We build school

Primary Target Group

The primary target group of YDC-SL is marginalized and vulnerable children and youth between the ages of10 to 35 years, who are, for a variety of reasons, unable to participate in Sierra Leone’s formal school system. Some never attended school, while others have dropped out of school. There are many individual reasons as to why the target group is not attending the formal school system, the dominant being financial restrains, parental neglect, teenage pregnancy and being orphaned. These challenges leave the target group without access to the public education system and sustainable opportunities of employment, and YDC-SL targets them directly by providing alternative options of education and skills training. Because of social economic challenges many girls are never send to school or drop out because of early marriages or teenage pregnancies, YDC-SL therefore strives to direct education programs to this group of society in particular. Right now 59% of YDC-SL right holders are girls or women, and 96% of right holders in the technical and vocational training programmes are girls or women. YDC-SL staff and volunteers have undergone training in handling and teaching and counselling marginalized young people and are therefore capable of reaching a segment of the population that is otherwise disregarded in terms of education. 500 right holders are currently involved in YDC-SL programmes in Sierra Leone.

Besides the right holders of YDC-SL the volunteers in the organisation can also been seen as a target group for YDC-SL activities, as capacity building of YDC-SL volunteers is a core activity within YDC-SL’s voluntary concept. YDC-SL identifies young Sierra Leoneans who have a desire to make change and work voluntarily, while at the same time giving them the chance to develop their own skills by offering them courses and special exam (WASSSCE) lectures hosted by YDC-SL. This constitutes an important incentive for keeping the volunteers committed, seeing how many of them are marginalised youths themselves. In relation to this, YDC-SL has seen several individuals who have transformed from being students (right holders) to volunteering at the centre or becoming part of YDC-SL management.