Sierra Leone Peace Education Program   Blama Preschool Project   “Sierra Leone is a country recovering from a ten-year civil war that ended in 2005.  Problems of disease, hunger, unemployment, destroyed families and community mistrust, especially between the surviving elders, who blame the young people for the war, and the young people, who feel the elders are preventing them from fulfilling their basic needs in the community, are all obstacles on the path to a whole and healthy country.”—Fr. Fatorma Combey Project Goal:  Serving Sierra Leone by raising  funds to build a preschool in Blama, Sierra Leone. Working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Blama, Sierra Leone in 1973-75, (as Faith Adamson), began my life-long love for Sierra Leoneans and their country.  The war of the 1990’s was devastating.  Reconstruction is happening now and we are participating in the healing. The proceeds of this campaign will help to build a preschool at R.C. Blama School, where I served as an English as Second Language teacher.—Faith Lester, 2008   1974 – Holy Rosary School in Blama Headmaster, Ambrose C. Demby, back row, center, white shirt                           Mrs. Theresa Demby – holding child            Their children:                                  Bridgette, little girl, center, green head tie              Saffie, tall girl on left, pink dress        Ambrose Jr., not pictured, was 11 years old  Faith (Adamson) Sorenson Lester third from right, with fellow teachers 33 YEARS LATER,2008 Ambrose Demby Sr., (now deceased, not pictured) Bridget Demby, Ambrose Demby Jr., Mr. Demby’s mother-in-law, Mami Jannet Momoh, 100 years old (now deceased) Grown son, Ambrose, daughter, Bridgette and mother-in law of deceased headmaster, Ambrose Demby Sr. They served as hosts, guides and mentors during my 2008 visit. 2008 – Reconnecting with Mrs. Esther Williams, former Headmistress of RC Blama Girls’ School. PHASE 1 Funds raised, 2009 -2013  approx. $9,000.00 by members of Salone PEP Club, Mason City Schools under the direction of Faith Lester, music teacher 2011 – Faith Lester, hand-delivering a check for $1,500 to Bishop Patrick Koroma of the Kenema Diocese. Salone PEP Club continued raising funds until Mrs. Lester’s a year after her retirement from Mason City Schools in 2012. PHASE 2 2014 Salone PEP Club suspended fundraising activities. Thus began Phase 2 of the Blama Preschool Project.  2014 – Blama Preschool was half-completed! As a result of several fund-raising campaigns, detailed on the home page, the roof, and the dirt floor had been completed, as of May 2016.

January 2017 marked Faith’s third visit to Blama in nine years. Delivering additional donations from the 2016 holiday fund drive, she was thrilled to see nearly 100 children attending the partially finished school. Meeting the teachers and staff, she delivered donated books and teaching supplies, read to the students and enjoyed their songs and watching them play on the playground.

Phase 3 – Completion

As of January 2018, the builders are planning on a fast pace towards completion, provided we can raise enough funds to support the purchase of more tiles, paint,  and the cost of labor. The total estimated cost for completion is $5,000.00. We have so far collected over $1,000, leaving $4,000 yet to be collected by September.

In October 2018,  Faith will make her 4th and final trip to Blama, for the happy occasion of the official “Preschool Opening Celebration”.l

Please donate what you can to make this dream finally a reality! Your tax-deductible donation will make a huge difference in many children’s’ lives for years to come! To donate by PayPal or check, go back to our homepage and click on “donate here” button. Thank you!