I am currently working in a cluster of 6 villages in the Southern part of Sierra Leone, West Africa, where no school building exists. The children are forced to attend classes in make-shift structures or under a tree. If it rains there are no classes.
My organization, The Magic Penny has already built 5 drinking water wells, 5 toilets, and a community center which serves as the hub for the villagers. It will also be utilized for cottage industries, adult education, and community gatherings.
We are currently trying to raise money to build a proper school for the children in the 6 villages.
Please visit us at www.themagicpenny.org
I have a special fondness and connection for a seaside village on the Atlantic Coast called Bompehtoke and its surrounding neighbors. I have fond memories of an innocent childhood and thriving communities in the 1950s and 60s. It is a place where neighbors look out for one another and work together for the good of the community. Education was always an important component of the community but they have fallen on hard times since 1992.
I would like to change the educational status of the area by building a proper school, hiring a principal plus 6 staff members, having proper desks and chairs, and school supplies.
The children will also have a school garden where they will learn to grow their own vegetables for the school lunch program.
I would also like to bring clean drinking water to the villages so as to prevent waterborne diseases that kill the children and adult villagers. Health and sanitation are very important for the villages.
I am a retired teacher from Harborfields School District, Long Island, New York where I taught for 31 years. I founded The Magic Penny in 2003 and have been raising funds to improve the dire conditions faced by rural dwellers in Sierra Leone.
We have an NGO in Sierra Leone that overseas the work we're doing there. I travel to Sierra Leone at least once a year to check on the projects we're working on.
