Isata M Kamara is the founder of GEDSA.
Gender Equality and Development for Social Action (GEDSA)
Background
Gender Equality and Development for Social Action (GEDSA) was born from the experience and passion of the lead founder during her childhood and teenage years. Gender discrimination and cultural practices have forced many girls out of school and made their dreams of a better life collapse along the way. The organisation is registered with the Bombali District Council and the Ministry of Social Welfare in Sierra Leone.
In Africa, Sierra Leone in particular is a society that still sees the position of women to be just housewives and cooks for their husbands. Sierra Leone is rated among one of the poorest countries in the world, the country has a population of over seven million according to the 2021 National Census (Male 3,716,263, Female 3,825,378, Total 7,541,641¹) and the priority according to culture is to prioritise boys’ education over girls. This is reflective of the education rates in the country as only 47% of the population was educated between the period 2004-2022. (2)
Impact of The Steve Sinnott Foundation in supporting education
Since the establishment of the partnership between The Steve Sinnott Foundation, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union, and Gender Equality and Development for Social Action, many interventions have been taken in the Bombali District in Northern Sierra Leone, Porto Loko District in the North-Western Region and Bo District in the Southern Region of Sierra Leone. These range from the training of school leaders on gender based violence, supporting school girls in the making of reusable sanitary pads, engaging teenagers on election violence, continuous engagement with schools to ensure girls have the space to speak up and report any form of violence (physical, sexual or psychological) through established structures like school mentors and guardian counsellors.
Funding support from The Steve Sinnott Foundation UK has seen girls making their own reusable sanitary pads, which has helped many girls come to school during their menstrual periods as they could not always afford to buy them, and become confident in speaking up.
GEDSA continues to make inroads in engaging stakeholders through radio discussions and community meetings in making sure children, especially girls and children with disabilities, are provided with support and care. The provision of learning materials including bags, books, pens, pencils, mathematical sets, sharpeners were provided for 100 children. The first phase targeted 50 beneficiaries and offered training for school leaders and parents to provide them with the skills and techniques to support them.
Governments are charged with the responsibility to ensure all economic, social and political aspects of a country are fully provided, but the status of Sierra Leone makes this impossible. So the need for partnerships and support from like minded organisations is essential for the achievement of SDG4.
The Steve Sinnott Foundation is fundamental in supporting GEDSA towards the achievement of this goal. Over this period of supporting GEDSA, over 2000 girls and boys in 15 schools have been taught about hygiene, drugs and violence, the importance of education and much more. 60 school leaders and over 100 parents have been reached with educational messages through support from the Steve Sinnott Foundation over a four year period. The aim is to continuously engage schools as an ongoing process each school year.
References:
- https://www.statistics.sl/images/StatisticsSL/Documents/Census/MTPHC_Provisional_Results/2021_MTPHC_Provisional_Results.pdf
- https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/SLE/sierra-leone/literacy-rate
This article first appeared in Engage 27.
BY ISATA M KAMARA • March 18, 2024
Seeds of Hope are everywhere! “I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Stage at the Lake…” But it was special to meet all of the Calderdale team in person, who had brought this four-day event together so successfully. Sometimes an event stays with you long after the final performance has finished. My visit to Stage at the Lake at the beautiful Shibden Hall in Calderdale was one of those occasions. As UNESCO ASPnet UK Coordinator, I was delighted to be invited as a guest, but what I experienced was much more than simply attending an event. Here, in the grounds of a house steeped in history, the past, present and future seemed to meet. The English Chamber Orchestra filled the setting with music, Northern Ballet brought movement and storytelling to life, and throughout there was a wonderful sense of creativity, community and possibility. And then there were the parklets; a unique gardening festival at Shibden Park celebrating community, creativity and the power of nature to bring people together. At its heart was a specially commissioned trail of ten micro show gardens, designed and built by community groups from across Calderdale. It was wonderful to see spaces where ideas, conversations and creativity were flourishing and connecting through Seeds of Hope. I cannot wait to see them transported to their ‘forever homes’. Standing there, I found myself thinking about what we mean when we talk about education, culture and hope.
