Exciting days for Mamaland!!!

Although rich in mineral resources, Sierra Leone is the 8^th poorest country in the world. An estimated 12,000 children in Sierra Leone were left orphaned from Ebola during the 2014 West Africa outbreak. In the face of this massive need, 60 acres of land were purchased just outside of Kabala, Sierra Leone. It is a lovely, mountainous, tree-covered area that would make the perfect location for the future children’s village we fondly call Mamaland. 

With the plight of these children being so dire, we took in orphans right away with the help and support of the government, before any building had begun. First came Kumba, then Makuta and over the past year and a half, five more girls have been rescued, bringing the total to 7 girls now living in a temporary house about 5 miles from this land. We haven’t been able to take in any more girls as we just don’t have the space to accommodate them. The long-term vision has always been to develop this larger site with 5 houses to create a safe and loving community for up to 50 Ebola orphans.

This past year has been one of challenges, as we are ready and wanting to finally build out this project, but lacked some key expertise to take the next steps. In a massive, community-wide effort, a large portion of the land has been cleared, just waiting the word to begin construction. A definite challenge has been adequately addressing all of the issues surrounding excessive rainfall, solid foundations, drainage, sewage, drinking water and solar power. This region of Sierra Leone receives an average of 81 inches of rainfall a year. Contrast that with the 8.5 inches of rain that Denver received in 2018! It became clear that having an expert water engineer is absolutely essential as foundations are being laid, clean drinking water is paramount and the Village is being designed. 

We never cease to be amazed by how God brings just the right people at the right time for the tasks at hand. (The Kamanda family is an example of such blessings like this - read about them here) Enter, John Rahe. We feel incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with this highly skilled and passionate water engineer from Denver who has decades of experience working with organizations all across Africa. John has been working with us over the last few months of 2019 and in January 2020, graciously donated his time and expertise by traveling to Sierra Leone to work on identifying the ideal site location of buildings and facilities, site drainage control designs and the treatment system designs for drinking and wastewater. Here are the master plans he has created for the Mamaland Children’s Village, now to include 5 houses, a kitchen/dining/meeting area, laundry facilities, a well, a septic tank, a water treatment unit, a sports field and a forested area designated for possible tea and coffee bean production and honey bees in the future. 

Friends and family, what was just recently 60 empty acres of land is now starting to become a dream come true…the forever home, a true community, a place of love and hope for the future for 50 precious children in Sierra Leone! We could not be any more excited about these recent developments or any more thankful for your generous support and partnership in this endeavor. More updates to come…the best is yet to be!