By: Abu H. Kargbo
Girls Connect Sierra Leone (GC-SL) has supported 15 high-performing girls in Bombali District with educational packages aimed at motivating them to maintain and improve their academic performance.
The support was presented on Saturday, September 5, 2026, during a distribution ceremony held at the organization’s office on Lamtec Street, New England, Makeni City, in the presence of parents and guardians of the beneficiaries.
The educational packages included school bags, books, geometry sets, pens, and pencils. The beneficiaries were selected from different schools across Bombali District in recognition of their outstanding academic performances during the previous academic year.
Speaking at the ceremony, Executive Director of Girls Connect Sierra Leone, Haja Mariama Bangoura, commended the girls for their achievements and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to empowering girls through education, career development, mentorship, and leadership training.
“Eighty percent of them were among the top five performers at their respective levels last academic year,” Bangoura said.
She explained that the girls’ outstanding performances attracted the attention of the organization’s board members, three of whom voluntarily contributed to the educational packages but chose to remain anonymous.
Bangoura said the initiative was based on the belief that education is a powerful tool for empowering girls and enabling them to contribute meaningfully to national and global development.
Since 2021, Girls Connect Sierra Leone has implemented programmes aimed at empowering girls through education on menstrual health, climate justice, and economic resilience, including skills training.
“We’re also providing them with mentorship and leadership training through our Girls Circle initiative,” she added.
Bangoura said the organization intends to sustain and expand the academic excellence initiative to benefit more girls in the future. She also called on individuals and organizations that share the organization’s vision to support the initiative.
“With educational support, a girl can transform into a woman of substance and make bold decisions that will benefit the next generation,” she said.
Rugiatu Sheriff Kamara, a parent of one of the beneficiaries, praised Girls Connect Sierra Leone and its board members for providing the educational support.
She said the organization’s intervention had positively contributed to her daughter’s academic performance and improved her public-speaking skills.
One of the beneficiaries, Mariama Bobson Koroma, expressed gratitude to Girls Connect Sierra Leone for its continued support, describing the educational package as an encouragement and challenge for the beneficiaries to surpass their previous academic achievements.
Among the 15 beneficiaries, eight are potential candidates for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), while one long-term beneficiary is currently pursuing university education.
The initiative forms part of Girls Connect Sierra Leone’s broader commitment to empowering girls and young women to become confident leaders, advocates, and changemakers in their communities.