The SGI is an accelerated learning programme that equips girls and young women who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school with the tools, knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to successfully rejoin and thrive in mainstream secondary education.
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Sierra Leone is one of the most challenging countries to be a woman, ranking 152/172 on the 2023 UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index. Secondary education became free for all in 2018, allowing more girls access. However, significant challenges and barriers hindering not only access, but success in school for girls, remain. These include entrenched traditional gender norms, high levels of poverty, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and GBV, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and limiting opportunities.
The SGI is an accelerated learning programme supporting vulnerable girls to rejoin mainstream secondary education by eliminating the barriers that prevent them from succeeding in school. It combines tailored academic support with mentoring, workshops, and sisterhood circles to build skills, self-esteem and resilience. The SGI also provides meals, learning materials, menstrual hygiene kits, and safe housing, fostering networks of female support that help girls thrive in school and beyond.
