NEWS Boundless-Hope Shows Love and Compassion To Poor Kids in Sierra Leone Posted by Roland Bankole Marke on Jan 9, 2009, 14:47

All Smiles For Some School Children in Freetown After Receiving Their Backpacks From Aminata

Boundless-Hope is a two year-old organization, providing school materials for kids, backpacks, dental hygiene (toothbrush and tooth paste), toys (dolls for girl and cars for boys) for very poor and at-risk children in Sierra Leone. I spoke to its pioneer, 33 year-old Aminata Adam-Samura just after returning to United States from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to distribute these essential items. She was very excited and emotional, sharing her innate joy and vision of Boundless Hope, and a burning concern for education in her motherland. Education is the key that opens doors to job opportunities, and eventually a better life. But the need here to educate children at primary level is urgent and monumental. In some cases, teaching takes place in makeshift tents or rundown buildings without doors or windows: an excerpt of this eye-opening interview with some photos.

Roland Marke: Ms Aminata Adam-Samura, I’m honored to interview you. How and why was Boundless Hope born?

Aminata Adam- Samura:  Boundless Hope was born out of a strong desire to make meaningful changes in the lives of impoverished children in deprived communities, especially in the areas of education and healthcare.  Specifically, the civil war in Sierra Leone, which left thousands of innocent children and women killed and maimed, heightened my desire and passion to bring hope to the millions of needy people, especially children. Hope that is not limited by war, poverty, fear, gender, ignorance, illiteracy, and so on, hence the birth and name of the organization, Boundless Hope.  Boundless Hope is a non-profit 501(c) organization registered in the United States.  It’s our organization’s view that everyone, irrespective of one’s socio-economic status, deserves a decent existence.

Aminata Adam Samura.....Doing a Good Job

Roland: What’s your background and where are you presently located?

Aminata: I was born in Sierra Leone but currently reside in the United States—specifically, in Holly Springs, North Carolina—with my family. I work as a Senior Financial Analyst for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) PLC, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Growing up in Freetown, I came across many kids who could not afford the basic essentials. It was in those early days, coupled with my strong religious beliefs, that I nursed the passion of making a difference in the lives of deprived children. .I attended the Methodist Girls High school and Albert Academy Secondary School in Freetown. I also attended the Institute of Public Administration and Management in Sierra Leone.  I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Lincoln in England, United Kingdom. I am a chartered certified accountant and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the United Kingdom. I also earned a Global Executive Masters’ of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina’s, Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill, USA.

School Children at Kroobay in Freetown

Roland: How much does the project cost? How was it financed: what were the challenges and objectives, including the credibility factor?

Aminata: In 2007, I personally funded the initial start-up costs, including shipping, freight, airfares, and other logistics, of about $8,000. Costs of the school supplies donated in-kind by GSK were approximately $15,000 and $18,000 in 2007 and 2008 respectively.  In 2008, we also received donation in-kind from my church, Raleigh First Assembly, and from Dr Thomas, a local dentist in Florida. Other small monetary donations came from previous classmates from the Global Executive MBA at the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and from colleagues at GSK. A major challenge is obtaining adequate resources to support the project’s objectives. The need in Sierra Leone is enormous, but our resources are very limited. Another challenge is ensuring that the donated items reach the target population, which is tied to the credibility factor. Many organizations have donated items to support charitable objectives in Sierra Leone; unfortunately, those items have never reached the intended group.  Complaints abound about how donated items are sold to the public markets for selfish gain. It is against this background that we strive to ensure that Boundless Hope is built on honesty and integrity. As a result, we have eliminated all middlemen in the process of reaching the deprived communities earmarked in our projects.  We deliver directly to our target population, those who are in need, thus ensuring that all donations go directly to the end-users. We meet directly with local government authorities, including local chiefs and leaders, seeking their assistance in our humanitarian efforts.

We have a dedicated Board of Directors that is crucial to Boundless Hope’s ability to carry out its mission. Each Board member brings a wealth of expertise, experience and caring that helps us serve. Tamba Momoh, a member of the board based in Sierra Leone, has contributed immensely toward the success of Boundless Hope in Sierra Leone.  He coordinates and ensures that all items shipped to Sierra Leone are properly accounted for. He possesses a high degree of integrity and honesty and ensures accountability at all levels, thus making our job in managing activities in the USA easy.

Roland:  How did the recent mission go? Why is this project personally near and dear to your heart?

Aminata: Our recent charitable work in Sierra Leone was a complete success.  According to local officials, this is the first time ever, an organization like ours, actually delivered educational materials directly to the children.  We were able to provide school materials (bags, books, pencils, and pens), dental materials (toothbrush and toothpaste) to over 1,000 children living in the most deprived communities in and around Freetown. These communities were: Kroo Bay Community School and Red-Pump School in the west-end of Freetown; Rogberay  and Manalo Schools in the outskirt of Freetown; Firestone School in the east-end of Freetown; and Faith Assembly School in the west-end of Freetown. We chose these communities because of their current dilapidated conditions. In some of these communities, we observed that pigs wandered knee-high in stagnant pools of water and human feces floated on the surface, while women and children washed clothes and bathed a few yards away. Kroo Bay and Red Pump communities are built on mounds of rubbish; the areas are regularly flooded and prone to deadly diseases.

