31.01.2020.
About We Yone Child Foundation
In 1996, twelve-year-old Santigie Bayo Dumbuya was among several boys who were taken from Kamabonko Village to fight for the Revolutionary United Front during the Sierra Leone Civil War, and by the age of fourteen Santigie had sustained multiple bullets and shrapnel wounds. In 1999 Santigie's unit was stationed near a town called Sanyah. “During the fighting, I saw a female child at the age of five or six years old crying. I saw two people lying on the ground, one was already dead and the other was struggling to die. That was the day of my revolution and my heart was inspired”. He dropped his gun and ran through the crossfire to save the girl. With no food or water, Santigie carried her for two days and two nights to safety. He saved the girl’s life and never saw her again. He went to Freetown to recover from the war and complete his education.
In 2009 Santigie founded We Yone Child Foundation (WYCF). The appalling conditions in the Kroo Bay and George Brook slum communities inspired Santigie to focus WYCF’s efforts in both communities, where the need for urgent action was apparent and no other organization was producing results.
What are WYCF's main activities?
WYCF’s main job is running two Primary Schools in Kroo Bay and George Brook. In order to fulfill their vision of having educated children and empowered families living in healthy, developed and integrated communities, we have established our mission:
– provide sustainable education and care to underprivileged children in Kroo Bay and George Brook;
– overcome the social and environmental problems that deepen and perpetuate the cycle of poverty in these communities.
Education being WYCF’s first priority, Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all is their main guideline. In 2018-2019 alone, WYCF:
– hosted 516 vulnerable children through Primary School (282 girls and 234 boys), including 4 disabled children;
– prepared 82 candidates for the National Primary School Examination, of which 79 successfully transitioned to Junior Secondary School;
– supported 71 girls through Secondary School scholarships;
– capacitated 20 local girls and women enrolled in WYCF’s Vocational Skills Centre, of which 17 successfully graduated with start-up kits;
– launched the construction of WYCF’s very first Secondary School, in George Brook.
WYCF is working hard to achieve new goals in 2020-2021:
– complete the construction of We Yone Secondary School;
– rebuild the Primary School in Kroo Bay, making it flood-proof;
– expand the training options offered at the WYCF Vocational Skills Centre;
– extend WYCF’s support to other schools in rural areas of Sierra Leone.
You built WYCF from zero, and now you have so many projects to be proud of. How do you feel about your achievements?
"Since WYCF was founded, we have welcomed new staff and volunteers, introduced new social development programmes, trained teachers and other staff, created a plan to guide our projects and nourished long-lasting partnerships.
Complementary to running our Schools, WYCF has also successfully created community outreach projects such as Sport for Social Change, which uses football to spread key messages concerning sex education and child protection, and has featured 1,600+ pupils from 10 Primary Schools in central Freetown.
We are so thankful to be working with loving and caring staff, volunteers and partners.
Our great success is the communities’ success." said the founder Santigie Bayo Dumbuya.
How can someone get involved?
– Help WYCF build their first Secondary School (www.gofundme.com/6a2kh8o)
– Support their running costs by setting up a recurrent donation (www.weyonechildfoundation.org/donate/)
– Come to Freetown or virtually become a WYCF Volunteer
– Spread the word and let more people know about WYCF
– Set up a fundraiser in support of one or more of their projects
For more information and contacts, please visit: www.weyonechildfoundation.org
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