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Every Child in School (ECiS)

Every Child in School (ECiS) is an initiative of Street Child of Sierra Leone. Across Sierra Leone there are entire communities deprived of the right to education by the total absence of adequate educational facilities – where nothing is being done about this ECiS exists to change that. We work with inspiring individuals and communities to equip themselves with the bare essentials for learning initially – and ultimately to see basic quality education permanently established in their community

Project Cycle - Overview

ECiS projects begin by helping communities equip themselves with the barest essentials to ‘kick-start’ education:
  • Simple structures
  • Training for teachers
  • Basic materials
  • Administrative support
The goal of all ECiS projects is to see the right to basic education permanently and sustainably entrenched in a community
  • Permanent school buildings
  • Qualified teachers
  • Well resourced and managed
  • Financially sustainable.
 

Where we work

We focus on remote rural areas where poverty is often greatest and counter-intuitively, help is often least. We look for communities and dynamic individuals within communities who despite their poverty demonstrate outstanding commitment to seeing their children gain an education. We work with and ‘empower’ these brave communities and leaders to realise their vision Typically the situation we encounter is a school the community have established which looks a bit like this . . .

Community school

ECiS began in the Chiefdom of Tambakha. In 2012 we expect to extend the programme to the Masimera and Bumbuna. Our project runs through 3 phases
  1. Emergency response phase
  2. Education development phase
  3. Sustainability phase
ECiS is an education ‘kick-start’ project. At some stage these schools need to function independently from ECiS The solution is 3-fold
  1. Government funding – is available to all schools with a permanent structure; acceptable sanitary facilities and a minimum number of qualified teachers. It is the goal of ECiS to achieve this within a 3-5 year time-frame from the inception of our work with each of these schools
  2. School fees – the communities we work in are poor by definition. But as the value of education is realised, parents will be prepared to invest a greater share of their income in their children’s future
  3. Community income-generating projects – a grant is made available to the school management committee to invest in an income-generating project (likely agriculture) to give the school an additional income stream


Phase 1 - Emergency response (a): a ‘simple school’

A village which has no capacity of educating its children is facing an emergency.

One of the most basic human rights is being denied to its most precious of assets – their children. Further, without education, what hope has a village of development?

Our first step is to assist the community construct and fit out a safe, but very simple interim structure that might need a few running repairs along the way, but can serve as a functional place for learning for at least the next 1-3 years.

ECiS only provides the high value items (such as concrete, nails and tarpaulin) – it is up to the community to construct it. Local carpenters are contracted to provide benches and desks - boosting the local economy.

It might not look too much by Western standards but in the places we work, this is often the smartest building in the village. We normally budget £1000 – 2000.




Phase 1 - Emergency response (b) – ‘software’

 Donors love to build stuff – but across Sierra Leone and the developing world are beautiful buildings which lie unused for lack of thought of who is going to fund their operation! One of the key perspectives of ECiS is that, as important as an expensive shiny building that is nice to look at is, what really matters is what goes on inside - i.e. the software not the hardware!

Thus in addition to the ‘simple school’, we provide

    
	
  1. Teacher training - to enable amateur, volunteer teachers to study for and gain nationally recognised teaching qualifications and skills
    2. 
	
  2. Teacher stipends - to motivate them to continue working
    3. 
	
  3. Learning materials - pencils, chalk and books for children and teachers
    4. 
	
  4. Administrative support - to newly formed schools
    5. 
	
  5. Advocacy support – promoting value of education to the whole community
    6. 






Phase 2 – Education development

This is about consolidating the status of education in the community.

Ongoing support is maintained – administrative, advocacy and of course sufficient materials for the schools to function effectively.

Performance indicators are monitored:

    
	
  • School roll – size of total roll; attendance rates
    • 
	
  • Numbers of children passing tests and exams
    • 
	
  • Performance of teachers on training courses
    • 
	
  • Administrative support- to newly formed schools Problems are solved in partnership with the community and their school management committees
    • 
	
  • Advocacy support – promoting value of education to the whole community
    • 


This phase lasts 1-3 years. Only once a community has demonstrated its sustained commitment to educating its children are projects recommended for the final (and most cost intensive) phase – sustainability.

 






Phase 3 – Sustainability (a) – A permanent school

The simple school we built in the emergency stage was never meant for keeps.

A community that is serious about education needs and deserves a proper, robust building. A project that is committed to ensuring the permanent establishment of education in a community must eventually move to helping develop such a structure.

Boyo Secondary School

Depending on the roll of the school, a budget of 10-20k is required.

 

Phase 3 – Sustainability (b) – Financial sustainability

ECiS is an education ‘kick-start’ project. At some stage these schools need to function independently from ECiS

The solution is 3-fold

    
	
  1. Government funding – is available to all schools with a permanent structure; acceptable sanitary facilities and a minimum number of qualified teachers. It is the goal of ECiS to achieve this within a 3-5 year time-frame from the inception of our work with each of these schools
    2. 
	
  2. School fees – the communities we work in are poor by definition. But as the value of education is realised, parents will be prepared to invest a greater share of their income in their children’s future
    3. 
	
  3. Community income-generating projects – a grant is made available to the school management committee to invest in an income-generating project (likely agriculture) to give the school an additional income stream
    4. 


 

The ECiS difference


    
	
  1.  We focus on the poorest, most remote and poverty-stricken communities
    2. 
	
  2. We focus on locations where no-one else is meeting need – governmental or NGO
    3. 
	
  3. We only work in partnership with communities and individuals who have proven their commitment to educating their children
    4. 
	
  4. We reverse the standard ‘bricks-first’ approach – we prioritise the ‘software’ (teacher training, learning materials) before investing in big building projects
    5. 
	
  5. We are committed to establishing permanent and sustainable schools
    6.