EducAid – Who they are and what they do

EducAid is a UK-registered charity and Sierra Leone registered-NGO that has been transforming education in Sierra Leone for 30 years. EducAid operates an educational network of free schools, school improvement initiatives, and research projects, all aimed at serving the diverse needs of local communities and enhancing education quality, social inclusion, gender equality, and community resilience.

EducAid’s vision is to create a democratic, dignified, and globally-engaged Sierra Leone, where poverty is eradicated through education. Currently collaborating with more than 300 partner schools across the country, EducAid is the go-to partner for Sierra Leonean education projects. Their work raises the standards of education for children and young people across Sierra Leone, working alongside communities to ensure successful outcomes that endure beyond the project’s lifespan. EducAid is currently part of the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC), a national programme designed to increase literacy and numeracy outcomes for 134,000 children.

EducAid is committed to advancing environmental sustainability, climate education and reducing the use of non-renewable energy. Their goal is to equip all schools and training centres with solar panels and green practices by the end of 2025.

What NEF does with EducAid

In 2025, the NextEnergy Foundation is supporting EducAid’s “Sustainable Energy for Schools in Sierra Leone” project. The aim of this project is to provide a reliable and sustainable power supply across all of EducAid’s teaching and learning sites in Sierra Leone. This initiative will enhance energy efficiency and minimise power supply disruptions, thereby improving the learning experience for over 60,000 students.

This goal will be achieved through a combination of strategies:

• Installing solar panels and frames across all sites
• Providing generators to provide 24/7 electricity on all sites
• Rewiring and performing electrical maintenance across all sites
• Offering technical assistance for implementation

Within the broader EducAid project, in 2025 NextEnergy Foundation is supporting the installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems in three schools:

• Rolal (Port Loko): 4.5kWp PV system
• Maronka (Port Loko): 8.5kWp PV system
• Lumely (Freetown): 3kWp PV system

The main expected positive impacts of this project include:

• Benefitting a total of 820 students, with a proportion of girls ranging from 50 to 62%
• Achieving a 70% reduction in schools’ energy expenses
• Enabling an estimated 2,366,000 hours of study annually

The project will run from May 2025 to June 2026.