COFA came into being originally to support this summer school and lunch program. In 2020 and 2021, it was supported by a Gofundme campaign that I started after my first trip to Sierra Leone, in 2019, and my first introduction to Karim Kamara. I was there for work, but wanted to meet Karim, reportedly a charismatic young director of the Village Bike Project (VBP) in Sierra Leone. Bikes for the World, a non-profit I’d been involved with for years (I was a founding board member and at the time, board secretary), had been shipping used bikes to VBP and it was a chance to get a first-hand look at the operation in Lunsar, a 3-hour drive from Freetown (the capital). I already knew that Karim had founded the Lunsar Cycling Club and I offered to take the Club to lunch. Afterward, we all went back to the bike shop where Karim provided opportunities for all 20 or so of the young women and men to learn bike mechanics and earn a bit of money.
In the few hours I had before returning to Freetown, Karim had introduced the idea of the summer school and feeding program (he’d piloted it a few months earlier, in the summer of 2019) and asked if I could support it in 2020. Did I mention that Karim can be very persuasive? I said I’d give it a try and quickly learned the ins and outs of Gofundme. He also introduced me to Adama Sesay, 14 years old at the time and a member of the cycling club, who had lost her mother and was about to lose her father. She was in danger of being sent far away and married off. Could I find a small amount to keep her in school, which Karim—in his early 20s himself and an orphan—could arrange? Adama was a charmer and obviously bright. What could I say? As Adama starts her second year at Makeni University, I think I made the right decision. But back to Nourishing.
July and August are traditionally difficult months in Sierra Leone, with heavy rainfall, little income, and even less to eat. Karim conceived of the program as a one-month respite for primary school kids to get some high-quality teaching during the month of August—for many, their first school experience—and a nutritious lunch. This year, 12 primary schools with almost 2000 students took part.
Starting in 2022, Karim added a July program for junior secondary school students to prepare them for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the end of the month. Students must pass this exam to progress to high school. It’s the most important event in determining the kind of future open to each one. This year, six schools with 1300 students participated. According to data collected by Karim, the pass rate was 80%, double the 40% pass rate in the years before Nourishing.
The benefits of Nourishing go well beyond the kids: teachers and cooks are paid, and the rice for meals (1000 bags this year) is purchased from local farmers. There’s a graduation ceremony in early September, where all the kids get certificates and COFA supports scholarships to pay school fees for the coming year, especially for standout kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go to school. Karim nudges up the number every year, and this year, we gave 100 scholarships.
During a rainy ceremony, Abdul and Karim present a scholarship, along with school supplies for the year.
Thanks to all who have supported COFA, for supporting these great kids.