Arts Training for 50 Orphaned Youth in Kroo Bay

Hello Everyone,

This month, we completed our Intensive Training Program in the arts for fifty young students in Kroo Bay. The young women in our batik program acquired skills in wax design, four styles of tie-and-dye, abstract broom and brush designs, and landscape wax drawing.  The young men and women in our screen-printing and crafts course learned skills in t-shirt printing, sign printing, banner design, tablecloth design and tablemat design. Each of our students learned invaluable skills in small business, investment, and marketing principles.

With a 100% graduation rate, we have placed each of our Kroo Bay students in apprenticeship positions with thriving Freetown arts businesses, and facilitated their formation of arts collectives with which they can pool resources and negotiate sales prices for their products in Freetown marketplaces.

Please enjoy the pictures of our students working in their apprenticeship and collective settings.  Thank you so much for your support.  Together, we have changed the lives of fifty orphaned and abandoned youth in Kroo Bay.  Just last year, our students had never had the opportunity to be educated and were forced to engage in degrading and dangerous work to survive.  Today, our students are using the skills they've learned to support themselves financially with dignity.  For the first time, our students are connected to a community of mentors who will continue to foster their artistic growth and provide them with the support they need to succeed.  Again, thank you for making our work possible.  We look forward to partnering with you again in the future as we continue our work throughout Sierra Leone.

Best,

Sarah Geller

Executive Director

Arts Education International