2019: A new chapter in a new building

2019 has been a year of change for the Dorothy Springer Trust.

In May we made the difficult to decision to move from our offices in Pultney Street, at the centre of Freetown, where it has been for five years.

We celebrate our time at Pultney Street: it was initially a dilapidated building, but after £11,000 of investment, it became a modern model office with a state-of-the-art equipment, accessibility and modernity. The office was officially opened in 2014 with great fanfare, and it was from Pultney Street that we began to deliver training directly by DST, rather than relying on an outside training provider. Within three months of opening, 40 members of the local community had been trained. The office has served the disabled community and the public well; through IT training course, employment creation, advocacy and other services.

Despite this, a significant increase in rent has led to the decision to move to new offices on the East side of the city, co-located with the Freetown Cheshire Home (FCH) and school. The shell of a new building existed, but a lot of work and money was involved in turning it into offices that can be used for training, as the base for the DST Employment Bureau, and other operations of DST.

There are many benefits to moving:

•                     Larger offices, giving DST the opportunity to expand operations

•                     A new building in an excellent state of repair

•                     Located in a part of Freetown which has a high incidence of disability, so is close to the community DST serves

•                     A reduction in annual rent, freeing up money to invest in further education and courses.

DST started using the new building almost immediately, as a base for running a FCH project with One Family People (OFP) and Dutch Lilliane Fonds, supporting university women and children with disabilities. See the photo below.

The equipment we used at Pultney Street has been transferred to our new offices. This includes the laptops generously donated by the UK company TRL.

The building has been appropriately named “DST Opportunities House”. 

In late November, DST celebrated with a grand opening of the new offices. This was supported by Chief Komrabai Peter Penfold (former British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone), with the unveiling of the plaque by His Excellency Simon Mustard, the new British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone. The cutting of the tape before people went in to inspect the new building was officially done by Rev. Mrs Linda Koroma of Regent Road Baptist Church.

April 2019 graduation of our DST scholars

The seven students who started the Basic IT course in 2018 completed earlier this year. In April 2019 we held a special graduation ceremony for these students and the eight who completed the Digital Literacy and Numeracy course in 2018. All these students were funded by DST UK.

At the graduation the DST funded students were joined by 15 non-disabled students who have also been trained by DST. Many of these students pay a small fee to receive the training. Any income generated in this way is used to support the operations of DST in Sierra Leone.

Special thanks to the Mayor of Freetown, Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr as Keynote Speaker, Ambassador Catherine Campbell, Deputy British High Commissioner, plus others.

 

You can see news coverage of the graduation ceremony on Sierra Leone National Television (AYVNEWS) on the following link. It starts 16:06 minutes in, and last for approx. 3 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSG1xJMxD-k&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR23jzd1AI7vjGIh8AXbfmRD6YT69B3sSfGIi9ZQQW0IeuED_0byXMoK0X8

 

2019 DST Advocacy Report

Our CEO Dr Abs Dumbuya is on the ground in Sierra Leone and campaigning for the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs). His efforts in this respect have been nationally recognised, which has led to a wide range of roles. Amongst other things, Abs is now Chairman of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), and chairman of the National Disability Election Network, working for equitable representation of disabled people in the Parliament.

On 5 December 2019 Abs reported: “My International Day for Persons with Disability (IDPD) celebrations were with two slum communities in Thompson Bay and Dwazark, both in Freetown; sharing stories and sensitising community stakeholders on ensuring pwds have equal access to education, healthcare services, mobility, etc. I celebrated with a team of researchers from the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC), Federation of the Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP) and University College London (UCL) on a DfID funded project on Assistive Technologies 2030 (AT2030).

Sierra Leone has so many PWDs with hidden talents and it is great to make new friends and also provide opportunities to them for training at the Dorothy Springer Trust in 2020. See front-page articles of our celebration of IDPD 2019 with a theme: “The future is Accessible”. I hope this becomes a reality for many PWDs in these settlements!”

2018 Training Update

In 2018 DST delivered two courses:

Eight students commenced training in Digital Literacy and Numeracy in May, completing in July 2018

Seven students commenced the Basic ICT training late in 2018, which is planned to continue into 2019

 

DST also provided several tailor-made training programmes for non-disabled people including staff at the British High Commission, Irish Embassy, GiZ (German Aid agency), Bennimix Food Company, Sierra Leone Ministry of Defence (MoD), and a number of other organisations and private individuals – income generated from these training courses is used to support the operations of DST in Sierra Leone.

Training was delivered at our Pultney Street offices:

Photo from training, 10 May 2018

8 July 2018 Photo of another cohort of training.

Photos from training, 22 Sep 2018.

 

2018 – Results from the empowering disabled women programme

It’s good to follow the progress of our trainees. With support from British High Commission, in 2015 DST delivered pioneering IT training for women with disabilities, to empower them in their lives ahead. Our aim was to give them opportunities in employment and further education. We are delighted to report that out of seven women trained in 2015, by the end of 2018 six are working, and the seventh is now in her final year at University.

July 2018 – Your generosity is overflowing

DST has been distributing computers, laptops and furniture donated to DST by its friends and supporters in the UK. Donations have gone to National Commission for Blind, Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues, Media Watch, Freetown Cheshire Home, and Journalist Sarah of Star Radio/TV, amongst others.

