First trip to West Africa since Covid lockdowns

Dear friends and supporters,


I am just about to head back to the UK from a trip to West Africa visiting some of our current projects in The Gambia and Sierra Leone. This is our first visit since before Covid and I am delighted to share with you all that the projects are progressing well. 


I am in a reflective mood thinking about all the educators and students I met, and the stories they shared with me. I’m also thinking about my friends and family who are preparing for the festive season in the U.K. Despite extreme challenges; cost of living increases, climate change and inequality, our colleagues are passionately committed to providing access to quality education for all children. 


Despite the traffic jams, the dust as we are nearing Hammatan, and the football focus, we shared some laughter and joy. I had an incredible trip, and I would like to feedback to you the difference your support is making. 


Here are just a few highlights:


The Learning resource centre in The Gambia is providing a vital space for teacher training and for educators to carry out research.



I was honoured to meet with 40 SSF young ambassadors in Banjul and Basse who are campaigning for the right to education for all children everywhere, as well as improved conditions for their teachers. 



We looked at our Change makers Speak Out Challenge - The School I want to Learn In together and the students came up with some inspiring ideas for the future of education. 


Sign up here to get involved in our Change makers Speak Out Challenge: 


Change makers Speak Out Challenge


We visited an SEN school in Banjul and the teachers there touched my heart at their incredible passion and love for the students in their care. 



Inspiring stories


I was nspired by a young woman who shared her story with me. She was married at 15, has a baby daughter and due to violence from her husband she ran away. She is 17 now and living with her aunt and she is attending school every day. She is hopeful for the future for her and her daughter. How incredible is that story and the support you have given to enable us to host training on gender based violence is absolutely having an impact on people lives.


In Sierra Leone, my colleague Isata has just had a baby boy Mohammed, and it was a joy to spend time with them both. 


The learning resource centre in Makeni is really coming together, and Isata now has 1 staff member, and 5 volunteers, who are making great progress.



Positive Periods programme


Meeting teachers and students who benefitted from the Positive Periods and Gender Based Violence training, and hearing their testimonies, assured me that our work is having a huge impact on people’s daily lives. 



I was honoured to meet some of the SSF young ambassadors who told me how the Positive Periods program has not only impacted their own personal lives, but the lives of girls in their wider community as well. 


The Foundation works in a way that fosters trust with our partners, builds ownership and sustainable practice on the ground. We listen and we care about the future and I am proud to say our method is working. 



Support our work


However, the list of requests for replication of the work is long and we cannot expand our work without more support. 


If you could find it in your heart to support some of our projects directly by purchasing one of our eco-friendly charity gifts this December, it would make a big difference to so many people. We have gifts priced to suit all pockets, take a look here: https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/gifts/


Or you might want to support us to foster a sustainable future for education by making a monthly donation from as little as £5 to any amount you can afford. Click here for a form.


Finally, a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to you all, for supporting access to education for all. 


Ann





This page presents country specific information including national reports, country commitments, data, and examples of good practices submitted by partners - Sierra Leone


This page presents country specific information including national reports, country commitments, data, and examples of good practices submitted by partners - The Gambia

Steve Sinnott • December 7, 2022

An Education Revolution

By Ann Beatty • April 6, 2025
This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us. 

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025
Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.