What role has education access had in your life?
My parents always stressed the value of education. So, ever since I was a child, the importance of education was imprinted in me. I came to the U.S. from Sierra Leone as a foreign student to do graduate and post graduate studies. That resulted in a 26-year career in Information Technology.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take action to help expand education in Sierra Leone?
It is surprising how a small of donation can make a big impact in students’ education. For example, $50 can sponsor a student for a year; $100 can provide comprehensive training for a teacher. Those amounts may not sound like much, but they have gone a long way to help SfS build 41 schools, 3 libraries – helping each community and raising the number of girls that are graduating from high school.

We recently sat down with Perry to hear more about his story and to find out what attracted him to Schools for Salone.

Why did you get involved with SFS? What was it about the organization that attracted you
I met (Schools for Salone Executive Director and Founder) Cindy in Sierra Leone in September 2019 when I travelled to Sierra Leone with the Mona Foundation. On this trip I saw the needs and opportunities for help through SfS. I could see the shortest distance between what could be done and what would actually help people.

What’s your favorite part of being a member of SFS?
The best part of being on the Board is the personal connection to Board members and to Cindy. There is a camaraderie and a sense of purpose when you are with like-minded people.

What role has education access had in your life?
I’ve had the privilege of access to very good education all of my life because of my parents dedication to education. We left Iran when I was 10 due to religious persecution. When we came to the US I was an ESOL student but skipped 6th grade because of the quality of education I had received from my parents. I graduated from HS at 15, college at 19 and law school at 22. I was a B student, but always loved to learn.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take action to help expand education in Sierra Leone?
Get involved – just do it. Travel to Sierra Leone so you can see it for yourself.

April 2

We hit the ground running! Joseph and team welcomed us warmly at Sea Coach on the Freetown side after we landed. For those of you who don’t know, one must navigate from Lungi Int’l Airport, across a large body of water via a water taxi to Freetown. We had Kinny’s delicious cassava leaf, native rice and cold Star beer waiting for us at Joseph’s place.

Our “TEAM” just before leaving Freetown: L to R – Bob, Clinton, me, Perry, Cynthia, Peter, Joseph, Abu

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April 3

We left early to drive to Yargoi, about 5 hours from Freetown to the south, then took a 60+ min boat ride to Bonthe on Sherbro Island.

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April 4

Our boat captain took us for the day trip to the Turtle Islands – one of the most remote areas of Sierra Leone I have ever visited – and where you can see climate change in action. We visited two schools: one partially finished school in the village of Baoma, and another in Dema, a government school that has seen minimal support for many years. Both villages welcomed beyond words. The isolation of these remote communities is impossible to describe, the lack of opportunity for the children, heartbreaking. Yet, the teachers were present, trying to teach, with no supplies. They were gracious, generous and so very kind.

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April 5

60 min boat ride back to Yargoi, followed by 5 hr or so drive to Maforeka/Mabonto in Tonkolili District, the middle of the country. On the way, we stopped for a couple of hours in Rutile (a big mining area) to have the air conditioning of one of our vehicles worked on. You laugh, but air-con is important – esp when driving for miles and miles on bumpy, dusty roads during dry season, and behind large trucks billowing thick black smoke. And, Rutile has mechanics who know how to work on vehicles and fix anything.

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April 6

Big day. We visited the Maforeka Primary School early in the morning – literally across the road from the guest house where we stayed. The children sang, and sang, and sang

Then, we headed off to Masosingbi for the school opening! Perry is now the Paramount Chief. Thank you to Vickie for sending her media crew out from Freetown to record much of the ceremony, take video of the village, and record interviews with key people – stay tuned.

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April 7

We left early to visit Masanga Primary School, about 8 – 10 miles away from Maforeka where we stayed the previous two nights. Agnes, the head mistress of Masanga, welcomed us above and beyond – as always – love that woman. We then headed back to Freetown for a restful evening regrouping with Joseph.

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April 8

At noon, we all attended the official opening ceremony and celebration of Uman Tok. Juliet, Kim and team did an amazing job. I cannot find the words to describe how life changing this team has been for the women – and men – who are part of this group. We are talking about women who were on the streets, men who were trafficked, children who were left for dead. This inspiring group of women and men are uplifting one another, making a FAIR, livable wage, based on how hard they work, to support themselves and their children, and at the same time, by the end of June will have made 40,000 menstruation kits for girls and women across Sierra Leone. Like I said, it brings tears to my eyes the impact of this program and these women and men.

