Madina Rahman Foundation Offers “Digital Youth Scholarship” to Enhance Digital Inclusion in S/Leone

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Digital inclusion, especially for Girls has been the uplifting theme of the digital age. It is against this strong backdrop that the Madina Rahman Foundation For Girls, has offered ‘Digital Youth Scholarship’ for school Sierra Leonean students.

With this in mind, the Madina Rahman Foundation has partnered with United States based charter school leader Adebunmi Savage to award $10,000+ in computer tablets to eligible students across Sierra Leone.

The Digital Youth Scholarship will recognize the academic abilities and potential of high school students.
The scholarship will provide 40 students with one iPad (valued at $250) and 5 students one iPad Pro and Apple Pencil (combined valued of $650). The top 5 students with the highest academic performance and the most compelling essays will be awarded the iPad Pros and the remaining students who are selected will be awarded the iPad.

The adoption and use of digital technologies has many potential benefits for students. Computer use at home has a statistically significant correlation to academic achievement. Students with home computers are able to access digital resources to better support their understanding of in school material.

However, as it stands, only 7.7% of households in Africa have access to a computer at home (Statista, 2019).
Additionally, only 1.1% of Sierra Leonean’s have personal computers (AllAfrica, 2008).

Being that digital technology is essential to structural transformation and economic growth, it is important for organizations to work towards closing the digital gap (World Bank 2016).

Eligibility requirements: To be considered for the ‘Digital Youth Scholarship’ a student must:
• Be a full-time high school student in Sierra Leone.
• Submit a report card or unofficial transcript demonstrating high academic performance .
• Submit a personal statement of 500 words or less addressing your technology need and how this technology award will benefit you as a student. Personal statement must include heading stating your full name, birth date, school, and residential address.
• Submit a picture