A Back to School Kit Gift (Digital Download)

How your gift has helped Laughter Africa children in the past year:

We are still in the middle of providing school fees, vocational school fees and uniforms so we haven’t got any final totals yet for the 2024/2025 academic year. However, we estimate that we will have provided over 700 former street children with school materials by the end of December 2024. We have paid school fees for both our old beneficiaries and the new children that we have met at our mobile projects in Funkia and Bomeh over the last year.  

One of the new boys we gave school supply to was Ibrahim. We met him at our mobile project in Funkia. We took him home in January 2024. He lived on the streets for three years. He lived with his granny after the death of his parents. He went on the streets as he wasn’t able to pay his school fees. He was engaged in child labour and would sell fish. Ibrahim said, ”The streets were not fine. I was scared. Lots of the other street children would carry knives. Two of my friends died while living on the streets- Lamin and Foday. Foday died from kush- his legs became rotten. Lamin died after being run over by a car. To make money on the streets, I would go fishing.” We have just paid school for Ibrahim and he is very excited about his future- he wants to become a teacher.

We haven’t just paid school supplies for the new kids- we have also been paying for all our old kids too.

One of the children we gave school supply to is Albert. We first met Albert at our mobile project in town at the beginning of November 2020 when he was just 9 years old! He said, “I am 13 years old. I lived on the streets for along time. My dad died so my auntie took me from my mum and brought me to Freetown. She said that she would look after me and pay school for me. But instead she made me sell and she beat me. I didn’t go to school for a long time.” In December 2020, Albert was reunified with his grandmother in a village outside of Bo. We have been paying school fees for Albert ever since. In October 2024, we paid secondary school for Albert as he passed the NPSE.  We are super proud of him and his achievements!

Another boy we gave school supply to is Mamoud who we met at our mobile project in Waterloo in March 2022. He was 12 when we met him and we eventually reunified him with his family. This is his story: “My name is Mamoud and I am 14 old. I lived on the streets for 1 year. My mum died  during Ebola and my dad  died in an accident not long after. After they died, I lived in the village with my granny. My granny did not treat me fine. We were very poor and we didn’t even have money for food. My granny tried to sell me to a stranger but my aunty saved me and took me to live with her. However, my aunt didn’t treat me fine. She made me sell water and banana.  My aunty beat me. She wouldn’t pay school for me. I would live on the streets in Tombo Park on a market table. To survive on the streets I would bloom and blye. Before Laughter paid for me, I can’t remember the last time I went to school.” We have been paying school for Mamoud ever since. Thanks to your generosity we paid JSS1 for him in September– the first year of secondary school!

We have been inundated with visits from our old kids who have just received their BECE results (the equivalent of their GCSEs) at the end of November 2024. They are passing with flying colours. One boy is 17 year old Jamil, who we met at our mobile in town 4 years ago. Jamil was 12 when he first went on the streets and lived on the streets for about a year before we found him.

He lived in Mill Street, a popular location for street children in town. He went on the streets because of poverty. His father died when he was small and his mum struggled to provide for him. He would sell casava. He said, “The streets were not fine. I had no side to sleep. I had to beg to get money for food.” Since we took him home, Jamil has stayed there ever since. His dream is to be a lawyer.

We first met 14 year old Simeon 2 years ago in Waterloo. He lived on the streets for about 2 years. He went on the streets after his granny locked him in a room for 3 days without food as a punishment after he lost money while engaged in child labour. His granny didn’t pay school for him and would also beat him. Simeon didn’t have an easy time on the streets. He lost his friend Alusine who died at the age of 12. He was sick. To make money on the streets, Simeon would sweep and tote. His dream is to be a doctor!

These children are just a few examples of some of the 700 children that you have kindly paid school supplies for. Most of them have similar stories, similar dreams and we are proud of everyone single one of them.  

So on behalf of Ibrahim, Albert, Mamoud, Jamil and Simeon and all the other street children plenti plenti tenki!!!