Roots Summer Courses

The young adults who are part of The Roots Project are learning independence, career development, and life skills. Part of the mission of The Roots Project is to identify the best path for each young adult based on their individual strengths. As The Roots Project continues to grow, our young adults have begun to pursue their own interests outside of school. We are currently serving seven young men and nine young women through the Roots Project. Over the past several months, many of our young adults were on break from school. Our university students had a break between terms and are set to resume classes this month. We also had several young adults on break as they awaited results after taking the West African Senior School Certificate Exam (WASSCE) earlier this year. They are planning to apply to University if they passed the exam.

The students on break had the opportunity to pursue some additional courses that were both of interest and could have a positive impact on their futures. From cake decorating to hair, makeup, nails, and computer courses, our young adults spent time learning new skills. Each one reflected on what they learned from the class and how they will be able to apply what they learned in the future.

Mary took a month-long cake decorating class. In the class, she learned how to make five different types of cakes and different techniques to decorate them. She even made the local news in Freetown! While Mary will continue working toward her university degree, she plans to use this new skill in the future as a way to earn extra money.

Fatmata took a nail class that also lasted a month. In the class, she learned how to apply acrylic powder to nails and how to shape nails. Fatmata sees this class as an opportunity to make extra money in the future doing something she enjoys.

Memunatu took a hair and makeup class. In the class, she practiced a variety of makeup and hair techniques. Memunatu looks forward to using these skills in the future to help if she is in between jobs or to make extra money.

Finally, Isatu, Alimamy, Lawrence, John, Isha, and Aquila attended a computer class three days a week for a month. In the class, they learned how to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Using Microsoft products will help them not only in University but also in their future careers. After completing this class, the young adults are excited to apply these newly learned skills as they prepare to return to school.

We are grateful to see the kids thriving in the Roots Home. The Raining Season created The Roots Project to embrace children who are set to age out of the orphanage and transition to life on their own. The Roots Project was born out of the desire to help facilitate healthy transitions for older children into life outside of the center. One of the primary goals is to connect the young adults we serve to individualized opportunities to their interests and strengths. These courses were an opportunity to explore their interests while also learning a new skill that will be useful in the future. Thank you to the sponsors who helped financially to make these opportunities possible and for the encouragement you provide the young adults who are part of Roots.

Many blessings,

The Raining Season