Imagine a child entering Class 3 who can hardly read simple words. Some still struggle naming letters or numbers. This is not uncommon in Bumpeh Chiefdom and across Sierra Leone. These children risk never catching up and often drop out of school in frustration. Their lives remain forever limited without reading skills.
Our partner, the Center for Community Empowerment & Transformation (CCET-SL), fills teaching gaps with a targeted Class 3 learn-to-read program. Experienced, retired teachers work weekly with students in seven schools on their first formal reading steps, while coaching their inexperienced teachers.
CCET-SL submitted this story of a girl struggling to read and her remarkable teacher who was retired “but not yet tired” – eager to keep teaching.
Rachel’s Reading Journey
Modigay is a small village surrounded by lush green fields with a winding dirt road to Rotifunk, the chiefdom headquarters. There lived spirited class-three student Rachel Bangura. Every day, Rachel woke before dawn, her heart filled with learning dreams despite overwhelming circumstances. Her family, struggling as subsistence farmers, could barely afford life’s necessities, let alone help with homework. Rachel often joined her parents in fields after school.
Rachel loved school, but joy was overshadowed by struggles. She could hardly read, spell, or connect sounds to letters, filling her with anxiety. In her bustling Rotifunk classroom, while other children eagerly raised hands, Rachel sat quietly, hoping not to be called upon. She felt lost in a sea of words dancing beyond her reach.
A New Hope
The Center for Community Empowerment and Transformation works with schools and local council to improve education quality in Bumpeh Chiefdom. They train teachers to improve outcomes among underprivileged children. They brought in experienced retired teacher Mr. Koroma, who had a reputation for transforming struggling students’ lives. With his compassionate approach and innovative methods, Mr. Koroma was determined to help children like Rachel.
When Mr. Koroma first met Rachel, he noticed the curiosity spark in her eyes despite looming fear of failure. He took time to know Rachel, learning about her village, family, and dreams of reading stories. Rachel expressed her desire to read about faraway places and adventures. Mr. Koroma promised they would work together to make that dream reality.
Building Foundations
Mr. Koroma began with basics, focusing on phonics and letter sounds through engaging activities. He used colorful flashcards, songs, and rhymes that made learning fun. Rachel’s shy laughter echoed as Mr. Koroma encouraged students to sound letters and blend them into words.
Initially, Rachel struggled to grasp concepts, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, but Mr. Koroma’s patience kept her motivated. “Every word you learn is a step closer to your dreams, Rachel. Let’s take it one step at a time!” he would say, and Rachel felt hope ignite within her.
Beyond the Classroom
To further support Rachel’s learning, Mr. Koroma organized weekend literacy clubs in their village where children could gather and learn together. Rachel’s parents were thrilled seeing their daughter engaging with other children in learning to read.
During club meetings, Rachel enjoyed storytelling sessions where she listened to tales from different cultures. She was captivated by stories of brave heroes and magical realms, fueling her desire to read. Mr. Koroma encouraged children to draw pictures related to stories, allowing Rachel to express creativity when words felt elusive.
Breakthrough Moments
As the school year progressed, Rachel made significant progress. One sunny afternoon, while practicing with Mr. Koroma, Rachel successfully read a simple book aloud for the first time.
“Saffie’s Mistake!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. Mr. Koroma and other children clapped excitedly, and Rachel’s face lit up with a radiant smile. This moment marked a turning point; she realized she could read, that she was capable.
Buoyed by success, Rachel started writing short sentences about her life and village. She wrote about family, friends, and beautiful sunsets. Each word she penned testified to her growth and determination.
A Year of Transformation
By year’s end, Rachel had transformed remarkably. With Mr. Koroma’s guidance, she could read simple stories, write confidently, and understand word sounds. Rachel’s self-esteem blossomed, and she now participates actively in class discussions. She’s no longer the quiet girl at the back; she’s become a vibrant classroom community member.
Rachel often shared dreams with Mr. Koroma about becoming a teacher to help other children like herself. Mr. Koroma beamed with pride, knowing his influence had sparked fire within Rachel.
Learn to Read Program Impact
Rachel’s story repeats many times with Mr. Koroma and other experienced reading teachers entering classrooms weekly.
CCET-SL reading tutors break through barriers and jumpstart children’s ability and love of reading. Teachers who only graduated high school receive practical, in-classroom training building their skills and motivation to teach.
Because CCET-SL uses experienced community teachers, the cost is only $10 per student for the whole year. The cost is low, the result is priceless.
To keep kids progressing, we will expand the learn-to-read program to Class 4 with the new school year. You can give 350 Class 3 and 4 children like Rachel in seven schools the chance to unlock their potential through reading with your support: here.
You can also help send 14 early primary school teachers to get 3-year teaching certificates on scholarship. They’ll develop skills to start children on the path to mastering reading in classes 1 – 3.
