Youth Alliance for Peace and Development (YAPAD) is expected to issue out 200 scholarships to vulnerable female youths in the eastern district of Kenema.

The presentation ceremony will take place tomorrow, Saturday 21st November 2009.

This information was relayed to the Awareness Times newspaper by the National Coordinator of YAPAD, Mr. Bockarie Ensah in an exclusive interview with this medium.

Mr. Ensah explained that the eastern region is still considered by the government, development agencies and policy makers in Sierra Leone as a highly vulnerable region in terms of its ranking on girl child education. He said despite the recent increase in the enrolment in schools of the girl child in the region which is as a result of interventions from the World Bank assisted SABABU Education Project, the challenge still remains to maintain the number of the enrolled girl child through sustained economic support by their impoverished parents and guardians. Mr. Ensah furthered that his organization is therefore providing what he referred to as "second chances", in the forms of various innovative educational and empowerment services.

He pointed out that YAPAD is issuing out 200 scholarships to vulnerable female youths in the country’s eastern region, who have been forced to drop out of school as a result of economic constraints faced by their parents.

He furthered that YAPAD is also showcasing this project to the Local Council in Kenema as an advocacy drive on mainstreaming gender, disability and youth issues in local governance.