Photo credit: Plan International Sierra Leone
We are thrilled to see our 25,000 Fenix radio-lights being distributed to school children in Sierra Leone by Plan International. As children remain in lockdown, the radios enable students to listen to school lessons that are aligned with the national curriculum. This helps to ensure they keep up with their studies. The LED light feature enables learners to also see and study at night.
Sierra Leone’s Teaching Service Commission (TSC) has designed radio programmes for pupils in both primary and secondary schools. In addition to subjects like English, math and sciences, topics include handwashing, hygiene, social distancing and how to recognise COVID-19 symptoms. As children are learning at home, it’s also an opportunity for caregivers, parents and others who may not have been able to attend school when they were young to learn as well.
For more than 40 years, Plan International has been supporting the education of the children in Sierra Leone. Their comprehensive programmes advocate for the equal rights of every child to be healthy, educated, valued, respected and kept safe from abuse. It has been our pleasure to work with them to ensure tens of thousands of children aren’t left behind.
Lifeline Energy sent more than 30,000 power independent radios to Sierra Leone and Liberia during the 2014-16 Ebola crisis, when the radio lessons were first created. Then as now, the country was in quarantine.
Last year we visited Sierra Leone to train Ministry of Education trainers in the use and care of our Lifeplayer MP3s. Funded by the British government, the units supported the Le Wi Lan school-based adolescent youth programme, which is presently on hold due to COVID-19. Here’s Sophie, Duchess of Wessex helping distribute Lifeplayer units to teachers near Freetown, the capital.
Recently, our Lifeplayers were distributed to enable farmers to listen to programmes called Forest Friendship specifically created for cocoa farmers living around the Gola Rainforest National Park in the far western area of Sierra Leone. Farmer’s Voice brings farmers together in community settings to share perspectives and knowledge. They listen to pre-recorded programmes on MP3 and also record radio programmes to ensure all farmers can listen.
