For the second year in a row, NTT DATA UK&I and Street Child are partnering to ensure children are safe, in school and learning in Sierra Leone. This year, we will be empowering caregivers living in the most marginalised urban communities to start or grow an income-earning enterprise, enabling them to afford the costs of sending their children to school in the long-term.

18% of children in Sierra Leone aged 6 to 11 do not go to school, and 36% of children never complete primary school (UNICEF, 2021). Family poverty is one of the largest barriers to children accessing education, with over half the population living under the poverty line (earning less than £1.50 per day) meaning that parents simply cannot afford the cost of school fees and uniforms and children must work to support their family, exposing them to risks including forced labour, early marriage and sexual or gender-based violence. Street Child’s ‘Earning for Learning’ programme builds on our innovative and award-winning ‘Family Business for Education’ model, and provides caregivers with access to start-up funding, business coaching and mentoring to help them set up a viable micro-enterprise and afford the costs of their children's education. This is supplemented by counselling and mental health support for children, the provision of education kits including school uniforms and learning materials, and advocacy on the importance of education within the community.

Over the next twelve months, NTT DATA UK&I and Street Child will host a variety of fundraising and employee engagement events designed to fundraise for this project and provide meaningful opportunites for staff to make a difference. Street Child CEO & Founder Tom Dannatt said: "Following a fantastic year in which NTT smashed their fundraising target and built a first-of-its kind Junior Secondary School in rural Sierra Leone, we are delighted to be partnering with the firm once again to ensure that children in urban communities also have the opportunity to go to school and thrive. Poverty is a leading cause of poor school attendance, and poor school attendance is a leading cause of poverty - if, with NTT's help, we can break this cycle, we can ensure a more prosperous future for all".