Mining an Education

This video pod from Current.com focuses on children who work in diamond mines to pay their school fees. Despite the efforts of the Sierra Leonean government to protect children, including the passage of The Child Right Act of 2007, which sets the minimum age for employment at 15 years, many children must work to support themselves and their families.

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[video pod from Current.com]

Life In Sierra Leone

The Foundation receives many questions about what life is like in Sierra Leone now that the war is over. One of the goals of this blog is to provide answers and information that will give you a better sense of the current situation in Sierra Leone.

This video pod from Current takes a look at the 2007 Presidential Election in Sierra Leone.

To watch video, press the green play button above to watch video. Note that an advertisement may pop up over the video. To close it click the "X" in the upper right corner.

[video pod from Current.com]

Students Making A Difference

[Student group Institute for Human Dignity at the Culberson's home]

The Kposowa Foundation would like to graciously thank the West Virginia University chapter of Institute for Human Dignity (IHD) for raising funds for the foundation. The funds will be used for rebuilding the dining hall and kitchen on the Bumpe High School campus.

Jim and Judy Culberson, Sarah's parents, hosted a picnic for the student group at their home in Morgantown, West Virginia. A check was presented to Kposowa Foundation Board Members Judy Culberson and Jerry McGonigle, who accepted on behalf of the foundation. Also present at the event was David Stewart, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at West Virgnia Univeristy.

Institute for Human Dignity (IHD) is a student group that is committed to making a difference on campus by building awareness of global issues. They are currently focusing on Africa, specifically Sub-Saharan Africa and Sierra Leone. IHD is also involved in Emergency, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides free of charge medical and surgical care in war-torn areas. They have programs in Sierra Leone including the only physical therapy department in the country.

One member shared his interest in issues facing developing African countries and his recent attendance of a speech forum sponsored by a student chapter of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMRF). He said that through all of this he has acquired an even deeper passion for what IHD is doing in Morgantown and The Kposowa Foundation in Sierra Leone.

IHD has an impressive agenda mapped out for 2008-2009. The foundation is looking forward to these events and more opportunities to interact with these impressive students.

Heifer International in Sierra Leone

[photo from November/ December 2008 issue of World Ark]

Heifer International recently featured an article on their work in Sierra Leone. Heifer International is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. It provides gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially disadvantaged families around the world.

In April 2008 Heifer International opened a country office in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Heifer International worked in Sierra Leone prior to the 11-year civil war, but operations ceased during the war.

One of the most valuable resources lost during the war was livestock. There is hope that with aid from Heifer International, projects focused on redeveloping the areas of livestock and agriculture will provide the opportunity for people in Sierra Leone to begin providing for themselves again.

Facts from the article:
- Sierra Leone ranks last on the 2007/2008 United Nations Human Development Index, a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living.

- Agriculture accounts for 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Click here to read the full article