WCC believes that education, schooling, skills training and knowledge acquisition along with healthcare are the main pillars for any society aiming for revitalization and prosperity. WCC aims to provide children and young people in Sierra Leone with improved quality of life and access to up to date educational services.
Since 2010, WCC has achieved remarkable success through the construction of water wells, offering health and sanitation programs and founding a part-time nursery primary school which currently provides an education to 50 vulnerable young people aged 3-14, victims of the local civil war and AIDS epidemic, orphans and those living on the streets. The project aims to build a school and health centre that will have its own sustainable well and sanitation. The focus of the school will be educational development and health awareness. WCC will use sport, drama and other arts activities as a tool for engagement, along with strategies and programs to engage and enhance knowledge retention and growth. The project will assist 5,000 children over the 3 years of the project.
The World Changing Centre has been improving the quality of life of the underprivileged children aged between 5-25 years who live in Eastern of Freetown in Sierra Leone
. The dedication of our volunteers helps enable children to realise their talents and potential for success. Education focuses on core subjects and vocational skills through apprenticeships and mentoring programs. This helps them to gain employment when they graduate and also helps them to become a vibrant part of the self-reliant community. Our drama and arts therapy programs support children in overcoming war-invoked trauma and basic health and sanitation. WCC combats the child mortality rate and promotes vital HIV/AIDS prevention ways through playing activities and fun games.
Benefits to supporting WCC
Prevent relocation of community leaders: children will remain in the village once they graduate, supporting the community in its growth and development, thus becoming a self-sustaining society
Multiplier effects: children share basic knowledge on hygiene, food preparation and peer awareness, providing opportunities for knowledge to spread
Local community cohesion: local community members including elders, parents and business involvement foster social cohesion and solidarity, promoting ownership and self-pride
Excellent value for money: volunteer participation creates cost-effect
ive endeavours, as is the weight of the local currency as compared to the British pound
A permanent residence is required to sustain a foundational and positive environment for the development of the students. The need to secure the future of the school for the benefit of the community is vital. Losing funds on paying rent does not provide investment opportunities to develop the school properly, and this is the reason for seeking a permanent residence. We intend to expand to an additional 100 students, and the growth of the physical site is of the upmost importance.
We will also employ two full-time teachers so that the quality of education is improved and become more sustainable through consistent educational delivery. As the school has a proven history of growth and support for the students, the future is dependent on the development of a physical building that will even further the growth and development of the students, which in turn help to improve the living standards of the community.
Acquired Land
WCC has recently been offered the opportunity to acquire approximately 11.954 square feet along with permission from the relevant authorities. If adequate funding is received, WCC aims to commence building work early 2019 and start recruitment of a Project Manager, Nursery Teacher, Primary Teacher, Teaching Assistants and a caretaker. These opportunities for land and staff involvement help to support the creation of a safe and trustworthy learning environment.
The Interventions
The project is going to intervene with the following activities:
Construction of the WCC Academy Building
Construct a new school building which contains classrooms, a kitchen, toilet and bathrooms facilities using locally sourced sand, cement and workers
Provide primary education to 1,000 orphans and homeless children aged 5-25 years old
Equip the school with educational resources such as books and stationary as well as tables, chairs and a blackboard to aid effective learning
Build an adjacent healthcare center which is easily accessible to each of the community’s 20,500 inhabitants. This will be funded through future endeavors and contributors
To offer extracurricular activities such as sporting activities and field trips.
Outcome of the Intervention
• The project will widen access to primary/secondary education, increasing number of enrolment children and young people aged 5-25 years
• The project will provide sustainable education, reducing the number of school dropouts
• Engagement and empowerment tools such as drama, sport and play activities are the v major part of the educational delivery in order to facilitate a holistic approach to education
• Community involvement will include education beyond the school, having an impact on the entire community
• Around 20,000 children over a period of 5 years will be impacted using sport, drama and play activities as a tool to enhance healthy child development, strengthen community partnerships and networks, and education focused on national health priorities towards HIV/AIDS and disease prevention. The sport health program adds value to the overall development context through the provision of an alternative approach in strengthening the civil society through active participation
• The program will improve the lives of the disadvantaged people that are being marginalized due to a lack of infrastructure. WCC will provide opportunities for children’s health and education development that has not been present in the past.
Curriculum Delivery Specifics
The construction of the WCC Academy Building would allow growth in development of vital and non-negotiable educational topics. With the proper facilities that would also be used in the community events and education, the project include the following activities:
a) The implementation of the Live-Safe/Play-Safe module, with HIV/AIDS prevention focused on Coach and Community Sensitization. This will include Community sensitization, health education, and adult education programs on disease prevention
b) The sport activities will help children and parents to enhance healthy child development, foster individual talents and strengthen community partnerships. The program is designed to motivate, educate, improve communication of development messages (e.g. personal safety, hygiene, self-esteem) and increase cohesion between the many different ethnic groups residing in Sierra Leone. The focus of these activities is to teach and encourage healthy lifestyles (sanitation, disease prevention, regular exercise, diet, importance of education for future development etc
c) The use of drama as a tool of engagement and education to address key issues impacting the disadvantaged people. Our drama and art therapy programs aid target groups to overcome the trauma caused by war and other problems that still affect their day-to-day lives. Beneficiaries will get the chance to learn about problems in detail including the prevention of deadly diseases including HIV/ AIDS, Malaria and other epidemics.