CEEPARD Reaches 2,500 Beneficiaries Through 2026 Education Support Programme
CEEPARD Sierra Leone has concluded its sixth Summer School Livelihood Support Programme after reaching 2,500 less-privileged children and women-led households in the Western Area Rural District.
CEEPARD Sierra Leone has concluded the 2026 edition of its Summer School Livelihood Support Programme, reaching 2,500 less-privileged children and women-led households across communities in the Western Area Rural District.
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The programme ended on Tuesday, September 22, with a donation and distribution ceremony at Bassa Town Field in Waterloo. It provided free intensive summer classes and educational materials to children from vulnerable backgrounds.
Learning materials and bicycles distributed
According to CEEPARD Sierra Leone, beneficiaries received school bags, books, pens, pencils and geometry sets. Selected children who walk long distances to school were also given bicycles. The organisation did not provide the number of bicycles distributed.
The initiative was delivered through six school centres: GEM School in Mabureh Community; REC School in Bassa Town; Sahid High School in Bassa Town along Old Road; Liverpool Islamic School in Grass Field; Memzo Memorial Community School in New London; and the Islamic Foundation in Masorie.
The 2026 programme was conducted under the theme, “The 17/7 Principle: An Assurance to Achieve All Round Academic Excellence Through Societal Synergies.”
Programme expands from 2025
Ing. Mohamed Osman Mansaray, CEEPARD’s Deputy Executive Director, said the initiative was designed to support less-privileged children and address difficulties that can prevent them from attending or remaining in school.
Mansaray said CEEPARD supported 1,500 pupils during the 2025 edition before increasing the number of beneficiaries to 2,500 in 2026.
“We have a lot of school-going pupils that drop out because they say they don’t have bags, pens or pencils to go to school,” Mansaray said.
He described the programme as part of CEEPARD’s contribution to expanding access to education and complementing national efforts to improve opportunities for disadvantaged children. He also appealed to organisations, individual donors and development partners to continue supporting the initiative.
Commitment to future support
CEEPARD Executive Director Hamid Ibrahim Sesay reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to children and vulnerable communities facing difficulties in accessing educational opportunities and essential learning materials.
“The successful completion of the 2026 programme is not the end of the journey. It is another step towards reaching more children, strengthening educational opportunities and building stronger communities through collective action,” Sesay said.
Sesay also thanked CEEPARD’s volunteers, interns and ambassadors, telling them, “You are the bedrocks of CEEPARD Sierra Leone.”
CEEPARD said it intends to expand the programme in subsequent years, subject to available resources and continued support from partners and donors. The organisation acknowledged the contributions of donors, development partners, participating schools, volunteers, interns and ambassadors.
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