Our Impact

Rural Community Development

• CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION UPGRADE IN KONIA

  • Replaced 6 unsanitary latrines with 6 new ventilation latrines and hand wash stations;

  • repaired 4 water well pumps and tested water to ensure it was safe;

  • installed 3, 5000L rainwater catch systems; and

  • provided each household (220) with a 40L water collection bucket and SawyerPoint One clean water filter.

• CLEAN WATER: Installed multiple rainwater catch systems with clean water filters in 4 other villages:

  • Konia - 3

  • Golu - 3

  • Mbundurbu - 1

  • Gerihun - 2

• RURAL HEALTH:

  • Improved conditions in the rural health clinic in the village of Golu, which serves 6 surrounding villages (approx. 15,000 people) with solar power, lighting, new beds, mosquito nets & non perishable medical supplies;

  • Community health and hygiene education programs in partnership with local health care workers across 4 rural communities;

  • Partnered with Marie Stopes International Sierra Leone to extend family planning, contraceptive delivery and female health into Baoma Chiefdom.

RURAL Education

• COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER: TVL rehabilitated a building in Gerihun to become a model Community Resource Center which includes 3 spaces:

  • LIBRARY: 3000+ books, access to the internet through tablets; and a projector to share more dynamic educational content— free and utilized by 6+ rural schools;

  • PRESCHOOL: a dedicated preschool classroom with daily classes for children aged 3 - 5 equipped with a smaller library, teaching materials, and a curriculum that includes basic education, health/hygiene/nutrition, and Social-Emotional Education. Children are fed a nutritious meal daily to aid their improved long-term learning outcomes.

  • COMPUTER LAB: This solar-powered lab was built by TVL. Our partners at TpISENT, utilize the equipment to provide rural students with access to technology and custom software technology to study for their WASSCE exams and improve digital literacy skills amongst rural youth.

• FEMALE EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS:

  • TVL currently sponsors 4 females in education ranging from primary to post-secondary education.

• REMOTE RURAL EDUCATION:

  • From 2016 - 2018 TVL introduced 2500+ students to digital literacy and computer technology through its rural education program. Teachers traveled between communities with laptops to teach students in rural schools about computers and we provided formal digital literacy classes at our centers in Golu and Gerihun.

  • Program participants include: primary and secondary children, female farmers, females who have dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy, people with disabilities and unemployed youth.

Early Childhood Development

• 3 participating villages;

• 1500+ children participated since 2015;

• 1st early childhood program in Baoma Chiefdom;

• Teacher training offered to schools not yet certified by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Education;

• Parents with children in our program are more likely to prioritize primary education as a necessity for their children.

Vocational Training

• Njala University Teacher Certificate Sponsorships - currently sponsoring two female students.

• Agricultural workshops for subsistence farmers - 200+ rural farmers participated in a University of Illinois conducted a series of workshops to teach rural farmers environmentally friendly methods to store produce and seeds longer and to yield a larger harvest.

• 3 locally trained and employed youth to run the center:

  • Small business mentorship;

  • Entrepreneurial mentorship and micro-grants.

• Digital vocational courses offered to the public;

• Hosted and recruited rural farmers to participate in an agriculture extension workshop put on by Njala University and University of Illinois.

Economic Sustainability

• 2 solar powered community resource centers, internet connected, offering business services to local communities to support long-term development programs and supplement local operations - providing local jobs.

• Revenue sources: printing/scanning/photocopying, solar cell phone charging, top up (data), photo printing, internet cafe, data input, vocational training, mobile money, and DSTV sports streaming.