Empowering disabled people in Sierra Leone through education and training

The Dorothy Springer Trust [DST] was formed in 2006 and registered with the Charity Commission as a Charity in England and Wales (Charity Registration Number: 1120537) in 2007.  

Our Vision 

Our vision for the Dorothy Springer Trust is encapsulated as: an established charity that will enable disabled people in Sierra Leone to support themselves and their families through skilled employment, allowing them to participate more fully as equal members of society"

Our Mission

Our mission in the next five years (from 2008) is to advance the prospects of disabled people in Sierra Leone through education and vocational training, with a focus on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). This is outlined formally in our governing documents as:

1. The advancement of the education of disabled people in Sierra Leone in particular but not exclusively through vocational and educational training

2. To develop the capacity and skills of the disabled members of the socially and economically disadvantaged community of Sierra Leone in such a way that they are better able to identify and help meet their needs and to participate more fully in society.  

Our Strategy

The key themes for our strategy in the next five years are:

• Sponsorship in education and training - Working with local organisations in Sierra Leone to select disabled people to undergo ICT training and certification to an advanced level. (Partner organisations to provide the training).
  
• Operation of employment bureau - Exploring the possibilities of setting up an employment agency - a niche service for providing technical and recruitment solutions to businesses, both large and small, that require the services of our trained ICT personnel, with special consideration given to their disability.
  
• Implementation of our mission - Reflecting our three core values ("the 3 Es") of effectiveness in delivering concrete results, engagement of disabled people in the decisions we make - including cooperation with other organisations to solve wider problems - and efficiency, so that we make the best use of scarce resources, such as manpower, funds and time.
   

We are committed to channelling all money raised directly to relevant projects that seeks to improve the plight of disabled people in Sierra Leone. We are committed to be transparent in all that we do and to undertake regular monitoring and evaluation of our projects.