ysleep.org
Charity Number: 1085562

BRIEF HISTORY OF YSLEEP

Following a memorial service at St Michaels and All Angles Church in Croydon on Sunday 7th Febuary 1999 a few Sierra Leonean got together to help provide relief for affected people in Sierra Leone as a result of the civil war. This saw the birth of the Sierra Leone War Relief Effort (UK). During the months that followed, a container load of food, clothing, medical supplies and toys was shipped and distributed to the needy in Sierra Leone.

Thankfully, within a year the carnage subsided and the groups’ focus was changed and directed towards enabling young women to become self-sufficient and participate in the community. To this end the name was changed when the Young Sierra Leoneans’ Educational and Empowerment Project (YSLEEP) became a fully fledged UK registered charity and was launched on the 12th February 2000 

During the last 10 years YSLEEP embarked on a series of projects to help empower young women. The village of Aberdeen, which is the hub of the country’s tourism trade, was chosen and a number of women have benefited from courses including:

  • Gender awareness and development
  • Small Scale Business Enterprise
  • Gara production
  • Health awareness education especially prevention of HIV/AIDS. This flagship project which was a micro-credit scheme helped over 50 women and ran for 4 years


 

The main focus is for YSLEEP to continue in its mission to advance education, promote health and empower the disadvantaged to become self-sufficient and useful citizens of Sierra Leone.

We have successfully completed our project in Aberdeen empowering women to become worthwhile participants in their community. This was marked by the ‘hand over’ ceremony in March 2008 witnessed by three members and a ‘friend of YSLEEP’. Our organisation is proud to have made a huge impact in Aberdeen.

We also did children’s parties in villages during the festive seasons and buy a bag of rice projects.

 Our task in hand is to commence new projects in order to achieve our objectives whilst working collaboratively with our implementing partners YSLEEP Sierra Leone assisting two deprived primary schools along the peninsula providing maintenance to their dilapidated building structures in order to help to provide conditions conducive for learning.

Most importantly the Nurses Assistance Project providing bursaries for community nurses training in Sierra Leone. We’ve sponsored and continuing mentorship of our two nurses who graduated last year ensuring they are placed in reputable healthcare institutions and currently sponsoring and mentoring seven.

 We continue to look forward and appreciate the contribution of our supporters, well-wishers and friends of YSLEEP in the coming years especially in this time of our endeavour at fundraising and securing new projects.

I am confident of the future and with God’s help and direction we shall be able to achieve our goal.

YSLEEP aims to support young people in Sierra Leone to feel empowered for a better, healthier future.

Charlie Max-Macarthy EX Chairperson – YSLEEP(UK)

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