School Speaker collab x GILIZSAT Computer Limited

Back in July held received Mariama Kukum who was our last female speaker for the school year.

She told her journey which is one of resilience, focus, and pure determination.

Raised by a strong single mother after losing her father at just 3 years old, Mariama is a living example of what’s possible when you refuse to give up.

Mariama began her education at Henry Ferguson Junior school but life took a tough turn when her mother couldn’t afford to pay fees for all three children. While her sister entered university, Mariama had to press pause.

But she didn’t stop dreaming.

She later enrolled at Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School in Freetown and sat for her WASSCE. Her drive led her to pursue a Diploma in Public Sector Management at IPAM.

During her days at ipam

she heard about free computer training, she jumped at the opportunity earning a diploma in Computer & Networking from Elevate Africa Innovation. at Ferry Junction That bold step changed her life.

Today, she serves as Head of Lab (East Ward) at GILIZSAT Computer Limited.

Her message to young people:

“Education is the key to driving away poverty and Be mindful of the friends you keep. Stay focused and determined.”

SCHOOL SPEAKER COLLAB X International Women’s Day

It was recently race season in Salone so we wanted to celebrate International Women’s Day by bringing in an athlete as a school speaker.

So on this occasion we were fortunate to welcome cyclist Fatima Deborah Conteh.

Fatima Deborah Conteh is a 26-year Lunsar native who always had a passion for cycling and has been cycling ever since she was in school.

Deborah emphasised the importance of persistence. She has been cycling for over 10 years and has taken part in many competitions and won her fair share including The Tour de Lunsar (Sierra Leone’s biggest race). This led to further opportunities and through cycling she has been able her to travel to many countries like Ghana, Uganda, and more.

One of the valuable messages Deborah wanted to share with the girls was self-belief.

She says she was told many times that she was wasting her time and riding a bicycle would not ger her anywhere but because she had the passion she didn’t give up.

Another message she fought against was hearing from people as she will never give birth to a child and that woman should not cycle. Despite hearing all these negatives opinions, from people though, she didn’t give up.

She repeatedly told the girls that hard work pays off, you just have to be determined and focus and avoid negativity.

“As a woman you can never suffer if you learn something because the more you know the better you can do for yourself.”

The presentation was educative and entertaining, and the girls enjoyed it so much. Deborah was a great speaker and showed videos from her adventures. The girls also enjoyed seeing her medals.

We are grateful to Fatima for coming and thank her for a great presentation.

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.

Keep it FAX SCHOOL SPEAKERS INITIATIVE

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.