appreciation saying - 

This Child Sponsorship Update gives you a look into the relationship/communication between children and their sponsors.  This letter is from Hannah to her sponsor.  Hannah's sponsor is making a difference in her life. You too can be a hero for a child in need.  Click here to learn more about our child sponsorship program      

Your support helped ship these much-needed supplies to future leaders in Freetown, Sierra Leone this past month.  During the course of the distribution a total number of 82 kids from 5 different schools received school supplies:

26 kids from the UMC Primary School Calaba Town
20 from FAWE Primary School
11 from the New Life Kings Kids Preparatory School
15 from the Stella Maris Primary School- Juba
10 from Lisam Primary - Juba  

Your support helped provide the children at Golden Eagle Christian Academy in Liberia with much-needed school supplies. The children and staff were delighted to receive school supplies. 

The head of staff said-

Thanks to Develop Africa for putting smiles on the faces of the kids of the Golden Eagles Christian Academy with the wonderful surprise gift of school supplies. We faithfully distributed all the items to all the students.

Thank you for your continued support that is making an impact for Autism therapy in Senegal.  Below is from the Dakar Team about their activities in April, which is Autism Awareness month.

Hello readers and supporters, 

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month. In April (just as during all other months of the year!), we really focus on sending messages of awareness and inclusion to those we reach. As awareness in Senegal is generally low, we decided to focus on goals broader than treatment and therapy. 

Thanks in part to your support six months of computer training was provided to 44 young adults that were directly and indirectly affected by the flood and mudslide disaster in Aug 2017.  Of the 44 students, 28 of them received certificates of completion at a Certificate Award Ceremony held this past month.

How do you study at night?  That's probably a silly question, you turn on your light...right? Well in Sierra Leone it is not that easy,  only about 20%  have access to electricity.  BUT, thanks to your generosity we are working on bringing solar light to students in Sierra Leone, like Calvin pictured above.  Solar lights give Calvin and other students the ability to study at night even though they don't have electricity.

We greatly appreciate your ongoing support that is making a difference for future Liberian leaders like Moses.  Your support helped cover all Moses’s school-related expenses including tuition, books, school supplies, uniforms, and other related expenses for school this year.  

At home, Moses helps his mother bake bread.  He also loves to play soccer with his brother and sister and with friends in the community.  Moses enjoys going to school, his favorite things at school are drawing and playing soccer.