After the ceremony, we, uhm, headed to the beach. Tokeh Beach. You will not find a more deserted, world class beach, pristine, sand like white sugar beach anywhere in the world……

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April 9

A day at Tokeh Beach. Sipped ginger beer mojitos. More than our fair share. Highly recommend.

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April 10

Returned to Cockle Bay, dinner with Joseph. Sent Perry off sadly to the airport at Lungi for his early morning flight to Cyprus.

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April 11

Cynthia, Peter (our friends from Seattle), Bob and I met with the US Ambassador. What a great guy. I have (almost) always been very impressed with the US Ambassadors to SL. Ambassador Reimer was authentic, engaged and delightful. He by the way went to a small Mennonite College in Indiana where my parents and all my siblings went – at the same time – and, his father was the college advisor of one of my dearest Peace Corps friends. It truly is a small world.

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April 12

We left early to drive to Kabala, in the far north of the country – where we have expanded to build now 6 schools. We stopped along the way because the vehicle was making funny noises and Clinton of course, new a mechanic at the exact time that we needed one. In Makeni, the provincial capital of the north, we stopped at a grocery store along the main road to pick up water and snacks. And, who to our surprise was there, but the former President of Sierra Leone, Earnest Bai Koroma, sitting off on the side at a desk with some friends. We, of course, had our picture taken with him, and then proceeded on our way. We met Salifu (our contractor) in Kabala and he and Clinton made sure we were settled in and taken care of at our Italian villa – literally.

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April 13

We had a lovely breakfast at our villa, then head to see the District Officer and District Counsel in Kabala. Meeting all the District people is very important …… the highlight was meeting District Counsel Zainab Kamara – more about her later. Then we headed off to Bafodia – where Cynthia and Peter had lived 37 years ago……on the way we stopped at “our” school in Seredugu – it is way the bleep out there – and Counselor Zainab arrived before us, on the back of a motor bike and earnestly showed us the school nearby that had been burned down. She is one amazing woman. Young, ambitious, passionate about girls education and women’s rights. The singing, dancing and speeches that welcomed us in Seredugu was beyond compare – except for our later in the day(s) adventures….we arrived a bit later in Bafodia, and oh my goodness…..it is indescribable the welcome……dancing, drumming, gifts……….we stayed at the Paramount Chief’s house, self-contained large rooms, air-conditioned, dressed in traditional clothes, given the fruits of the village – palm oil, goats, chickens, bananas, pineapple, mango, palm kernels, palm wine, black soap, rice, cola nuts…. Cannot say enough about this Paramount Chief either. He is young, ambitious, educated and passionate about following in his grandfather’s footsteps as one of the most powerful Paramount Chief’s in Sierra Leone’s history. Shiaka Stevens a former President of Sierra Leone, we were told would travel to Bafodia, “back in the day” to get his “Ronko” (a traditional outfit) re-charged by the then Paramount Chief because he was so powerful. This is a fascinating , remote area of the country………

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April 14

Visited Kadanso and Kamabengeh. More over the top the visits …. roads you can’t even begin to imagine – my phone, literally, recorded 12,500+ steps without leaving the vehicle because we bounced so much. Clinton, however, is a driver beyond belief. How he can navigate a vehicle on these roads that are no more than a river bed is beyond me. He famously, however, while here in the US for a training workshop with the US National Security for his job at the US Embassy Freetown, famously ended up teaching the US driving instructors because he could drive poor road conditions better than they could.

Again, in these remote of remotest villages I have ever been in in Sierra Leone, we were welcomed beyond belief – because they HAD A SCHOOL that SfS had funded – AND we came back AND we, i.e. Clinton had made sure they have books and school supplies, reproductive health education, and menstruation kits for the girls. Clinton and Salifu (our contractor in this area) were praised repeatedly in every village, again, and again, and again. I have no idea how our construction team got the building materials to make these schools possible – but we saw them with our own eyes – Bob, me, Cynthia and Peter. Peter and Cynthia btw had visited these villages 37 years ago when they had lived in Bafodia – and remembered them well. On our way back to Bafodia that evening, exhausted, we visited Madina. This is the school that my “X” funded last year during the pandemic. It was during Ramadan, but the women especially came to greet and dance with us. There were so many smiles.

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April 15

we left Bafodia early morning and stopped at Koramasilaia – what a gorgeous village – they had wanted to have a ceremony and we told them we did not have enough time, and, to save the celebrating till the donors come (saving for you Nellie).

