Excerpt from Jefferson City News Tribune
Sierra Leone emerged from a 10 year civil war in 2002 that left thousands of people dead and several thousands displaced. In addition, because of the brutality of the war amputees young and old could be found in all corners of the country. We in the diaspora are mindful of the many unfortunate victims of the war. As an association, we have set up a scholarship program to assist some of these victims, especially school children - to enable them to attain an education so that they can fend for themselves.
We hold a yearly Thanksgiving Service in October at Grace Episcopal Church in Jefferson City, Missouri and proceeds from this service go toward the scholarship fund. The significance of Thanksgiving is to remember the things we have to be grateful
for. It’s our special time to give thanks…. not just for the obvious like food and clothing but for the thousands of fortunate moments, the multitude of blessings that we receive each year and above all just being alive and able to celebrate life for which we are extremely grateful. True gratitude involves action and for us it is a call to lend a hand, even if only to a few of
the less fortunate children in Sierra Leone who need assistance in pursuing an education.
We strive to reach and uplift the poorest of the poor. We aim to assist disadvantaged Sierra Leonean children in their quest to obtain a quality, relevant education, to ensure that they are in a position to become productive citizens and be able to hold positions in the local job market and beyond. Unfortunately, education in Sierra Leone is not free even in government run schools. Through the scholarship program we have provided assistance to more than 80 students in Sierra Leone. A recipient of this scholarship is now a doctor, practicing in one of the hospitals in Freetown assisting mothers and their children in the pediatric unit. In addition, 64 of the students who graduated with a high school diploma are now part of the civil
service work force in Sierra Leone. At present, 15 students are attending school under the scholarship program and we hope to increase this number as additional funds become available.
We hold a yearly Thanksgiving Service in October at Grace Episcopal Church in Jefferson City, Missouri and proceeds from this service go toward the scholarship fund. The significance of Thanksgiving is to remember the things we have to be grateful
for. It’s our special time to give thanks…. not just for the obvious like food and clothing but for the thousands of fortunate moments, the multitude of blessings that we receive each year and above all just being alive and able to celebrate life for which we are extremely grateful. True gratitude involves action and for us it is a call to lend a hand, even if only to a few of
the less fortunate children in Sierra Leone who need assistance in pursuing an education.
We strive to reach and uplift the poorest of the poor. We aim to assist disadvantaged Sierra Leonean children in their quest to obtain a quality, relevant education, to ensure that they are in a position to become productive citizens and be able to hold positions in the local job market and beyond. Unfortunately, education in Sierra Leone is not free even in government run schools. Through the scholarship program we have provided assistance to more than 80 students in Sierra Leone. A recipient of this scholarship is now a doctor, practicing in one of the hospitals in Freetown assisting mothers and their children in the pediatric unit. In addition, 64 of the students who graduated with a high school diploma are now part of the civil
service work force in Sierra Leone. At present, 15 students are attending school under the scholarship program and we hope to increase this number as additional funds become available.