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Restoring Vocational School in Sierra Leone

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Our patriarch Franklin S. Anthony started the Southern Agro-Industrial Development Associates Centre (SAIDAC) with the dream: that people in his hometown and its surrounding region could access the educational and professional opportunities that they needed to thrive. At his core, he wished that this education and opportunity could be driven by and designed by Sierra Leoneans, for Sierra Leoneans.

The Anthony family has brought this dream to life over four decades. SAIDAC has transformed thousands of lives by providing high-quality training in construction, tailoring, agriculture, computer literacy, and business studies. We are stepping into this proud legacy, carrying on Grandfather's dream for Sierra Leone. 

Will you join us in raising $7,000 through this GoFundMe by Friday, August 16, 2019 to help SAIDAC upgrade our facilities and pay for full scholarships for 20 students for the upcoming year? 

WHAT YOU CAN MAKE POSSIBLE 

SAIDAC, like other Sierra Leonean grassroots organizations, receives little to no public funding and denied access private funding sources.

Our family has been vital in keeping the doors open all these years, but we can’t address our aging infrastructure without the support of you and our community in the States.  

By donating to our Gofundme and helping us reach our $7K goal, you will provide SAIDAC staff and instructors with additional tools to increase their impact in their community.

Specifically: 

$3K will go towards repairing and upgrading the SAIDAC building, which will include roof rehabilitation, painting, and a new bathroom; 
$2K will go to full scholarships for 20 students; 
$1K will go towards chairs, desks, tables materials, and sewing machines; 
$1K will go towards shipping supplies and office technology donated to SAIDAC from the U.S. 

Your investment will directly transform the lives of SAIDAC students and the Bo and Gobaru communities.  Because of you, 20 students will be able to enroll in SAIDAC; for many, this will mark a return to their education. They will be able to go to school in upgraded and safe facilities which will be freshly painted and vibrant. They will also be able to utilize the donated computers, sewing machines, and supplies that our family and our community have gathered in the States. 

Your donation will also have impacts for years to come. You will make exciting opportunities possible for SAIDAC, including launching a new website, and exploring an exchange program for U.S. instructors to teach at SAIDAC. 

WHAT SAIDAC DOES 

SAIDAC prepares Sierra Leoneans of all ages to build the real skills that they need to access sustainable employment, to care for themselves and their families, and to work towards their goals and dreams. 

SAIDAC’s mission is to support students as they:

Build their capacity to be productive, self-reliant, and to contribute to their communities; and Provide the human potential that Sierra Leone needs to heal, grow, and thrive. 

SAIDAC offers a comprehensive curriculum for our Diploma and Certificate program, which includes:

General Agriculture
Agronomy, Animal Science, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Economics and Extension, Soil Science, and Crop Science 

Computer and Business Studies 
Data Processing, Computer Programming, Computer Application Packages, Quantitative Methods, Accounting, Business Administration, catering and Introduction to Research Methods 

Community Development Studies 
Masonry, Carpentry, Tailoring, Gara Tie Dying, Tin Smiting, and Soap Making 

Our goal is to help to develop, practice, and hone the tangible skills that they will need to find a job that provides sustainable income and which empowers them.

Students are learning efficient and sustainable agricultural practices; sophisticated tailoring techniques; and basic computer skills to allow them to use technology as a general resource and a way to enter the digital economy. Others are learning the fundamentals of business to prepare themselves for new opportunities in administrative roles, or as independent contractors or entrepreneurs. 

SAIDAC staff committed instructors who are experts and leaders in their fields. They build strong bonds with SAIDAC students, who are primarily graduates of Sierra Leonean public schools. 


THE HISTORY YOU WILL BE JOINING 

Sierra Leoneans have a deep-rooted legacy which lives in our family and drives us every day.  Generations of wealth and potential were stolen by European colonizers. This historical trauma has been compounded by a 10-year civil war and the recent Ebola outbreak, leading to long-term economic instability. 

Many Sierra Leoneans had their education and training disrupted and, as a consequence, find themselves un- or underemployed. SAIDAC developed programming that was financially accessible, and which prepared the Bo community for rapid economic, technological, and political changes. SAIDAC was the first educational organization outside of the capital that offered computer literacy training. We also geared our programs to be accessible to people who had not been able to complete their secondary education, and to ex-combatants from the civil war. 

SAIDAC was founded as a way to address the incredible difficulties people in Bo faced taking care of themselves, their loved ones, or their communities. Luckily, Sierra Leoneans are brilliant and resilient. SAIDAC is not alone: collectively, Sierra Leoneans are constantly innovating new ways to create opportunities in our communities. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in Frank Anthony’s dream and our family’s legacy to our home country. If you have any questions or if you want to learn more about SAIDAC’s work in Sierra Leone, feel free to reach out to us through the GoFundMe message function!


Best, 

The Anthony Family
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Donations 

  • Christopher Baldwin
    • $50 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

James Vamboi
Organizer
Jamaica Plain, MA

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