Let's Walk Together...

As they say all great journeys begin with a single step, and this past summer when Khadarlis returned to Sierra Leone, they took more than a single step towards reaching their goals.  Thanks to the dedicated hard work of its supporters and volunteers Khadarlis was able to get closer to its vision of self-sustainability for every village in Sierra Leone.

Khadarlis for Sierra Leone was successful in bringing clean water to communities, building houses, supporting agriculture projects, handing out school supplies, installing solar energy, distributing the contents of a 40 ft. container and making sure every person in the village had a pair of shoes to call their own!

Here’s a brief summary of the work Khadarlis did on their recent trip to Sierra Leone:

•  Built a water well that will service over 400 villagers with clean safe water

•  Built 5 mud/cement houses that will provide shelter for 17 families (thanks to volunteers from Bryant)

• Partnered with Sierra Leone Department of Agriculture to participate in the ABC program which involves educating farmers & supplying them with tools and seeds

•  Farmers organizations set up in all four villages
•  Palm oil plantation started with 40 acres (10 acres in each village)
•  Cashew plantation in each village (6 acres in each village)
• Pilot program with vegetables that was a great success

•  First day of school – every child in each of the village schools received a pen, pencil, & notebook

•  Refurbished the old Jimmi Secondary School Library – painting, shelving, and stocking it with books – this will benefit 5000 students

• Installed 36 driveway solar lights to light up the pathway in the town centre

•  Distributed container items which included – blankets, clothing, sheets, toys, furniture, mobility tools for the elderly  and over 7000 non-perishable food donations

•  Supplied the Jimmi Clinic with gloves, bedding, sanitary aides, bandages, medications, and gave first aid supplies to the birthing centre for deliveries

• Partnered with the Jimmi Barbgo World Vision for technology – this enabled Khadarlis to use their office space & internet for free

•  Khadarlis also registered with the Department of Economic Development, Social Welfare, and SLANGO (Sierra Leone Association of Non-governmental Organization)

Khadarlis is only beginning…we have many more steps to take on this journey towards our goals in Sierra Leone and we invite you to join us!  Please go to www.khadarlis.org  to see how you can help.

Education has the Power to Raise a Nation, One Brick at a Time...

Sports Day

It is widely agreed upon that a sure way to 'development' for any nation is through education and Sierra Leone is no exception. But what if the school in your community is nothing more than a makeshift shack, or a delepatated collapsing building with no desks, no tables, and no books...chances are the floor is made of dirt, and the roof leaks in the rainy season, reducing your classroom to a giant mud pit. This tragic situation is one of the big challenges facing communities across Sierra Leone in providing their children an opportunity to attend school.

The 1991-2002 Civil War left over 1200 schools destroyed across Sierra Leone. While the past 10 years has seen the government address certain accessibility issues little has been done in terms of rebuilding school infrastructure. When education is understood as a basic human right like food and shelter it becomes obvious to the observer that in Sierra Leone education is still a privilege. With over 70% of the country living on less than $1/day, struggling to meet their basic needs, education becomes a mere afterthought. Often, large families will only have the chance to send some of their children to school and it is usually the boys - this leaves many girls without the ability to go to school. However, even when these challenges are overcome access to education in a community means very little if there is no proper school for the students to attend.

Knowing this, where can we begin? Well, we can help by building schools and fixing schools. We can create a space of learning and make universal education possible for the people of Sierra Leone. Everyone deserves to go to a school they can learn in, be empowered in and develop the skills that will make them our leaders of tomorrow.

Education has the power to raise a Nation one brick at a time...

For more information or to see how you can help please go to: www.khadarlis.org