The Kamanda Family – Ali

We are concluding our 3 part series, where we have gotten to know the Kamanda family better, our dear friends and partners in ministry. In a previous blog post, we learned more about Grandma Dorcas Kamanda, then about Julia Kamanda and finally we are hearing from Ali Kamanda who plays an integral part in the day-to-day workings of both Mamaland and the grantee program with Salone Rising. Our interview with Ali was so interesting and inspiring as his heart to serve others and make a difference echoes loudly through everything he says and does.

Heartbeats of Salone: What does Sierra Leone mean to you? What has led you to return to your home to serve in this way?

Ali: Sierra Leone is my homeland.  It represents my humble beginnings and cultural lens through which I view the world.  Growing up in a society during a time when my people celebrated the simple things in life was one of the most influential life lessons in my early childhood development.  My Christian parents led by example in championing the genuine ideal of loving your neighbor as yourself.  I experienced firsthand the awesome power of kindness. My parents would dine with beggars and Paramount Chiefs alike, never once discriminating, and always celebrating the divine spirit in every person. People respond with positivity from a kind word or gesture that the act of doing good is intrinsic to making the world a better place.

As the son of a college professor and a nurse, my life was perceivably better than most in our community and so culturally, it was incumbent on us to help others.  Personally, helping others was and has always been fun.  It’s never been a cultural obligation but a personal responsibility I cherish. My spirit within is happiest when I am able to manifest that happiness for another.

In 2015 I recognized the opportunity to do something very special in Sierra Leone through the Harwell Family Foundation.  I met the most inspiring spirit in Devin Harwell and as I listened to him talk about his idea of a development program he wanted to start in Sierra Leone, I honestly don’t know where I mustered the courage to speak up and demand the opportunity to get involved.  But I did, and it was because I recognized a humbled power in him that I believe must be innate in any individual who genuinely intends on helping others.  He wasn’t doing it for the notoriety or financial gain but instead for a genuine hope of positively effecting change in the lives of the poor.  I knew that a partnership with his foundation could have a transformative impact in Sierra Leone and I was staring at the opportunity of a lifetime to do what I truly enjoy, helping others.

Heartbeats of Salone: We know that 277 children were left orphaned by the Ebola virus which devastated the country in 2013, in just the area of Sierra Leone where you grew up.  Please describe the moment when the government brought a large group of these orphans to you to show you how great the need was. How did you feel? What was your response?

Ali:  Staring into the eyes of all those children was a profound moment in my life.  It was upsetting at first because I felt the children were being paraded in front of us as if at an auction.  Their numbers just kept growing.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect but I stared at the sobering reality of the devastating aftermath of Ebola.  All these kids, orphans. The chatter grew louder, their numbers increasing as they seemed to appear from every direction.  There were all these faces, these living embodiments of innocence, simultaneously eager and curious about us strangers who just showed up in their village with talks of adoption.  But who would get chosen?  I had to fight back tears.  I have two kids of my own and no child deserves to live a hopeless life absent of the love and protection their parents can provide.

Heartbeats of Salone: What would you like to accomplish during these five months in Sierra Leone? Please share your heart for the ministry and people there.

Ali: During my five months in Sierra Leone I hope to have interviewed, selected and workshopped the next group of MamaLand Mothers, cleared and plotted five acres of land for agriculture, cleared and plotted one acre of land for the development of two Dens (houses), dug a water well, pitched our “banking services for the poor” strategy with a proposal to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Finance, and identified our next potential group of ten orphans to join our MamaLand family.

Heartbeats of Salone: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Salone Rising? MamaLand?

Ali: The biggest challenge facing Salone Rising and its MicroEnterprise division is access to a large sum of investment funding to meet the rising loan demands of grantees.  Our grantees are predominantly women petty traders whose families survive off the immediate daily profits their businesses generate.  They need access to cash at extremely low interest rates to grow their business and ultimately profits.  The biggest challenges facing MamaLand are, a) identifying and hiring the right individuals as House Mothers to champion our program’s vision and ideals for our girls, b) providing access to high quality education in the remote region of Nyafrandor.

Heartbeats of Salone: When your life is done, what would you most like for people to remember about Ali?

Ali: When I’m gone, I want to be remembered as someone who cared about others. 

Our family would like to thank all those who have so graciously contributed to the development efforts of Salone Rising. Thanks to your generosity, Salone Rising currently supports over 250 families with lasting effects that reverberate deeper into their respective communities. We could not do this work without your help and we pray that God grants your family peace and blessings.”