We then went on to Lengekoro – this is the 42nd!! school our team is finishing up. Again, words are difficult to describe the incredible welcome we received from everyone, especially the women. The general theme – in ALL these villages up here was, “thank you so much for building a school in our village so we don’t have to send our girls away to go to school”….”because they come back pregnant”……on our way back to Freetown we again stopped at the same grocery store to load up on water and snacks and of course, met the former President. We updated him on our adventures and he was surprised we actually went to those villages. He jokingly said, those villages are in Guinea, not Sierra Leone.…..

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April 16

we headed to Tacugama, the chimpanzee reserve on the outskirts of Freetown. April 17 – What a delight it was sipping early morning coffee to the sounds of the jungle, under the dense canopy of vegetation. For all of you who care about animals and the environment, Tacugama is a must on your next trip. They are doing amazing work there, supporting rescued indigenous chimps. Jane Goodall herself has visited a couple of times.

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April 18 – 21

The next few days were filled with meetings with PFC, Uman Tok, The Learning Foundation and The Sierra Leone Book Trust. As always, I leave inspired by the incredible staff and the work they do. They are passionate, professional and dedicated. Together they help us provide support to the school communities where we have constructed schools – and beyond.

A meeting with the Mayor of Freetown! Juliet, me, Kimberley and Augustine from the UT team. Mayor is in the center. She was lovely and very interested in the work UT is doing. She is a big advocate for girls education and women’s rights.

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Thank you for reading this – looking forward to connecting with you all soon. My personal sincere and deepest gratitude for all you do to help empower Sierra Leoneans to provide better, more opportunities to access education in Sierra Leone.

Cindy Nofziger
Schools for Salone | Executive Director

What is your favorite part about being a member of SfS?
Personally, I enjoy the SfS community and engaging with a team who are committed to Salone. It is inspiring to see and be a part of that. For The Learning Foundation (TLF), our partnership has helped keep us going and be able to expand our reach outside of Freetown. We have been able to work with different schools and teachers we wouldn’t have been able to work with without our SfS partnership.

When did you become aware of Schools for Salone (SfS)?
Cindy (Nofziger, SfS Founder and Executive Director) and I met through mutual acquaintances in the field. We decided to start working together because we had aligned missions and interest.

What would you say is the biggest achievement SfS & The Learning Foundation have accomplished, together?
We have been able to extend beyond building schools in a systematic way. We have been able to work with teachers to give them the skills they need.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take action to help expand education in Sierra Leone?
The need is great. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Get a clean understanding of the vision, start small, understand the issues, and build from there. Prioritize, start small, understand multiple dimensions that affect learning, work with local people.

We recently sat down with Vickie to hear more about her story and to find out what attracted her to Schools for Salon

When did you become aware of Schools for Salone (SfS)?

In 2011, I visited the Abigail Butscher Primary School in Calaba Town which was founded by Sierra Leonean-American philanthropist Madieu Williams. He had just won the NFL’s Man Of The Year Award for Outstanding Performance on and off the football pitch. He brought a team of educators and doctors on a medical mission to visit the school. When I interviewed him for my TV Show he said the school had been built in partnership with Schools for Salone. Since then I’ve followed the organization’s work through its partnerships and collaborations and found that it stayed true to its mission to provide access to quality education to communities in need.

What was it about SfS that attracted you most?

While there is a strong commitment to quality education in Sierra Leone, the unmet need in rural and last-mile communities is vast. Communities need schools, teachers need training, and students (especially girls) need safeguarding and support. There are so many reasons why I love this organization! First, I respect and appreciate Cindy’s (Nofziger) efforts and long term commitment to serve Sierra Leone so many decades after she was there as a Peace Corps volunteer. I also believe that the organization’s focus on community-led educational development means its investments will be sustainable. Lastly, I joined SfS because, in my own little way, I want to work with others to mobilize resources to support girl’s education and well-being.

What is your favorite part about being a member of SfS?

My favorite part so far really are the meetings. Everyone is so dedicated to the mission in a way that moves me deeply. I was born in Sierra Leone, my connection to it goes without saying but for members who are not from Salone to be so committed to education there it truly is inspiring.

What role has education access had in your life?

