We want you to meet someone very special, in a story that we haven’t told before. It was on July 1^st 2016, that the Director of Salone Rising, Ali Kamanda, along with Devin Harwell, arrived in the rural village of Kumala, a 3-4 hour drive from Kabala. The government had requested that the group visit Kumala as this area had been hit especially hard by the Ebola virus. Many of the children there were struggling to survive as one or both of their parents had lost their lives to Ebola, which had an average time between the onset of symptoms and death of 7 ½ days (per the NIH).  It was a devastating time for Sierra Leone.

Arriving after a 4-hour, dusty, bumpy journey by motorbikes over pot-holed dirt roads, Ali and Devin were taken to a modest house in the village, where they were first introduced to Mariama, who was only barely 3 at the time. Ali recalls his initial impressions of her, “her eyes were very yellow, her hair had an orangish tint and her teeth were decayed.” As people were not accustomed to seeing many foreigners, most villagers were standing from afar, staring, seeming fearful to engage. Not Mariama. Ali was so surprised at how bold this young one was, clothed in a tattered camo shirt and a white plastic necklace, from the moment they walked in. As they stepped on to the front porch, Ali recalls that “Mariama came right to my side, literally hanging on my shoulder as I sat down. She looked so innocent, eager to see my cellphone. I turned my phone to selfie mode and she flashed a huge smile when she saw herself, possibly for the first time ever.” 

As their time there was drawing to a close, the government official who had traveled with them, asked the villagers to gather the children who had been identified on a list as orphaned, into a large group. Ali stood among the children while the children were assembled in front of where Devin was standing. The scene felt like mayhem, with babies crying, everyone talking at once, a curious confusion about what was going on combined with a sense of pressured urgency in the air. The Chief of the Village then pointed to the large group of kids and pleaded with Ali and Devin, asking, “Can you help them? Which ones do you want to take with you today?”

Ali vividly recalls, “It was one of those moments in your lifetime that you never forget, I just thought, ‘look at all these children!?’ It was really overwhelming.” 

There was one huge problem, Mamaland had not even been built! There was not a solid plan in place to be able to raise, educate and nurture orphaned or destitute children yet, only an idea, a willingness to try to do something. As the Chief continued his impassioned plea, the chaos continued. Chaos for everyone that is, except for Mariama. This diminutive, courageous girl stared at Devin with an unwavering gaze the entire time. It’s as if her eyes were speaking to him, almost screaming, without uttering a word. Devin was stunned and grabbed his phone, quickly taking a picture of the group facing him, wanting to remember the steady gaze of this little girl.

Those of you who know Devin, will not be surprised to hear that he was so gutted by the gravity of this moment, that he was speechless, tears streaming down his cheeks, futilely being obscured by dark sunglasses.

Ali explained that they were not prepared to take any children that day and that the government would be in touch with the Chief in the future regarding next steps. It was made clear to them that the situation was dire for many of these vulnerable children. The men hopped back on the motorbikes that they had arrived on. Devin still chokes up to this day as he remembers, “I cried for a solid hour on the back of that bike. My heart broke for these children. It was in those moments that I decided I would dedicate the rest of my life to building Mamaland.”

In the weeks and months that followed, the vision for Mamaland, a Children’s Village for destitute and orphaned children, was created and plans set into motion to make it a reality. Ali and his mother, our “Queen of Kabala,” Dorcas Kamanda, and Devin collaborated together to create a formal plan which was presented to the government for approval. Construction began on “Mama’s Den” and a house mom was hired and trained by Dorcas. Devin reflects, “Mariama and the connection that Ali and I had with her, were really the reasons that we wanted to start Mamaland. For the next 6 months, I prayed and begged God to keep Mariama alive long enough for us to be able to take care of her.”

After many months and much preparation, Mamaland opened and children, identified by the government as being the most destitute, began arriving. The first girl to arrive was Kumba. The remarkable story of how she survived after both of her parents had passed away is nothing short of miraculous and can be read here. Not long after, Mariama and her little sister, Finah, came to live at Mamaland.

All of the girls undergo a thorough physical by Dorcas and her team at the NarSarah Medical Clinic so that their medical needs can be addressed. It was discovered that Mariama had sickle cell disease and was far worse than anyone had realized. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder that damages red blood cells so that they can’t easily move through blood vessels, blocking proper blood flow. This blockage stops the flow of healthy, oxygen-rich blood which can lead to anemia, pain in the chest, arms and legs, jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes and mouth) and damage to major organs. 

Without proper medical care or diagnostic tests in her village, they did not know that Mariama had this disease and she was quite afflicted by the time she arrived. Dorcas moved quickly to start treatment. Here is a picture of Mariama getting ready to have her first transfusion. 

She has had several treatments and was put on medication immediately, leading Dorcas to say,

“Mariama would not be alive today if she had not been brought to Mamaland when she was.”

Mariama has turned out to be an absolute sweetheart! She is kind, soft-spoken, very nurturing and a fabulous big sister to her biological sister and all of her sisters at Mamaland. If someone is crying or injured, she is the first one to console or comfort them with a hug. She doesn’t complain, has a vivacious smile and tries her best to overcome her challenges.

This blog post wraps up with a specific and urgent request for prayer for Mariama. She is now a beautiful 10 year old girl. Not long ago, Mariama became very dizzy, weak, lethargic and was unable to walk. She was rushed to a Children’s Hospital in Freetown 4 hours away, where it was determined that her SCD was flaring up. She was given medication and returned to Freetown a week later for follow-up treatment. Mariama has also struggled greatly academically and is showing signs of some significant cognitive delays. This has led to her being picked on at school and challenges with her confidence. Without some more advanced testing, which is not currently available in Sierra Leone, it is not known whether her challenges are related to her disease, but either way, will you please join us in praying for this precious girl? 

In the past, people with sickle cell disease often died between ages 20 and 40. Thanks to modern care, people now can live to the age of 50. Those medical advances have not yet made it to Sierra Leone and we do not know that the future holds for Mariama with her health. There was divine orchestration in saving her life and we want her to have the very best life possible, thriving physically, mentally, spiritually and academically. 

Mamaland is having a significant, life-saving impact on so many children in Sierra Leone. If you are one of our partners in this vital work, THANK YOU! If not, would you consider making a monthly or one-time donation of any amount to help Mariama and so many others like her? 100% of all donations go directly to caring for Mariama and her 19 sisters. Please click here to make a donation. THANK YOU!