Featured Projects

The Sunshine Family Social Club

The Sunshine Family Social Club was formed in 2006 by a group of secondary school students in Koidu Town, Sierra Leone, who identified a need in their community. The Sunshine Family meets weekly and acts not only as a surrogate family to it's members, but as a positive model for local youth. Youth issues are considered to be one of the major threats to the long-term stability of Sierra Leone. The Sunshine Family uses drama, song, dance and discussion to expose their peers to issues relevant to youth in Sierra Leone. Such issues include teen pregnancy and early marriage, HIV transmission, conflict resolution, religious tolerance and universal human rights, amongst many others. This exceptional group of youth also provides school fees for youth who would otherwise be unable to attend school, and wish to start a skills training workshop targeted at out-of-school and unemployed youth.

The Project: The Sunshine Family has been operating for three years on a shoestring budget derived mainly from weekly member dues. In order to accomplish their long term goals, the Sunshine Family realized that they required a sustainable source of income, and with this in mind they approached The Isatou Society. As a group, they have already secured several acres of land from the local chief, and are requesting assistance to buy some agricultural tools and seeds. With the land, the tools and hard work, they expect to generate a small, sustainable income via market sale of agricultural goods. Ingenuity and entrepreneurship positively explode out of this inspiring group, and they feel that their only barrier to success is lack of access to equipment. We feel it's worth helping to give this group, who has already done so much with so little, a shot at shaping their futures while improving their community.

Key Canadian contact: Michelle Villeneuve

Key Sierra Leone contact: Abdul Jalloh

The Moringa Farmer's Association of Kono (MORFA-Kono)

In March 2008, Jim S. Kellie, an indigenous Kono man, started MORFA- Kono with the goal of helping to improve the health of people in the Kono District of Sierra Leone. The cooperative focuses on growing and disseminating information about Moringa oleifera, also known throughout West Africa as 'The Miracle Tree'.

Moringa is a highly nutritious tree that grows well in dry conditions, making it an ideal food for cultivation during the dry, or 'hungry', season. Moringa has been used to treat malnutrition with great success in Senegal and The Gambia, and MORFA-Kono have high hopes that the Kono District might benefit in the same way. Since it's inception, the 29 members of the cooperative work weekly on their communal Moringa farm, nusing some 200 trees that they saved up to buy. However, they lack tools to assist in the farming, and have in general relied upon their hands, sticks, and sporadic use of loaned shovels to clear, plant and maintain their crops. With two more satellite groups in the area eager to begin farming Moringa as well, MORFA has made a formal request to The Isatou Society for assistance in buying basic agricultural equipment.

Key Canadian contact: Michelle Villeneuve

Key Sierra Leone contact: Jim S. Kellie