My grandma was taken out of school in grade six and given away for marriage. When my mom was born she was just 16. Throughout my childhood my grandma would say that rhe one regret was not finishing school. So she made sure all five of her children went to college and beyond. And for her grandchildren, especially the girls she was our personal cheerleader. She kept all my report cards since first grade and all my notebooks from primary school. Our last conversation, before she passed in 2011, was the phone call I made to tell her I had been accepted to Columbia Journalism School. She was ecstatic! I have had all the support in the world to become who I am today. From kindergarten to grad school I’ve always had support and access to education. I’ve been able to discover myself, build lasting relations, create value for my community, and learn to be a free and independent thinker thanks to education. I want the same for every Sierra Leonean girl.

Tell us a little bit more about your background and the work you do.

Over the past 16 years I’ve been working to expand Sierra Leone’s presence on the Internet. It started with the SwitSalone blog in 2005,  when I was in undergraduate school and that transformed into a career in TV broadcasting. I founded a boutique marketing communications agency in Ghana in 2013 to meet the then emerging need to help African brands leverage digital platforms to reach wider audiences. Today, I have a team of six multimedia and content producers supporting clients in West Africa and in the diaspora.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take action to help expand education in Sierra Leone?

My advice to someone who wants to expand education access in Sierra Leone is to seek out organizations like Schools for Salone. You will see the impact of your contributions and not just that, you get a front row seat of the progress being made in communities in need. If you work alone there is only so far you can go – but by working in partnership with leaders and doers who have the experience and expertise in education in Sierra Leone, we can be changemakers together.

Originally, community members constructed a mud structure for the school, which blew down within one year and was beyond repair. Then, the community advocated for the secondary school to be able to use two classrooms of the primary school, which worked until the primary school grew and needed those classrooms. Now, the students are studying in a makeshift zinc-pan structure. Without a building to use, the community has approached our partners and asked for our help to build a strong, permanent junior secondary school structure.

Despite all the obstacles this community has faced in their efforts to have a place to educate their junior secondary school students, Lengekoro has still sent these students to sit the junior secondary school graduation exams since 2010, with a 100% pass rate. This community’s continued efforts to provide a place to learn in their community shows their determination to ensure ongoing education past primary school for their children within the safety of their community, which is less expensive for families and much safer for students, especially for girls.

A village that goes to these lengths to provide a makeshift structure for their children, and is prepared to provide land, locally available materials, and unskilled labor, is one that we like to partner with.

Thanks to a Bay Area family, a Colorado family, and a Maryland donor for making this school possible.

Koramasilaia has a long history of being a successful host for Peace Corps Volunteers since the 1980’s. The current school was partially funded by RPCVs who lived in Koramasilaia from 1986-1988. They continue to have strong ties with the community. The headmaster of the school is strong, dedicated and highly invested in improving educational outcomes for this school.

Because of the dedication and hard work of the community, the school was approved to be a senior secondary school (SSS) in 2021, in addition to being a JSS. Students must travel 3-5+ miles one way to school. Making bicycles available to students who must travel farthest and are the most vulnerable would make a significant impact on the lives of these students. The walk to and from school can be dangerous especially for girls. Having a bicycle will help keep them safe and save them time which they can dedicate to studying, and necessary house tasks. Bicycles will reduce barriers to education and encourage students who live far from the school to stay in school and attend every day.

Village Bicycle Project’s partnership with Schools for Salone will provide a fleet of bicycles available to those students at the junior secondary school in Koromasilaia who have the highest need. Thier team of experienced trainers and mechanics will also provide a half-day workshop on basic bicycle maintenance, and we will equip a designated administrator at the school with essential bicycle tools and the knowledge to help maintain the fleet of bikes.

Thank you to Steve Bingham and the 1965-67 Peace Corps group for funding these bicycles.

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The school was built in loving memory of Farhang Roshan-Zamir.

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Ngolehun is the community in southern Sierra Leone where one of our board members, James Mannah, is from. The Ngolehun community came to our attention because our partners in Sierra Leone had noticed the community’s high commitment to education and the lack of adequate education infrastructure. The new school will make education possible for the students in Ngolehun and the surrounding communities. Thank you to James Mannah, Pam Bohmann, and their community for making this new school possible.

Kambawama Junior Secondary School held its official opening ceremony on September 30.Students in this community can now continue their education past primary school within the safety of their communities. We are forever grateful to the students in the 2019 Social Justice Through Philanthropy class and the Philanthropy Lab Ambassadors for making this new junior secondary school possible. Because of this school, students will be able to continue their education rather than needing to walk to the nearest town 8 miles away to stay in school. Having a school in close proximity to students’ homes will also improve student safety and reduce the chances of teenage pregnancy because students can stay in school longer while staying in the safety of their communities.

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