These teachers have only graduated from high school with no means to pay for higher education. A scholarship for each year is only $400. Give Now
You’ll be giving Bumpeh Chiefdom children a strong education head-start, an advantage they’ll carry through life. We appreciate your support!
–Arlene Golembiewski
Executive Director
Chief Caulker, left, plants a lime tree seedling in 2017. 
In tropical rainforest climate, everything wants to grow. Trees have a huge growth surge in the rainy season – as do the weeds! Workers spend weeks manually cutting back weeds three to four times a year, as well as watering young trees. Cut weeds become a natural mulch and add to soil fertility. 
Under the Small Grant and Savings Program, women should be able to increase the size of their trading business with their small grant and the resulting income they earn. And with required savings, they’ll have another windfall at the end of the year.
With her remaining Le200,000 from the grant, Yeama bought cassava, a starchy tuber, and made foo foo, left, traditionally eaten on Saturday with a meat soup.
The mini-truck, locally called a keke, is an easy and economical way to carry small loads the short distance from the project fields back into town. Here it’s being loaded with newly harvested rice sheaves.
Loaded with rice and workers, Zainab carries all back from the fields to town.
CCET-SL grows orange, lime, grapefruit, African plum, cashew, avocado, guava and coconuts, all with seed they collect from locally purchased fruit.
CCET-SL grows some specialty trees like African plums, left.
As a biologist myself, I had to stop and think, it’s the same as with any other fruit. In nature fruit drops from a tree and will start growing where it falls.
Bumpeh Chiefdom is lowland tropical rainforest, perfect for growing coconuts. The Center for Community Empowerment & Transformation (CCET) is growing them commercially by the hundreds in a coconut nursery.
Coconuts, shell and all, are planted about a third of the way into loose soil and covered with straw mulch.
CCET’s nursery manager, Pa Willie, grows project coconuts in a protected nursery to keep thieves from stealing them. It’s a fenced in and locked pen right behind his house he keeps an eye on.
Work is underway and on a tight schedule, as the annual rains started in May. Here’s the step by step process.
With no mechanized equipment to clear the land, it must be burned. 
Little goes to waste in Bumpeh Chiefdom. 
A partnership between Ann Arbor Rotary and the Freetown Rotary Club in Sierra Leone will oversee the project’s progress.
Mike in 2011 visit on the porch of his old house in Sembehun where he served as Peace Corps teacher. He stayed four years and started the chiefdom’s first secondary school.
Sherbro Foundation’s Board funded the “Baby Orchard” to create long-term income for the chiefdom’s Newborn Education Savings Program, and dedicated it to Mike. Education savings accounts are opened for newborns and funded by fruit income. When a child reaches the age of twelve, they will have money for a secondary school education. I think Mike would have liked the idea, and I know his family does.
It’s safe to say but for Mike, Sherbro Foundation would not exist today. He encouraged me to join a Friends of Sierra Leone trip in 2011, my first return in 35 years. Ever the African traveler, he coordinated a tour of our former Moyamba District villages for five of us, including Wendy Diliberti, his wife, Sherbro Foundation Board Member Steve Papelian and Howie Fleck.
Seedlings are tended and watered for one to two years, then given to villages to plant community orchards and to parents of newborns to raise for income for their child’s education.
Here’s how an orchard gets started:
They position the nursery next to a swamp for a ready supply of soil and water. Nurseries are built inexpensively. They’re bamboo pergolas, made from bamboo felled in nearby forests. Palm fronds laid over the top shelter young seedlings from the hot, dry season sun.
Orchard sites are usually 10 acres and hand cleared by machete, but not burned. The cut brush is laid down as an organic mulch.
Villages will earn money faster as fast-growing fruits and bushes shelter the slower growing fruit tree seedlings from the hot equatorial sun. Cassava bushes, left, shelter a two-year old mango, above.
The economical high-volume, low-energy copier was met with cheers at the Rotifunk facility. With good reason – it’s the only printing service within several hours drive. Printing once meant a trip to the capital Freetown.
Now, the computing center — built from a war ruin — is being used to instruct students and adults on computer use. It also hosts adult literacy classes for the many whose educations were cut short by the war. The solar-powered building is available to rent, the only modern building for miles suitable for meetings and community events of 20 – 100. Primary school teacher training, above, was the first rental customer.
The large duplicator was purchased with a $3,750 grant Sherbro Foundation received from the Ann Arbor (MI) Rotary Club and its District Rotary group. We purchased and shipped the duplicator to our Sierra Leone partner, the Center for Community Empowerment & Transformation (CCET), which operates the Center.
Customers soon lined up for the unique service, which spares them an eight hour round-trip to the capital, Freetown. Many are teachers from Bumpeh’s five secondary and 40 primary schools, who need to print reading materials (students have few textbooks), exam papers and report cards.
Sherbro Foundation 