Only a handful of schools in Sierra Leone have computers and many of the youth now using computers have taught themselves by spending time at internet cafes. There is a tremendous groundswell of interest to have access to computers in school, and any secondary school that has them will be assured of a higher attendance rate as a result.

Bambai Bling and in-country partner, Shine On Sierra Leone, have secured a commitment from an International computer company to launch four (4) computer labs in schools around the country. Each lab will provide computers, teachers and training courses and internet connectivity. The computer labs will launch Fall 2008.


In-country NGO partner: Shine On Sierra Leone

Bambai Bling's first Community Resource Center is being established in association with the FAWE School for Girls in Freetown serving both the existing primary school and the new secondary school being built on the same property by our partner organization Batonga. Construction of the garden, well and building that make up the Community Resource Center will begin in September 2007, with students and parents involved in its design and ongoing management.

In-country NGO partner: Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Sierra Leone Chapter).
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The existing primary school has been unable to provide a mid-day meal for students for the last few years, and as a result the girls are forced to either purchase food from nearby street vendors or go hungry. A location has already been found for the garden that will supply food for the school, and both students and parents will participate in its maintenance as well as the preparation of meals (with families of students being able to benefit from the extra food produced). That same location will have a well to supply water for the school and the surrounding community. A small facility being built on the property will serve as a meeting place for local residents as well as a base from which development-focused non-governmental organizations will be able to provide assistance to the community.

In-country NGO partner: Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Sierra Leone Chapter).

An estimated 70 percent of schools in Sierra Leone were destroyed or occupied by rebel forces during the civil war. While there has been progress in rebuilding these schools there remains an acute shortage of both schools and classrooms in existing schools.

Bambai Bling plans to pay for the construction and outfitting of schools and additional classrooms for existing schools, with an emphasis on secondary schools that range from grades 7 to 12.

The classrooms will allow the school to accept 60 and more students. Included in the grant is a provision of basic furniture for each classroom that is locally provided (chairs, desks, blackboard, and teacher's table).

NGO partner: Batonga

In-country NGO partner: Children Associated With the War (CAW)

The teeming slum of Kroo Bay in central Freetown is one of the worst in Africa. More than 5,000 residents are crammed together in makeshift tin-roofed huts surrounded by unimaginable filth. The stagnant river that runs through the middle of the slum is an open sewer, with children bathing close to giant pigs foraging for floating garbage. One of the few hopeful signs in Kroo Bay is the daily sight of young soccer players in an open area that serves for now as a soccer field (known as football pitch in Sierra Leone).

Bambai Bling is building a proper soccer field and renovating a building on site to become a Community Resource Center. The Center will be linked to a school in the slum that is operated by the Forum for African Women Educationalists, with a garden established nearby that will be run with and for students at the school, youth soccer players and their respective families.

In-country NGO partners: Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Sierra Leone Chapter).

All of the young women attending the Vocational Training School run by Children Associated With the War (CAW) in Freetown were rescued from brothels. They had been forced into the sex trade by crushing poverty and a lack of opportunities for women. All under 20 years of age, the students complete a two-year vocational training program in one of four professions: tie dying, tailoring, soap making and photography.

Bambai Bling is sponsoring 25 girls by awarding them two-year Vocational Training School scholarships beginning September 2007.

The photo shows one of the current students being trained. Their faces can not be shown because of the stigma of their previous situation.

NGO partner: Batonga
In-country NGO partner: Children Associated With the War (CAW)

One of our partner organizations, Batonga, is building a new secondary school for girls in the capital of Freetown. Once completed, it will be run as a government school by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), although students will have to pay tuition.

Bambai Bling is sponsoring 100 girls by awarding them scholarships to attend the FAWE Secondary School for Girls beginning in September 2007.

They will enroll in various grades, and the same Bambai Bling scholarship will be paid annually until each girl graduates from grade 12. The scholarship includes tuition, uniforms, school supplies, mentoring and community awareness programs.

Shown are some of the 100 girls who will be receiving scholarships in September.

NGO partner: Batonga
In-country NGO partner: Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Sierra Leone Chapter).

There is a thriving community of hip hop musicians in Sierra Leone, and it is estimated that hip hop accounts for 80% of all sales of recorded music in the country. The hip hop community has just begun to address social and development issues. The very popular group Dry Yai Crew has taken the lead in this area and regularly call on fans to join them in garbage cleanup operations in the slums of Freetown.

Bambai Bling has joined forces with the leading rappers in Sierra Leone to mount a national hip hop competition beginning later this year. Youth aged 25 and under will be invited to write original raps on selected social and development issues. The ten best will record their raps in a professional studio, after which they will be aired on the radio and the nation will vote by cellphone for their favorites. A final televised competition will involve onsite judges plus the phone votes, and the winner will get a record contract.