The project is personally near and dear to my heart because of the difference it would make in the lives of underprivileged children. Almost all children in the disadvantaged communities have never had a school bag. Also, the parents of these children could not afford books or pencils for their children. The head teachers told us that children do not come to school because their parents could not provide them with basic school materials. Consequently, these children drop out of schools and engage in societal vices.  In addition, there is a lack of medical supplies at the community rundown clinics.  Many international organizations and companies have made sizeable donations to our country to help rehabilitate those affected by the war.  However, most of these donations might have not been used for their intended purposes or might not have reached the target group.

Roland: How will this mission help bridge the poverty gap in Sierra Leone?

Aminata: One of the objectives of Boundless Hope is to help poor children succeed in society through education and healthcare. In achieving our sustainability objective, we intend to acquire whatever donations (preferably educational materials and healthcare suppliers) and to actually go and distribute these donations or goods to the affected people, thus ensuring that only those in needs actually receive the donations. Our target is to be able to take necessary items to the affected people in Sierra Leone. Even though our venture may not solve all the country’s problems, it is a beginning and a source of hope and rehabilitation to those who cannot help themselves.  Our input might be a drop in the ocean, but as the adage goes “A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.” We hope that this will be a start and that many other people will get on board and together we will make a difference. These children are our future leaders. Let’s motivate, train, inspire and inform them of the importance of a great education, good health and fitness, responsibility and accountability. The more literate people we have, the more the country will prosper.  Aid is only as good as the ability of a country to use it effectively.

Roland: What is your area of work: what other ways will Sierra Leone benefit from your expertise?

Aminata: I’m a Chartered and Certified Accountant with over 10 years experience in Finance, Accounting and Audit.  My current role at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) focuses on sales performance and control, operating expenses, and budgets & forecasts for the USA Pharmaceutical division. My cross-functional background, coupled with my financial training, allows me to provide financial and overall business consulting to management. I have strong technical and financial knowledge in creating complex financial models and communicating results for strategic decision-making to management. In my career I have been involved in developing, evaluating, managing, and monitoring business plans. My background has enhanced my effectiveness in pursuing the objectives of Boundless Hope

Roland: How will you assess the present academic standard in both the teaching staff and student performance back home?

Aminata: Compared to the developed countries, the present academic standard in these poor communities is deplorable. The kids want to learn and go to school but do not have the resources.  According to the UN Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world with about 37% adult literacy rate and a life expectancy of 42.  Many people do not realize that public education is not free in countries such as Sierra Leone; therefore most of the poor cannot afford to send their children to school.  Most schools in these deprived communities are derelict—children sit on the floor and have no books, pens and other materials.  In almost all poor communities in Sierra Leone, children go to school for just few years because they have to help parents with their domestic and productive activities. Teachers in theses communities are my heroes. Most of the teachers do not receive salary. They are paid in kind by the community people who are palm wine tapers, traders, and subsistence farmers. Children in some villages work on their teachers’ farms as a way to pay for their education.

Roland: What is your vision for Boundless Hope, five years time from now?

Aminata: Knowledge is power; “Educate a child, you educate a nation.” Personally, I see education as the catalyst for development in any nation.  Our organization aims to provide sustainability through education and healthcare. We consistently intend to provide children with educational materials; renovate and equip rundown schools; and train more community volunteers.

Education: We intend to: provide school materials to children in 20 - 40 deprived schools between 2010 and 2015; renovate and build classrooms, libraries, and computer labs for derived children; and provide access to life-skills classes to foster a sustainable environment.

Medical: We intend to: educate underprivileged children about good healthcare; provide them with dental and medical supplies; and refurbish medical centers in deprived communities.

Roland: Does politics influence education and development in Sierra Leone?

Aminata: Yes, it does. The private sector is not adequately equipped to promote education and development in Sierra Leone. The government plays a major role in the general development of the country. However, non-profit organizations such as Boundless Hope can play a crucial role in assisting the government in its socio-economic role.

Roland: How could potential volunteers get involved in this worthy project?

Aminata: All our donors are considered developing-partners at Boundless-Hope.

 In-kind educational, dental, and medical items are mostly needed.  Some schools need to be completely refurbished.  Our short-term goal is to ensure that institutions in developed countries adopt deprived schools and medical clinics and hospitals in Sierra Leone. “Every child deserves a school bag and a tooth brush”One school bag a child.  As a registered 501(c) non- profit organization in US, all donations in cash and in-kind are tax deductible. For other individuals who would like to be involved in our mission, please visit our website: www.boundlesshope.org or info@boundlesshope.org

 

The Home of A School Girl in Freetown Sierra Leone

Pubic relations contact: Roland B. Marke

 Email: bankole@mindspring.com

 Phone: 904-645-5738

Roland Bankole Marke is a Sierra Leone writer, author and advocate for the needy, deprived and at risk, especially children and women around the world. Visit his website on: www.rolandmarke.com