Orange-SL Enlightens Schools On Digital Safety with Fun

Providence International High School and Methodist Girls High School have emerged as winners at the climax of Orange Sierra Leone’s #ForGoodConnections campaign on Saturday, June 21st, securing top spots in football and pantomime competition. Held at the Training Ground, Beach Road, the event brought together six schools for a day of learning and competition, aimed at raising awareness on cyberbullying and excessive screen time.

In the football tournament, Providence International High School won the boys’ final, by narrowly easing past Bilingual High School 5–4 on penalties to win the grand prize of NLe15,000, while the runners-up received Le5,000. In the girls’ final, MGHS defeated Bilingual High School 2–0 on penalties to also secure the Le15,000 top prize, with the girls’ runners-up also receiving Le5,000. All the prize monies won are meant for supporting the schools with their academic and extra-curricular activities.

In the drama (pantomime) competition, Providence International High School again took first place and received Le10,000, while St. Joseph’s Secondary School came in second, winning Le5,000.

According to Philip Emeh, Head of Communications, Brand, and Sponsorship at Orange Sierra Leone, the initiative specifically targeted children aged 10–15 in junior secondary school, who have increasingly become exposed to smartphones and social media. “We want to sensitize them to understand the dangers of cyberbullying and screen time abuse,” he said. “When you stay on your screen too much, it’s not good for your physical and mental health. That’s where the bullying happens… so we want to start training them early.”

Prior to Saturday’s climatic event, the sensitization campaign included school visits and training sessions, where pupils learned how to recognize and respond to online bullying, and how to manage their digital habits. These lessons were exemplified through drama performances of various schools, dramatizing the harms of cyberbullying and overuse of phones, with Providence winning the first place in the pantomime category.

“This drama is to show you that they understand the topics,” Emeh added. “It has been very impactful. These children are not just taking these messages for themselves, but also for their peers and parents.”

He further noted that his expectation is for the pupils to share the lessons learnt with their peers in their communities, as well as their family members.

Alice Bangura, a Providence pupil, shared her excitement after her school won both football and drama contest. “We worked hard, and it paid off. We showed how spending too much time online can affect your life and how cyberbullying hurts people.” She urged fellow young people to “balance screen time and speak up if someone is being bullied online.”

“Stop cyber bullying, kindness is power, use it online,” she added.

Alie Dukuray, a teacher at Providence, praised the platform for combining learning with fun. “Events like this don’t just entertain, they educate. Our pupils learned about digital safety in a fun and memorable way.”

He praised Orange-SL for such timely initiative and called on his colleagues to build confidence with their pupils and teach them values that go beyond the classroom.

According to Emeh, this awareness campaign against cyber bullying and excessive screen time would not be a one-time event. He further disclosed that #ForGoodConnections will be bigger and better next year, adding that Orange is committed to growth and development of young people.