Why We Give Back. Sento's Story

We’re passionate about the difference that education can make in a girl’s life. And that’s why we’ve chosen to support One Girl, a charity focused on empowering girls across Sierra Leone and Uganda through education.

They work with some of the most vulnerable girls in communities who would otherwise be denied an education. Girls like Sento.

For three long years, Sento had no teachers, classmates, or exams because she had been forced to drop out of school. And yet she kept studying. During those years Sento would sit alone, using her old school books - and her determination - to keep learning.

She had to leave school when her father died from malaria. He had been the family’s sole income earner. Suddenly there was barely enough money for the most basic necessities, let alone Sento’s school fees, so she had been forced to drop out. Just six months later tragedy struck again when the youngest of her two sisters also contracted malaria and died.

Yet somehow, through all these challenges, Sento managed to stay motivated enough to keep studying. She was determined to keep learning, no matter what. The One Girl Team knew an extraordinary girl with that kind of drive deserved to be in school. So the One Girl Sierra Leone team made sure Sento had everything she needed to go back to school.

“It was the happiest day of my life!” she told the One Girl team, as she remembers becoming part of One Girl’s Scholarship program. “I felt so good.”

Sento is now just a couple of years away from graduating. Although her life is still full of challenges, Sento’s education has given her the confidence to believe in a better future for herself, her family and her community.

Sento’s story is not unique. Poverty, illness, and challenging circumstances keep millions of girls out of the classroom across the developing world. But One Girl’s scholarships focus on putting girls back in school where they belong, and we’re proud to play a part in that.

Click here to find out more about One Girl or click here to find out more about why we give back.