On October 15, 2020, seven Bright Light Projects Sierra Leone (BLPSL) beneficiaries, all students at the Sierra Leone Opportunities & Industrialization Centre (SLOIC) in Makeni fulfilled their Academic Matriculation protocols. This event usually marks the validation and official academic acceptance after fulfilling the required credits and practicals hours to be recognized as a full student of the institution.
BLP beneficiaries at SLOIC are all part of BLP’s Girls Shall Rise (GSR) Campaign with a focus on providing support, skills training, and advocacy for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) specifically violence against women and children, Commercial Sex workers, and women living with HIV AIDS. Girls Shall Rise (GSR) is in line with BLP’s vision to promote and support BLP beneficiaries to become self-reliant and contribute positively to the development of their communities
Girls Shall Rise (GSR) Activities include:
- Provide school learning materials to GBV survivors, Commercial Sex
workers
- Help vulnerable girls mostly dropouts to go back to the classrooms
- Provide family planning to prevent teenage girls from unwanted pregnancies
- Encourage GBV survivors to kindle their potential by providing creative
opportunities and basic literacy facilities for those who wish to study further
- Support GBV survivors to accomplish physical, intellectual, and personal
development through vocational skills training
- Engage local communities on the dangers of GBV and Child Protection
policies through workshops and training.
All Seven beneficiaries are due to graduate from the 1 year 6 months program in June 2021. BLP’s collaboration with SLOIC marks a milestone in BLP’s mission in implementing community-based projects through strategic partnerships,
GSR has a long term goal of transforming GBV Victims, Commercial Sex Workers into Serial Entrepreneurs through skills training in BLP operational communities currently Bombali and Western Area Rural Districts of Sierra Leone.
