By Sulaiman Jalloh

Abdul Karim Kamara, the Chief Executive Officer of Educational Empowerment for Children in Africa, said education is the only thing Sierra Leone needs to become a better society. He was speaking on Friday, December 8, 2023, in the east end of Freetown after a short debate organized by his organization that brought together sixteen schools in the capital.

The competition was cantered around debates and spelling bee with the theme: Empowering the Young Generation.

According to Kamara, his organization has been in different engagements and programs since its foundation in 2015, ranging from providing scholarships for less privileged pupils, providing mentorship, and taking youths from the streets to schools among others, adding the organization was established to provide support to young people for them to become role models in society.

Abdul Karim said this year’s winner will be given a certificate, scholarship,and assisted with school materials. He used the occasion to call on the government and NGOs to support them in achieving their dream.

According to him, one of their challenges is lack of funding because everything is just limited within the executive, saying they have been going the extra mile.

He encouraged community members to join them in helping the younger generation.

Speaking on behalf of the community, SaaMackoimakoeFamanda, expressed gratitude for such programs in that part of the country, because according to him, there are lots of issues that steal the minds of young people. He added that one of the challenging issues is insecurity or antisocial behaviour.

Mr. Famanda said the country still has high illiteracy rate, while advising that the best way to eradicate such challenges is to encourage young people to focus on their education; adding programs like debates and spelling bees contribute to quality education in the country.

Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, December 15th, 2023 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)