Less than USD 1 to educate and feed a child per day
OUR STORY
On 2016, Candelaria Irazusta, traveled to Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the word. Moving from Buenos Aires to Tormabum an upcountry southern rural village, become a life changing experience. As a child psychologist her interest drove her naturally to get involved with childhood and was impacted on how lack of nutrition, poverty and most importantly lack of stimulation affected development in early childhood. With the support of the WARC team the dream on an early childhood center become a reality. .
WHO WE ARE?
The Little Orange House was created to improve the living standards of children in rural African communities. We are committed to enhance early development in vulnerable children for a fair start in life. The first LoH was inaugurated on the 3rd of April of 2017 in Tormabum as a pilot project with 30 children. Today we are providing integral support to 90 children of low-income households by kickstarting their education and combating developmental challenges.
WHAT WE DO?
The Little Orange House offers an entirely free pre-school development program in rural Sierra Leone and has become a unique high proficiency rural early childhood center in the district to provide developmental and educational support; with the capacity to assist 90 children continuously over 3 years on a daily basis.
WHY?
In low income countries, the proportion of children enrolled in preschool is low. In Sierra Leone, only 14% of children aged 3–5 years attend preschool programs, and almost the totally of those in urban centers. Pre-primary education is not yet considered a right in the country – with no official curriculum and mostly limited to unaffordable and private institutions.
In addition, almost 4 out of 10 children below 5 are malnourished, posing an irreversible handicap to their cognitive development. Because of poverty, under nutrition, lack of responsive stimulation or emotional deprivation, children develop more slowly, or fail to develop critical thinking and learning skills.
OUR PROGRAMS
The roots for a strong foundation in childhood depends on good nutrition, stimulation and emotional responsiveness. Here’s how we do it:
NUTRITION
Every day, two nutritious meals rich in protein are served for each child. For most, this means having 3 daily meals instead of a single protein-poor meal. Every month, nutritional assessments are conducted to follow the children nutritional improvement, targeting to completely eliminate wasting and stunting within the LoH kids.
EARLY LEARNING & TIMELY STIMULATION
The Early Learning Program allows children to participate in an organized learning environment for 4 hours every day guided by two facilitators in each class. Our approach was developed by expert educators and child psychologists and it combines methodologies that will support the development of skills, knowledge and understanding. The curriculum is subject to periodic reviews by the LoH staff and external expert advisors.
HEALTH CARE EDUCATION
Through this program we aim to increase health knowledge to promote positive behaviors and raise a selfcare attitude in every child. Good practices in personal and domestic hygiene to prevent diseases or health risks is a key learning topic for all the LOH students. By engaging the children to apply these practices in their own households we intend to impact their families and their own community.
Get Involved
Other projects
From time to time, the Little Orange House has provided micro emergency relief to the surrounding villages:
2016
WAAH VILLAGE RECONTRUCTION
2017
NEW SCHOOL FOR OLD BROTHERS STUDENTS
2020
COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
“WAAH” VILLAGE - SIERRA LEONA - AFRICA
On April 28 the village of Waah in Sierra Leone in Africa was hit by a fire for the second time. The fire started at 4pm affecting only one house, but due to high temperatures and flammable construction material (straw roofs), it spread and destroyed a total of 46 houses where 506 people used to live. The affected families in WAAH live in extreme poverty and the fire has left them even more vulnerable.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
WHAT IS THE FAMILY SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME?
LEARNING IN SIERRA LEONE
In Tormabum, Bonthe District, the schools have limited or no resources at all. Only a few students have the privilege to own a pencil and a notepad with limited empty pages, which they manage carefully. While many go to school, the lack of resources and schooling materials hinder their opportunities to truly learn. In Tormabum, Bonthe District, the schools have limited or no resources at all. Only a few students have the privilege to own a pencil and a notepad with limited empty pages, which they manage carefully. While many go to school, the lack of resources and schooling materials hinder their opportunities to truly learn.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Sierra Leone Brothers Old School, which receives 150 students every day, is in a critical condition. The school has deteriorated severely, putting at risk the students and the staff. During this rainy season, a strong storm destroyed the roof and further deteriorated the structure. This forced the teachers to foreclose the building to avoid a tragedy, disrupting the children's school attendance.
OUR RESPONSE: The School Sponsorship Program
Objetive: To raise the funds needed to rebuild the school and return to 150 students the opportunity to learn.
»» Select the amount, fill in your card details and donate.
THE LITTLE ORANGE HOUSE COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE
In 2014, Sierra Leone was struck by Ebola which took over 4,000 lives and affected many more. As the country struggled to recover, COVID-19 is bringing back the memories and realities of a health crisis. Meanwhile, only 14% of under 5s have any type of pre-primary education and over 40% are undernourished hindering their full cognitive development. The Little Orange House Early Childhood Center (LOH) has been operating in rural Sierra Leone since 2016, providing 90 children with 4 hours of high-quality early earning and stimulation per day and serving 45,000+ highly nutritious meals per year. As part of the Government’s COVID-19 contagion mitigation measures, all education institutions are temporarily closed. This leaves the LOH children vulnerable to the impact of the virus and with a high risk of being inadequately fed. This pandemic has challenged us to keep on going and scale up our assistance. Through our COVID-19 response plan we will provide nutritional, hygiene and psychosocial assistance to 90 children of The Little Orange House and their families delivered straight to their household
Our 3 premises for a strong response:
Nutrition: Food bags will be delivered monthly to all the LOH families.
Health: We will distribute hygiene kits containing disinfectant, soap and sanitizer + Our facilitators will train families on hygiene and good practices to avoid contagion.
Psychosocial support: Our local staff will be trained to raise awareness on COVID-19 prevention + A psychosocial assessment survey, designed by LOH expertS, will take place weekly t o evaluate the child and family situation.
Stand for childhood:
The Little Orange House is seeking to raise $35,000 to implement on the COVID-19 response strategy, with the following impact:
540 beneficiaries will receive food support for 3 months until the next rice harvest.
90: families will be trained on hygiene and sensitization and will receive hygiene kits.
9 local facilitators from the Little Orange House will be trained in COVID-19 prevention and will deliver trainings to LOH families and the general village.
"Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai
BRIMA KPAKRA
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
JOINED LOH IN 2018 "If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just one" Mother Teresa
SAMUEL BAM
FACILITATOR
JOINED LOH IN 2018 “When you educate a child, you have educated the whole nation”
ISSAH ALHASSAN
OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS
JOINED LOH IN 2020 “Think of giving mot as a duty but as a privilege”
HANNA KALLON
Local Head of Nutrition and Hygiene Program
JOINED LOH IN 2016 “Educate your child with care, the love you receive is nothing but the love you give”
ABU JASU
FACILITATOR
JOINED LOH IN 2016 “To be with a kid is very important to God, because kids are God’s treasure. They should be cared with love, from their parental home to their school and town”
WASSAB MUSSA
FACILITATOR
JOINED LOH IN 2017 “Children are the leaders of tomorrow, but now they are vulnerable, so we should treat them with care”
MARIAMA KAPIA
COOK’S ASSISTANT
JOINED LOH IN 2018 “Working with the kids is good, you share your wisdom with them and they share their joy with you”
ISAAC JOHNSON
FACILITATOR
JOINED LOH IN 2019 “Education is the source that will lead you to progress in life”
ABINA AGJARKOH
FACILITATOR
JOINED LOH IN 2019 “Education is one of the most important things in the world. Especially for a girl, when you educate a girl you have educated the whole nation”
