In its quest to restore hope to vulnerable children who lost their parents during the eleven year civil war, a philanthropic organization known as the Katimu Childern’s Foundation based in the United States of America, and headed by well-meaning Sierra Leoneans, has provided clothing for over fifty children, mostly orphans at Yamandu town and it environs in Baoma Chiefdom, Bo District.
During the launch of the foundation in a ceremony filled with fanfare and panorama, traditional dancing and drumming, community inhabitants in a jubilant mood expressed how happy they were for the establishment of such a programme for vulnerable children in that part of the country.
They said beneficiaries of the foundation have long suffered since their parents died during the decade long civil war. This, they said, has increased the drop out rate and subsequent teenage pregnancy among these vulnerable children in an attempt to get their livelihood.
In a confession statement on the necessities of the project in their lives, one of the beneficiaries, Aminata Kamara who is apparently above sixteen years said that she was happy with the gesture awarded to them by the foundation. She mentioned that the offer of scholarship to them to continue their schooling has restored hope in their future as they had already resolved to searching for other alternative means of livelihood before that time. She therefore requested the organization to include other less privileged children in the country, especially girls who are susceptible to societal malaise.
Awarding the sum of five hundred thousand Leones as personal largesse and submitting, on behalf of the foundation the sum of one million for agricultural purposes, the Deputy Director of the Foundation Madam Elizabeth Bundu mentioned that their dream is to ensure that less privileged children in the country are adequately provided for in a bid to promote their well-being.
While she was speaking on behalf of the Director Mr. Eddie Kowai who was unavoidably absent because of similar engagement in the USA, Madam Bundu said that they are planning to build a very large orphanage for those vulnerable children at Yamandu that will house hundreds of children after the foundation would have been fully transformed into a non governmental organization.
In a prepared speech moreover, she maintained that they are greatly going to prioritize agriculture which is the bedrock of every nation so that they would be able to feed the children they would be catering for on a daily basis.
During the distribution of two barrels of clothing at the Yamandu Community Hall, she emphasized that the clothes were exclusively meant for the less privilege and that community elders should fairly distribute the clothing to the satisfaction of the beneficiaries.
The Paramount Chief of Baoma Chiefdom PC Demby who was designated as the Chief Patron of the organization, through his representative, reiterated the need to support the foundation in order to give hope to the country’s future leaders. He said his chiefdom is ready at any point to support development strides in the chiefdom and therefore congratulated the founders of the Katimu Children’s Foundation for their effort in transforming the lives of vulnerable members of the chiefdom.
The Katimu Children’s Foundation is named after the Director’s late mother who, during her life, helped a lot of people in her own way. She was gloriously honoured on the launch of the foundation at her grave side situated off the highway in Yamandu Town.
By Poindexter Sama
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