ABOUT EDI

Our Mission

EDI is dedicated to promoting access to improved education and well-being for Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable children and youth through providing support, which includes school materials, scholarships, clothing, food training, and capacity building for teachers and communities.

What We do

Our Strategy

Believing that education is a necessary component for economic growth and sustainable development EDI-SL invest in the prospects of partnership with all relevant stakeholders including UNESCO,UNICEF, PLAN, Education for All Movement, The World AT School, the Global Partnership for Education etcetera, to promote access to improved education and wellbeing for Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable children and youth. Further, EDI-SL utilizes key international standards such as the Dakar Framework for Action, the UN Decade for Education and Sustainable Development, the MDG goal 2, and relevant national documents including the new Sierra Leone Education Sector Plan 2014 – 2018, the SABABU Education, the Government’s Gbamenja Commission’s White Paper on education and others to achieve this end.

Achieving Our Mission

We pursue our mission through a three-pronged approach:

Firstly, we directly support school pupils, ensuring they have all they need to access education and thrive. This support entails identifying and addressing educational barriers, such as cultural constraints, conflicts, food and nutrition challenges, financial conditions, limited learning materials, gender disparities, and harmful traditional practices that hinder pupils from attending school.

Secondly, we focus on equipping teachers and school management bodies with the necessary skills and resources to plan and implement practical and effective educational and learning activities within and beyond the classroom. Empowering educators is essential to fostering a conducive and engaging learning environment.

Thirdly, we collaborate closely with communities, fostering awareness of the importance of working hand-in-hand with teachers and supporting the educational needs of schools and children. Community involvement is crucial in ensuring pupils' holistic and sustainable educational journey.

U.S Operations

At the Education and Development Initiative (EDI), we extend our commitment to positive change beyond Sierra Leone. As a registered 501(c)(3) in the United States, we collaborate with agencies and communities to support vulnerable individuals based on thorough operational needs assessments. While our main focus is on empowering Sierra Leone's vulnerable children and youth, we recognize the importance of addressing local needs as well. By working in partnership within the United States, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable individuals, aligning our efforts with their unique challenges. Together, with your support, we create a ripple effect of positive change that transcends borders and uplifts communities globally. Join us on this journey towards a brighter and more inclusive future for all.

Our Values

Partnership and learning:

EDI maintains an open and accessible attitude which we recognize as a benchmark for our operation and existence. We believe that being open, flexible and accessible makes us relevant to build partnership with other stakeholders, and also enhance learning and skills sharing. The work of improving education is never accomplished alone. Thus, we are committed to building and sustaining genuine connections with individuals, groups and organizations form near and far so that together we can learn, share and celebrate results.

Integrity and selflessness:

We hold the values of integrity and supporting others in high esteem. We believe that the journey from the first day at school until graduate education and employment is a tedious one. With a lot to celebrate today in our own lives we also believe in genuinely supporting others to make this journey and enjoy the benefit of acquiring skills and achieving the highest standard of education. A powerful inner resource that we hold in high esteem is the integrity to do that we say that we are going to do and being accountable to ourselves, our communities, and the society as at large. These are the foundations upon which the University is built.

Discipline and Leadership:

Author Jackson Brown said that, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." We believe that even with the greatest goals and activities we will never succeed in our endeavor without individual and collective discipline. We hold individual and collective discipline in high esteem, ranging from the way we approach our tasks, our planning and delivery processes, how work with others, and our overall management and operations. As change agents, we believe that leading by examples is both a necessary and sufficient condition for effective leadership.

Results:

We emphasize the need to achieve the highest result in whatever we do. This means upholding the values to commitment our time, our skills, individual and collective resources to win within the most reasonable period.