‘We Are the World Charitable Organization’ over the weekend awarded scholarship to some 56 pupils at the Mabella community in Freetown.
The recipients include 25 boys and 1 girl at the United Methodist primary school Ginger Hall, 23 girls at the FAWE primary school at Fort street Freetown and 1 SSS pupil of the West African Collegiate secondary school in Freetown.
Before the donation of learning materials and award of scholarships one the founders of the organization Finda Pewa explained that the motivation to form a charitable organization to help pupils in vulnerable community like Mabella was as a result of the passion they have for their fellow students all over the country, stating that by helping their colleagues they might be helping the country to develop.
She explained that they have no special funding but they organized themselves and tasked each and every member of the organization to pay a monthly contribution of Le15,000, do a fund raising pin up in schools and organize dinners where they invite their parents and other personalities so that they can give their moral and financial inputs towards their charity drive.
On the background of the organization he said, it was founded in June 2008 with individual contributions as students themselves to empower vulnerable pupils in vulnerable communities.
She explained that they encountered serious problems with the residents of Mabella in their first attempt to visit them in May this year as the community people had a very negative perception about them pointing out to the fact that they have got several visitation of similar charitable organizations who usually come into the community with the hope of helping them but to no avail.
She confirmed that they actually promised to support their children’s education, which they have fulfilled because they are a charitable organization with a difference.
Before he officially opened the pack containing school bags, books, pencils, chalks, uniforms and other learning materials one of the founders of the organization Olufemi Campbell explained that they had earlier undertaken a needs assessment tour of the Mabella community to properly determine the felt need of the school going pupils in the community so as to provide the appropriate gesture to them.
Chairman of the occasion Abdulai Kamara revealed that, the Mabella community should be grateful to ‘We Are The World Charitable Organization’ for considering the Mabella community which he said is one of the most vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone.
He said the scholarship awards and donation of learning materials by students in Sierra Leone to the vulnerable pupils of Mabella community whom he said are not only future leaders but leaders of today, noting that the gesture was a unique one as this is the first time he witnessed students helping the disadvantaged students in a disadvantaged community.
The Limba Chief of Mabella community Pa Alimamy Kamara confessed that poverty has caused people in that community to engage their children in business rather than education but said the gesture was a motivation to help their children acquire education.
In the end a number of agreements were made between the charitable organization and the recipients which include ensuring punctuality of their children in school and attending PTA meetings to monitor the progress of their children.
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