The last few weeks have been busy as usual! Our flagship fundraising event, the Sierra Leone Marathon, sold out locally for the first time ever, with over 1,000 runners, walkers, and cyclists taking to the vibrant streets of Makeni. Meanwhile, we released a new, limited-edition running kit in collaboration with iconic Sierra Leonean designer LABRUM, produced by adidas, and we’re already looking ahead to our next adventure: a brand new Sierra Leone Marathon in Bo, taking place 22-27 October this year. With your donations, we’re working to help families overcome the cost of education with initiatives like our Loans for Learning programme. Read on for more.

On May 4th, over 1,000 participants (both local and international) laced up their shoes and took on the Sierra Leone Marathon in the heart of Makeni. Under the sun (and the occasional rain shower!), runners, walkers, and cyclists alike powered through the course. For the first time ever, the marathon completely sold out locally! International participants spent the days leading up to the race visiting Street Child-supported schools and learning more about our work. They also participated in workshops to learn more about Sierra Leone's history and culture, reinforcing how this flagship Street Child event is more than just a marathon. Every mile, every step, and every pound raised is much larger than the race, helping work toward a world where every child is safe, in school, and learning. A massive thank you and congratulations to everyone who took on the challenge this year!

We’re thrilled to unveil our latest collaboration: a limited-edition adidas high-performance running kit created by Street Child and LABRUM. Designed by LABRUM founder Foday Dumbuya, the Sierra Leonean creative force behind Arsenal’s iconic away kit, this exclusive collection brings together performance, culture, and purpose. Stocks are limited, and every purchase directly supports our work to get children into school and learning. Don’t miss your chance to wear something truly meaningful!

We were honoured to be joined by Foday at the Marathon this year, who ran alongside our incredible supporters on Sunday. After crossing the finish line, Foday took the time to visit business owners who are part of Street Child's Family Business Scheme, seeing first-hand the long-term impact your fundraising helps create.

Missed out on last week’s race? Don’t worry, uniquely for 2025, there will be a second Sierra Leone Marathon this October – the new long-term calendar slot for this event. Join us from 23–27 October 2025 – where for the first time ever, the Sierra Leone Marathon will be staged outside of Makeni – in beautiful Bo, the second city of Sierra Leone and capital of the South. Whether you're a seasoned participant or first-time runner, this is your chance to explore a whole new region, experience a fresh route, and connect with the impact your fundraising has made on the ground. If you've already run the Sierra Leone Marathon, this is the perfect second chapter that offers a new challenge in a totally different part of the country with the same incredible experience.    

P.S. Air Sierra Leone are starting a direct flight from London next month too!

December saw a landmark event in Sierra Leone – when Street Child formally launched ‘Loans for Learning’ and distributed over 3,200 interest-bearing loans to parents, 90% mothers, seeking to grow their incomes and thus their ability to afford the costs of their children’s education. ‘Loans for Learning’ expects to become a future flagship initiative for Street Child in Sierra Leone – where poverty remains the single largest barrier to children realising their right to education.

17 weeks on from December’s distributions, the news is very encouraging with strong loan-repayment rates reported and inspiring stories of business development, some of which our marathon guests heard in Makeni last week! Successful clients will shortly be eligible for a second loan to further grow their business; meanwhile plans are being readied to offer a further 3,000 new parents the opportunity to take a ‘loan for learning’ from Street Child later this year. Uniquely, loans are only made to parents who expressly specify that their goal is to invest in a child’s education – whose progress the ‘Loans for Learning’ team then tracks as a loan condition. The interest charged on the loans is kept as low as possible but high-enough to cover the scheme’s operating costs – keeping loan-capital intact for future lending to parents who need the opportunity. 

'Loans for Learning’ builds on a successful pilot lending scheme to 1,000 parents in 2023/24 – and, in particular, on Street Child’s 15-years of experience of supporting over 40,000 families to overcome the ‘poverty-barrier to education’ through our award-winning, ‘Family Business for Education’ (FBE) programme. FBE, still one of Street Child’s major programmes in Sierra Leone and several other African countries, provides families with training, mentoring and a grant to kick-start a business to support a child’s education. ‘Loans for Learning’ offers former-FBE families the opportunity to take their businesses to the next level with a loan – which is especially important as the costs of education rise as a child goes deeper into secondary education. Over time it is expected that ‘Loans for Learning’ may both extend beyond former-FBE families in Sierra Leone, and into other countries. Watch this space!