The Milton School for the Blind in Freetown is one of the institutions in Sierra Leone that will soon benefit from a scholarship program put together by the Atlanta-based Sierra Leone Community Association(SLCA) of Georgia, USA.
According to SLCA president Mohamed C. Bah,the organization will provide scholarships for a number of students at the School for the Blind and will work with schools for the blind and other non-governmental organizations in the Atlanta area to provide school materials and other necessities for the school in Freetown commonly known as "Blind School".
Bah, who was elected in January, 2007, also informed the Vanguard in a recent interview that SLCA organized a hugely successful celebration of Sierra Leone’s independence last April that attracted dignitaries from the Atlanta mayor’s office and other heavyweights including Joe Beasley of the Rainbow Push Coalition and Peggy Murray, the president of t Friends of Siera Leone(FOSL).
SLCA, according to Bah, was also instrumental in receiving the City Proclamation and Declaration of April 27 as Sierra Leone National Day in Atlanta. The organization also organized a well attended picnic on April 21 this year that attracted Sierra Leoneans from all walks of life.
SLCA, which was founded in the early 90s,was created primarily to uphold and promote Sierra Leone’s cultural heritage and this entails the organizing of social, cultural and educational activities among Sierra Leoneans and the Georgian community at large.
It is also aimed at fostering unity and cooperation among members and to serve as an avenue to promote a good relationship, good leadership and support between members and the host community. It also encourages economic, educational and social advancement of the Sierra Leone community in Georgia and in the homeland.
SLCA’s vision is to engage the Sierra Leonean community in Georgia to see themselves first as Sierra Leoneans and to promote unity among all Sierra Leoneans.It will also encourage Sierra Leonean children to learn about their cultural heritage and to use that to develop their personality and to contribute to society. It also desires to enhance self-esteem among members through a family empowerment program that would maintain family values and strengthen the role of the family in the community.
SLCA will also seek to create a positive environment for its members and their families to appreciate the beauty of cultural diversity and the need to to respect the laws of the host country, the United States of America.
The organization also intends to help in the fight to alleviate hunger,poverty and disease in Sierra Leone by promoting human development projects in education, helping to provide safe drinking water, and AIDS prevention. It’s core values are equality and respect, honesty and integrity, and the importance of the family. Transparency and accountability are its rules of engagement.
Mohamed heads an executive which has been described as the youngest in the history of SLCA. He was born in Freetown and attended schools in Kono, Freetown, the Netherlands and the United States. He is currently a business consultant, helping small non-profit companies grow and reach their potentials. The SLCA Vice President is Mary Adoga Fofanah.
Other members of the executive include Alpha Jabbie (Social Secretary), Jeneba Koroma (Assistant Social Secretary) and Sylvanus Deen(Financial Secretary).
Photo: Some members of the SLCA executive. Left to right: Alpha Jabbie,Mary Adoga Fofanah, Mohamed Bah,Jeneba Koroma and Sylvanus Deen.
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