Vocational Training
Our two vocational college in Sierra Leone provide practical, hands-on training to vulnerable young people—particularly young women—in trades such as tailoring, catering, and hairdressing. These courses offer a lifeline to students who are determined to build brighter, independent futures. These colleges not only empower women to learn a trade but also become financially independent, grow in self-esteem, and become role models in their communities.
In the 2023-2024 Human Development Report, Sierra Leone ranked 184 out of 193 countries, and it ranks in the ten lowest ranked countries in the world for the Gender Equality Index. There is very little social mobility or financial security in the country, especially for women who do not have the access to education or basic resources.
This makes the vocational colleges vital in the local communities.
“Investing in girls and women isn’t just morally right, it is essential for the development of families, communities and countries. When we educate girls, we see reduced child deaths, healthier children and mothers, fewer child marriages and faster economic growth”
“I am 20 years old. I have a son, but we’ve separated with his father. He is not taking care of us. I am the one that is responsible for my child’s schooling, clothing, food and paying rent on our home. I get my income from the garden [growing crops] and doing odd jobs for people but this is not reliable. That is why I want to learn catering – in order to be self-reliant.”
Develop with Dignity
In Sierra Leone, girls face significant barriers to staying in education. Periods are widely stigmatised, with many girls resorting to unsafe materials to manage their menstruation – leading some to miss up to a week of school each month. In Koindu, nearly three quarters of girls were not informed about menstruation before their first period, and gender-based violence is widespread.
Our Develop with Dignity programme works to change this – supplying locally made washable sanitary pads, training teachers in reproductive health education, and engaging communities to challenge harmful myths.
A Nursery Built by the Community, for the Community
Until recently, many of our students and teachers had to bring their young children to class due to lack of childcare. It wasn’t safe or ideal and the young children were missing out on a chance to learn and play. But thanks to income from our sustainable Palm Kernel Oil business, our team have now built a nursery on-site with three nursery teachers.
The children are thriving — learning, playing, and preparing for school in a safe and happy space. We’re looking for donations towards toys, educational materials, or food for lunches. If you’re interested and would like to support the nursery, please get in touch or simply donate here!
Donate
Business Starter Kits
Our support doesn’t end at graduation. Graduates join a growing network of former students and teachers, with an annual gathering to stay in touch and share experiences.
For most graduates, the goal is to set up their own business – but with limited capital, this can be a significant barrier. That’s why we aim to provide every graduate with a starter pack of essential equipment and materials, giving them everything they need to begin trading straight away and grow their businesses.
You can donate a business starter pack through our donation shop for £100.
Donate
Sponsor a Student!
Help a student learn a trade to provide for herself and her dependents.
Donate
It’s difficult to make a living in Sierra Leone, especially if you dropped out of school due to circumstances beyond your control. Many young women resort to scraping a living from unsafe work, and still live in poverty.
This does not have to be the case.
For £25 a month you can sponsor a student so she can learn either catering, tailoring or hairdressing and skills to run a business.
Once she starts learning, she can use the money you send to buy materials such as food ingredients, fabric or hair products. She will use these materials in college to learn to make products. Then, she can sell the products she makes to provide a living for herself while she studies.
The Palm Oil Project
Powering vocational training in Sierra Leone with sustainable palm oil
Our vocational colleges offer a lifeline to students who are determined to build brighter, independent futures. But these colleges don’t stand alone. They’re supported by a sustainable social enterprise.
Our team in Sierra Leone sources palm kernels – a by-product often left to rot – and transforms them into oil, a valuable product used by local communities. The oil extraction process has many steps; from sourcing waste palm kernels, to processing them to extract oil, and then transporting it to sell.
This is a sustainable way to reuse agricultural waste to produce oil that is used locally by the community. Not only that, our palm oil project also helps us create more job opportunities and while all profits from the sales go directly to fund our vocational colleges. It’s a unique system that helps us maximise our impact!
Water Wells
Six in ten people in Sierra Leone don’t have access to clean water. For many families, that means women and girls walking miles every day to collect water from unsafe sources – time lost from school or work. Dirty water makes people sick, and sickness makes everything harder.
Teams4U partners with villages to fix this. We provide the materials and an engineer; the community builds the well. This means villages take real ownership of their water supply, so it’s looked after and lasts. Clean water changes daily life – children stay healthier, girls stay in school, and families can look after themselves better.