In Kalangba, a rural community in Sierra Leone, many adolescent girls face limited opportunities after completing secondary school. Isha S. Kanu, an 18-year old girl, had completed her West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), but like many of her peers, she found herself at home with no access to further education, skills training or employment. With few prospects and no structured …

In the quiet, remote village of Makwie an outreach community to Gbendembu in Sierra Leone 18-year-old Yapo Kanu lived in silence and shame because she had never gone to school. For Yapo, the world of education was foreign and intimidating. She often avoided conversations with her peers who were enrolled in school, feeling inadequate and …