Thank you to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Easthampstead Baptist Church, Schools in Bracknell, Individuals and friends of DST.

April 2018 – a personal testimony from one of our graduates, Andrew Sallieu Lansana:

“Life before DST

I was born in August 17th, 1990 in the Provinces, the East of Sierra Leone, Kenema and contracted Polio at the age of 6 month. I lost my mum when I was only 13 years. I grew up with my dad and other family members taking care of me. Through sheer determination, I was able to go to primary and secondary schooling in Kenema and later moved to Freetown after taking my West African Senior School Certificate Examination, to look for better opportunities in the city.

When I arrived in Freetown, I faced a lot of challenges before my encounter with the Dorothy Springer Trust. Let me use this opportunity to highlights some of these constrains that I was going through before entry at DST; namely:

•                     It was difficult for me to acquire my basic needs e.g. food, shelter, clothing.

•                     It was also difficult for me to get a job, although I was a graduate from a recognised University in Sierra Leone.

•                     Dealing with negative perceptions including family members. Some family members did not recognise me or would use disparaging remarks. For example, in Africa, especially in Sierra Leone the moment you don’t have money or a job, all sorts of words or labels are used to refer to you as lazy, useless, and so on”.

Studies at DST and Life after that

In October 2016, I enrolled at the Dorothy Springer Trust Intermediate Level ICT Training. We completed rigorous training comprising of Computer Systems, Software Applications, Employability Skills, Entrepreneurship, etc. I graduated with Certification in ICT in April 2017. Through the Employment Bureau, I was able to get a job as an Accountant at Family Kingdom Limited, Aberdeen Freetown and after six months I was able to become a permanent staff member. It is almost getting to a year now, and my life has been transformed in so many ways:

•                     A man who was not able to get his basic needs is now a father of a baby girl two months old, what this means is that this man can now even take care of others with the help of DST training and Dr Abdulai Dumbuya .

•                     With the help of DST training and Dr Abdulai Dumbuya, I am now trying to be enrolled for the 2018/2019 academic year for my Master’s course at the Institute of Public Administration and Management, University of Sierra Leone (USL) by the grace of God.

•                     With the help of DST training and Dr Abdulai Dumbuya ,a man whose family members didn’t even recognise is now getting calls from them for support; some are even apologising for their wrong behaviour.

•                     With the help of DST and Dr Abdulai Dumbuya, a man who was very slim has now put on weight; although trying to control this so I don’t get as big as Abs!

•                     There are still some challenges but a very big praise to Dorothy Springer Trust (DST), Dr Abdulai Dumbuya and all other key players of DST for such a wonderful role they have played in transforming my life. Thanks to you all once more God bless you more for your support.”

 

2018 Advocacy Report

28 Oct 2018

DST is working with the Government of Sierra Leone’s (GoSL) Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs on the writing of the first country report on the status of implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). DST and partners are leading on education and employment chapters.

We have also influenced the inclusion of disabilities issues in the country’s National Development Plan – Poverty Reduction Plan. We are calling for disability issues to feature prominently in the country’s eight priority areas.

 

2017 Advocacy Update

16 Dec 2017

The Dorothy Springer Trust (DST) in collaboration with One Family People (OFP) and Lillian Fund Foundation (LF) convened a Consultative Workshop on “Studying the Sierra Leone Disability Act 2011 and Deriving Key Messages from the Act” as the organisations embark on Disability Advocacy and Lobbying to fully implement the Act..

The workshop was hosted by DST, and addressed the four thematic areas of Education and Employment, Health and Enabling Environment of the Disability Act.

2017 Training update

In 2017 all nine of our students who started the intermediate ICT training in October 2016 completed the programme.

DST, in collaboration with Irish Aid, held its third graduation ceremony in April 2017. The occasion was held at the organisation’s Pultney Street office in Freetown with the theme: “Celebrating Successful Persons with Disabilities in Sierra Leone”.

Five outstanding people with disabilities who have served as role model and an inspiration to others were also presented with the Disability Ambassador Award.

The ceremony was well attended. In his opening remark, the Director of British Council, Simon Ingram-Hill said his institution has a very good working relationship with DST. The British Council frequently receive students who have graduated from DST for a years internship.

The ceremony received good coverage in the Sierra Leone news:

http://awoko.org/2017/04/07/sierra-leone-news-celebrating-ability-in-disability/?fbclid=IwAR0b7CGjID0Vfw-eb9_ru0YlbLhnqR_DrPgWD7EasJ536tOScPdsGxHu3iQ

https://medium.com/@desmondtundecoker/sierra-leone-dst-awards-successful-persons-with-disabilities-3f762e62923c

Earlier in April 2017, we welcomed DST volunteer from the UK, Jack Smith. Jack spent six weeks teaching on our Digital Literacy and Numeracy course.

To have a native speaker of English running the course was very useful and has contributed immensely to DST‘s work in transforming the lives of people living with disabilities in Sierra Leone through IT training and employment opportunities.

Jack left in June, and as always here at DST we had a short ceremony to mark the event, with short statements from Abs Dumbuya and Jack Smith followed by a presentation of African shirt and thank you card with messages written by his students and staff.

DST continues to provide training to non-disabled people, including the Irish Embassy, German Aid Agency GiZ, Benimix Company and private individuals. Income generated from these training courses is used in supporting the operations of DST in Sierra Leone.