The international charity Concern Worldwide has launched an educational radio
programme for learners in West Africa who still cannot attend school due to the
ongoing Ebola epidemic.
The non-profit organisation is working in partnership with the Sierra Leone and
Liberia governments to drive the initiative, which includes creating small study
groups and getting school supplies to inaccessible communities. The idea behind this
is that children will be able to receive broadcast radio lessons delivered by a
teacher in small groups under the guidance of a helper.
Amy Folan, the national education coordinator for Concern Worldwide in Sierra
Leone, explained to Voice of America News, “Gatherings of any kind have been
banned so we can’t do what we normally would for providing emergency education
options. So we’re working with the government to have radio based programing that
can have basic education around literacy…health messaging as well as the psycho-
social support to children as well.’
Concern Worldwide is also making efforts to provide learners in rural areas, where
there is limited access to radio, with solar powered and crank powered radios. “In
Sierra Leone our initial target is 2,000 radios. We have groups of about five children
at a time, that’s 10,000 children. There are other partners working in other districts
as well who are doing similar campaigns, and we’re coordinating with each other to
make sure that we don’t duplicate efforts,’ said Folan.
The program has been made possible by some of the organisation’s partners, but is
largely funded through the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia, which are re-
purposing money which would go towards schools if they were running as usual.
Source: Voice of America News
