Family is important wherever you are in the world. 
To have the opportunity to provide a better life for your children, look after your elders and support your partner is life changing.
In Sierra Leone we met five determined young people; Momoh age 28, Joseph 21, Mariam 23, Noah 28, Sharke 26 and Abdul 24, from the capital Bo who tell us how the 12 month electrical installation training course delivered by our partner Craftshare, has transformed their lives for them and their families.
Opportunity
Ebola brought devastation to Sierra Leone in 2014, dividing families, and sadly took the lives of Abdul, Joseph, Noah and Sharke’s parents. Dropping out of school early because their families were no longer able to afford to continue sending them, meant that the opportunity to learn a vocational skill has given them a brighter future.
“I was living hopeless but now I am hopeful” Momoh
They were all so happy to have the opportunity to train in electrical installation after hearing about Tools for Self Reliance’s project through the community radio and with friends encouraging them to apply.
Committed to investing in themselves and their future Abdul and Mariam walked two hours each day to get to Craftshare’s training centre. For 12 months all of the group attended their training course seven and a half hours a day, for five days a week.
Skills
Their practical training began with health and safety, how to use different tools before moving on to surface and underground wiring, fault finding and mortising a wall. On the job training at Bo’s Power Station complimented their classroom training to give them practical work experience and opportunities to meet customers.
Today they base themselves at Bo’s Power Station unless they have work wiring a house or smaller jobs. Working together they share their income as a group and have learnt to save for their own workspace to rent in the future.
Family and the Future
Mariam feels like a ‘shiny woman’ and wanted to learn electrical installation as it is a good trade.
Mariam has a seven year old daughter she can now support, and is planning in the next year to bring her mother from the village to live with them.
Momoh shared how this opportunity has given him the skills to afford food so he can eat twice a day now and support his three year old child.
Noah is aspiring to become a supervisor.
Noah makes and sells extension cables to support his additional income. He lives in his own place now and can afford to support his family with food and clothes.
Joseph feels great because he can support his mum and buy her new dresses. He didn’t feel before that he could prosper, but is now able to pay rent and buy food. He wants to develop his skills to become an engineer.
The opportunity to learn trade skills and provide people with tools so that they can earn an income, has a direct positive impact on people our projects support, enabling them to support their children to go to school, provide valuable services to the community and have control over their futures.
A small monthly gift of £4 can support young people like Momoh, Joseph, Mariam, Noah, Sharke and Abdul to have that opportunity to learn trade skills which will change their lives. Find out more how you can support practical help for practical people here.
