Isata M Kamara is the founder of GEDSA.
Gender Equality and Development for Social Action (GEDSA)
Background
Gender Equality and Development for Social Action (GEDSA) was born from the experience and passion of the lead founder during her childhood and teenage years. Gender discrimination and cultural practices have forced many girls out of school and made their dreams of a better life collapse along the way. The organisation is registered with the Bombali District Council and the Ministry of Social Welfare in Sierra Leone.
In Africa, Sierra Leone in particular is a society that still sees the position of women to be just housewives and cooks for their husbands. Sierra Leone is rated among one of the poorest countries in the world, the country has a population of over seven million according to the 2021 National Census (Male 3,716,263, Female 3,825,378, Total 7,541,641¹) and the priority according to culture is to prioritise boys’ education over girls. This is reflective of the education rates in the country as only 47% of the population was educated between the period 2004-2022. (2)
Impact of The Steve Sinnott Foundation in supporting education
Since the establishment of the partnership between The Steve Sinnott Foundation, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union, and Gender Equality and Development for Social Action, many interventions have been taken in the Bombali District in Northern Sierra Leone, Porto Loko District in the North-Western Region and Bo District in the Southern Region of Sierra Leone. These range from the training of school leaders on gender based violence, supporting school girls in the making of reusable sanitary pads, engaging teenagers on election violence, continuous engagement with schools to ensure girls have the space to speak up and report any form of violence (physical, sexual or psychological) through established structures like school mentors and guardian counsellors.
Funding support from The Steve Sinnott Foundation UK has seen girls making their own reusable sanitary pads, which has helped many girls come to school during their menstrual periods as they could not always afford to buy them, and become confident in speaking up.
GEDSA continues to make inroads in engaging stakeholders through radio discussions and community meetings in making sure children, especially girls and children with disabilities, are provided with support and care. The provision of learning materials including bags, books, pens, pencils, mathematical sets, sharpeners were provided for 100 children. The first phase targeted 50 beneficiaries and offered training for school leaders and parents to provide them with the skills and techniques to support them.
Governments are charged with the responsibility to ensure all economic, social and political aspects of a country are fully provided, but the status of Sierra Leone makes this impossible. So the need for partnerships and support from like minded organisations is essential for the achievement of SDG4.
The Steve Sinnott Foundation is fundamental in supporting GEDSA towards the achievement of this goal. Over this period of supporting GEDSA, over 2000 girls and boys in 15 schools have been taught about hygiene, drugs and violence, the importance of education and much more. 60 school leaders and over 100 parents have been reached with educational messages through support from the Steve Sinnott Foundation over a four year period. The aim is to continuously engage schools as an ongoing process each school year.
References:
- https://www.statistics.sl/images/StatisticsSL/Documents/Census/MTPHC_Provisional_Results/2021_MTPHC_Provisional_Results.pdf
- https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/SLE/sierra-leone/literacy-rate
This article first appeared in Engage 27.
BY ISATA M KAMARA • March 18, 2024
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk 📅 Deadline: 5th September 2025 Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! 🌍💡 Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
