2025 has been a great year for keep it fax, especially in terms of fundraising. We ran 2 charity fundraisers that were very successful

The first of our fundraisers a Charity Open Iftar. Inspired by the growing number of Open iftar events in the UK and the spirit of Ramadan we wanted to host an event where we got to share an Iftar with people who do not usually get to experience it.

For those who don’t know, Iftar is the small ceremony when a fast is broken during Ramadan.

This was also a fundraiser and the money we raised from this event will go to our projects (as usual) but also funded a surprise Eid celebration we have planned this year.

The second fundraiser toom place at the Pop Up Africa Martket at Spitafields, London.

Once again we returned with our successful Spin to Win fundraiser. Working once again with Black owned business, who donated service and products as Prizes

Both events were a success for the charity as we were able to raise quite a lot of money as well as successfully network and increase our profile to a larger audience.  A massive thanks you to all those who attended and took part ion the fundraising. Click the Gallery button at the top of the page to view images of both events 

school speaker collab x talkswithdrSesay x binti.period

Early this year, Dr Aziza Sesay visited her homeland of Sierra Leone.

During her trip to Freetown, she visited Kankalay school to give a talk as well as hosting a workshop on the importance of female sexual health.

The aim of this workshop was to provide knowledge and debunk myths around the stigma of periods, especially in countries in West Africa.

During the workshop Dr Aziza and the girls created handmade and reusable period pads.

At Keep it FAX we take a broad view of education and our commitment to improving education for girls is not limited to academic learning only. We think it’s just as important that young girls are taught their rights, value and place in society.

The workshop allowed us to do this by challenging the notion that periods are something to be ashamed of, hidden or dirty. We also succeeded in teaching a room full of girls how to unlock a new skill by making their own pads which can be re-used in the future.

Most importantly we managed to do this by having a lot of fun which we believe charity is all about.

We could not have done this without the dexterity and skills of Dr Sesay and Salimatu Kamara (the tailor who taught the class). Once again, a special mention to Binti period who developed the workshop.

To enable the continuation of such initiatives please donate what ever you have to Keep It Fax

We would like to thank Dr Aziza Sesay and Binti.Period.

Last week marked our second distribution for our foster support programme (since it became a formal activity).

The presentation was done at Jui community where all the recipients stay and we donated clothes.

The beneficiaries are Alhaji Mohamed Bangura, Kadiatu H. Sesay and Mariama Sesay who were among our foster support list and they were choosen base on the size of the clothes.

The recipients and their guardian are happy to received the items and they thank keep it fax and the donors for their relentless support.

They also said they look forward to more support especially in their schooling.

Once again thanks to all our donors.

September 5th marked our first distribution since making foster program formal earlier this year.

The five beneficiaries based in Jui to Calaba town are Osman Tarawallie who is in JSS 2, David Bantoma and Alhaji Kamara who are in SSS 2 and Alusine Kamara Ishmail Bangura they are waiting the WASSCE result.

Keep it FAX has introduced a fostering support initiative to support children in informal fostering arrangements. The initiative is designed to support foster parents and guardian who take on extra children but don’t always receive the support to do so.

The beneficiaries and their guardians wanted to express their gratitude to Keep it FAX FOR supporting them.

We would also like to send big thanks to our donors for making this possible and we look forward to more donations so we can continue helping them.

Hello Everyone. Just a quick update to let you guys know that we have uploaded some brand new images to our picture gallery.

These images include the events in London that Keep fax attended in order to fundraise for the charity. In November 2023 we attended the Sierra Leone Arts & Culture Festival 2023 that took place in Brixton House and in May 2023 keep it fax returned the the Annual Pop Up Africa Market that took place in Spitafields.  Both events were a success for the charity as we were able to raise quite a lot of money as well as successfully network and increase our profile to a larger audience.  A massive thanks you to all those who attended and took part ion the fundraising. Click the Gallery button at the top of the page to view images of both events 

Female Presentation 14 th of February 2024 

The presentation was delivered by Miss Fatima A. Sesay, a 24-year-old woman who was raised by her single mother. She attended St. Joseph Secondary School for her secondary education.  Initially aspiring to become an agriculturist, Fatima later shifted her focus to medicine before ultimately deciding to pursue Business Administration at Ipam University, specializing in procurement. Currently, she owns a tailoring shop where she generates income, and she also serves as HR responsible at Christian Relief Service (CRS), enabling her to earn money through multiple avenues.

Fatima attributes her success to her unwavering focus and determination, with her mother serving as the strongest support throughout her journey. She emphasized three key pieces of advice for the girls present:

Firstly, she encouraged them to embrace their uniqueness, eliciting various responses such as confidence and boldness in speech. For instance, Fanta Kamara expressed her belief in taking action whenever she sets her mind to something.

Secondly, Fatima emphasized the importance of women empowering themselves by acquiring various handwork skills, which can greatly benefit them as young individuals.

Lastly, she cautioned against being swayed by material possessions and urged the girls to remain focused and determined in pursuing their dreams, avoiding distractions along the way.

 Presentation 9th of February 2023

On 9th February 2024, Miss Isata Tengbeh held a presentation for the “Keep it Fax” students. Miss Tengbeh completed her primary and secondary education in Kenema. Following this, she attended a school for war wounded individuals in Freetown and obtained a qualification in 2015. She then enrolled at Ipam University, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and graduated in 2021. While searching for employment, she began her own business selling women’s accessories such as shoes, bags, and dresses. Currently, she is employed at the EAP Group of Companies, which constructs and sells estate houses. In her role as a marketer, she aims to raise awareness among the people of Sierra Leone to encourage them to invest in purchasing these homes.

During her discussion with the girls, Miss Tengbeh shared her personal story. She recounted her challenging upbringing, living with her uncle and facing maltreatment from his three wives. Despite the lack of support at home, she excelled academically, participated in debate competitions, and earned a scholarship to support her schooling. Throughout her university years, she encountered numerous obstacles, including difficulties with transportation and financial constraints. Despite these challenges, she persevered and ultimately succeeded.

Miss Tengbeh urged the girls to take advantage of the opportunities they have and to remain serious, determined, and hardworking in pursuing their dreams. The presentation was interactive, allowing the girls to ask questions. One common question was about pursuing university education without financial support. Miss Tengbeh advised them to work with their parents or whoever is currently supporting them by contributing financially to help achieve their aspirations.

Since we launched, we constantly seek to provide a fun and enriching program which is more than a scholarship.

We launched a school speakers initiative, in which various female professionals operating in Sierra Leone come to our schools and present to our girls.

It gives the girls the opportunity to see what’s possible and also the chance to ask questions and learn what these women had to do get to where they are.

So far we’ve had presentations from Health professional, a printing manager and an NGO program manager we have more presentations lined up and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you.

If you are based in Sierra Leone and would like to nominate someone or yourself to present to our girls please get in touch with us.

 Sierra Leone Women’s Icon Exhibit

In March we were extremely fortunate to organise a trip to the Sierra Leone’s Icons exhibit. 

As part of international women’s day celebrations this exhibiton paid tribute towards 20 female Sierra Leonean icons including Nana Turay, Constance Cummings-John and Kadijah Jalloh.

For most of the girls it was their first experience visiting an exhibition and going on an field trip.

Needless to say they had a great time and learned a lot about some of Sierra Leone’s heroines.

We like to give a great thanks to the organisers, which is part of the wider Sierra Leone icons series. To learn more about this visit https://sierraleoneicons.com/