2025 During the annual fomasyon for Alfa monitors, Antoliyis Pye gave an extensive presentation on how best to introduce and develop basic math concepts in literacy classes. The response to his insight and enthusiasm led to our decision to create our own math book for Alfa participants. In Haiti and around the world, illiterate market women and peasant farmers develop their own techniques for calculating and recording numbers. However, in providing literacy for the development of our people, we must also introduce the world of conventional numeracy. These skills lead to logical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions on numerical evidence. For a year we worked together to draft the contents of our Alfa Liv Kalkil, seek illustrations, create layout, and finally take our product to the local printer. Funds were provided for 350 copies, enough for each Alfa participant at each of our sites at the present level of attendance. 2026 Our next step was to fully engage each Alfa monitor in the process for introduction and use of Liv Kalkil in Alfa classes. Our two day fomasyon for 2026 was dedicated to ensuring that each member of our team was familiar with the book and comfortable in implementing the concepts with Alfa participants. The sessions were a great success. Every monitor was extremely pleased with this new tool which will allow them and their classes to work together in the world of mathematics. Liv Kalkil is now in service for every participant throughout Alfa, from Limonade itself out to sites in the hills and along the river. It is with some excitement that the monitors and participants are beginning to use our very own, home-grown, math book. In the same way that we already had Goute Sel*, Lekti Netale*, Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti*, we are proud to have this math book which advances our shared work for the development of our people. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported us in developing this book. We want to thank our dedicated team of monitors, the Alfa support team in Columbus, Ann Beatty and the Steve Sinnott Foundation, and the many others who contribute to our literacy programme. Chancy Jak (Alfa Co-ordinator) Antoliyis Pye (senior monitor) *Goute Sel: Taste of Salt (base text for Alfa literacy classes) *Lekti Netale (reading comprehension) *Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (stories from Haitian history; Alfa second level)
Every teacher has a time in their career when a student needs someone to listen to them instead of just a lesson plan. Schools have been preparing for that moment for far too long. That started to alter on Friday, August 7, 2026. After completing a five-day guidance and counselling program in the RED 2 West hall in Brikama, 64 educators left with certificates and something more substantial than paper. They left with a duty: to be a support system for young people negotiating the challenging realities of school and life, a listening ear for a struggling student, and a source of advice for a colleague. Why This Training Matters During the closing ceremony, union leaders and education administrators made it clear that schools need counsellors, and they need them right now. The message is grounded in reality. Today's students face an ever-more complicated array of social, emotional, financial, and personal obstacles as they enter the school each morning. Teachers are the first to notice it. They are the ones in the classroom when a youngster needs someone to notice, when a student becomes quiet, or when grades decline for no apparent reason. Guidance and counselling have traditionally been viewed as optional extras rather than essential components of a school's operations. This instruction directly challenged that notion. Counselling and guidance are not extras. It contributes to the success of a school. Five Days of Learning and Practice Over the course of the week, participants moved beyond theory into practice, building the listening skills, guidance techniques, and support strategies they'll need to respond to real situations in real time. It wasn't just about acquiring knowledge; it was about rehearsing the kind of presence that makes a difference when a student or colleague needs it most. By the final day, the room held a shared sense of purpose. Participants reflected on what the five days had given them, not only new skills, but a renewed sense of why they came into education in the first place. They thanked the funders who made the training possible and made a collective commitment: to serve with diligence, empathy, and purpose. Taking It Beyond the Training Room The real test of this training won't happen in Brikama; it'll happen in the weeks and months ahead, in classrooms, corridors, staffrooms, and communities across the region. The 64 newly certified counsellors were challenged to carry what they learned into every one of those spaces: to notice the learner who's struggling silently, to check in on the colleague who seems overwhelmed, to be the steady presence that a school community can lean on. That's the real outcome of a training like this. Not just a certificate, but a shift in what's considered normal: a school culture where guidance and counselling sit at the centre of education, not the margins.
