Seeds of Life Overview

Organization Overview

Impact Sierra Leone is a 501c3 non-governmental organization founded in 2019 to transform communities in Sierra Leone through compassion and humanity.

VISION

Our vision is for underserved populations in Sierra Leone, primarily young women, and children to have access to core basic necessities while advancing sustainability, entrepreneurship and public health through empowerment initiatives.

MISSION

Our mission is to reduce socioeconomic challenges in Sierra Leone through empowerment, education, agriculture and building strong partnerships with the Diaspora community.

AIM

Over the next five years Impact Sierra Leone, will work to empower schools, farmers, and clinics to aid in the future of Sierra Leone and create a stable foundation for the lives of the underserved, especially girls and women involved.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Dr. Adama Kalokoh is a proud Descendant of Sierra Leone, West Africa and passionate about Public Health, Education as well as agriculture. She founded the organization and excited to make a
difference in my homeland. She is proud to use her voice and platform to improve lives. She launched
the Seeds of Life program to Empower, Educate and Enrich the lives of undeserved communities around the world.

Program Overview

In 2021, Impact Sierra Leone (ISL) kicked off a “Seeds of Life Program” with a local primary school in Foindu Village, Sierra Leone. Located in the Tonkolilli District within the Northern provinces, Foindu has a high illiteracy rate, limited access to markets, very few job opportunities, poor health facilities – all of which contribute to limited sustainable development opportunities. Yet, it is surrounded by vast agricultural land, beautiful waters and people who truly desire a better community with hopes for a brighter future. Limited access to food crops such as fresh vegetables and fruits is a major factor leading to nutritional deficiency and affects the entire population. The Seeds of Life program aims to address nutritional gaps and improve the wellness of citizens in Sierra Leone. Our goal is to boost nutrition knowledge and promote behaviors that improve nutrition.

In Foindu, there is only one primary school which is the Ansarul Islamic School as well as one secondary school. ISL has established a relationship with the students and staff, learning that their biggest need is food. There are approximately 250 students that attend the schools each day, many of whom do not get a balanced nutrition and feeding at home. Most of these children over consume rice (as this is the most available and desired food) and the majority suffer from extreme hunger and poverty. Currently there is no school feeding program as in the case of most schools in the US. The children are expected to eat before and after school in their homes. With no school feeding and an 8-hour lesson day, it can be very difficult for the children to do their best and endure very long day without food & snacks. After recognizing the need for food, ISL decided to assist by helping the school grow produce that can be provided to the children for added nourishment. Studies show that a child who has better nutrition and diet will perform better in school.

Our focus for this program is to promote wellness, boost nutrition knowledge and increase access to nutritious food among the primary school students. We anticipate this to be a 3-to-5-year project and our goal is to create sustainability by planting permanent crops and developing a Seed Recycling Program. This project will provide produce to students at the end of the harvest season. ISL staff will distribute produce to students and staff monthly. With farm machineries and tools, we hope to be able to produce larger quantities that can be given to orphans, widows, pregnant women and more. We also hope to promote Female Empowerment and inspire the young girls to advance their knowledge in agriculture. Currently, farm leaders in rural communities are primarily male. Additionally, ISL will partner with the school to promote quality education by providing school materials and supplementing the current curriculum. This will allow us to achieve ISL’s Sustainable Development goals including Zero Hunger, Quality Education and Good Health and Well Being.

   On April 19^th ,2021, the first day of the launch, ISL staff along with the students and teachers planted okra and the children were extremely excited. In addition, ISL provided wellness pictures to teach the children health benefits of the produce they will be growing. Through donations from our supporters, we have planted the following produce: maize, cucumbers, peppers, okra, yams, coconuts, potatoes, ginger, sweet berries, pineapples and more. ISL donated the farm tools and fertilizer for this program, but we need more support to have a greater impact.

 Through global financial support, the children and staff will be able to access more seeds, tools, and farm machineries to plant/grow a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Once the harvest begins, ISL staff plants to distribute produce among students and staff monthly. We look forward to a great harvest and the opportunity to make a great impact in Foindu Village through Sustainable Development. This program is of special importance because farming and fishing are the main sources of income for the general population. ISL aims to work with the school to help each child reach their fullest potential academically.

• Educating and inspiring children of elementary and middle school grades about agriculture and the importance of the environment through various enrichment activities
• Providing communities access to nutritious and healthy fruits and vegetables; 1) Monthly feeding to children. 2) Monthly feeding to 60 plus farmers at monthly strategy meeting
• Supporting farmers with tools and resources to grow crops they can eat and sell at the

     marketplace

In 2022, ISL expanded the program into six target areas to include vocational training, arts and culture preservation and an expanded health and wellness program. 

-Seeds of Life Farming and Agriculture
-Seeds of Life Healthy Futures and Wellness
-Seeds of Life Education and Youth Empowerment (E.Y.Es)
-Seeds of Life Women and Girls Empowerment (W.A.G.E)

-Seeds of Life Culture, Heritage, Arts and Play (C.H.A.P)
-Seeds of Life Skills Training and Development

We are transforming lives through education, empowerment, and sustainable agriculture. We are achieving the sustainable development goals in all our initiatives. This past year, we worked together to ensure that the Foindu Community in Sierra Leone met major milestones through our Seeds of Life Program.  Thanks to your support in 2022, we were able to:

-Help start/operate three a farming sites: Harvesting groundnuts, okra, cucumbers, and peppers.

-Hold monthly workshops around agriculture, health, and wellness.

-Hold a school supply drive to benefit over 200 school-aged children in Foindu Village.

-Collect and ship 5 barrels containing clothes, shoes, school supplies and more.

-Help start a women’s farming collective where 40 women can grow staple crops for their
community and use the revenue from the surplus to purchase school equipment.

We are on a mission to motivate the children, men and women of this community to reach their highest potential and practice healthy habits while doing so.  None of this would be possible without your continued support.  Our investment is changing lives for the better and developing young leaders to be entrepreneurs. We are Empowered to Inspire because we are giving voice and bringing hope to over 250 children and over 200 adult farmers through our project! Our goal is to expand this initiative throughout rural Sierra Leone to serve other children and families and beyond Africa.   With farm machineries and tools, we hope to be able to produce larger quantities that can be given to orphans, widows, pregnant women and more vulnerable populations in the community. We welcome partners to join our mission to transform this community through humanity. We welcome donations via www.impactsierraleone.org so we can purchase more seeds and tools. United We Stand and Together We Rise!

We are on a mission to motivate the children, men and women of this community to reach their highest potential and practice healthy habits while doing so.  None of this would be possible without your continued support.  Our investment is changing lives for the better and developing young leaders to be entrepreneurs. We are Empowered to Inspire because we are giving voice and bringing hope to over 250 children and over 200 adult farmers through our project!

goal is to expand this initiative throughout rural Sierra Leone to serve other children and families. With farm machineries and tools, we hope to be able to produce larger quantities that can be given to orphans, widows, pregnant women and more vulnerable populations in the community. We welcome partners to join our mission to transform this community through humanity. We welcome donations via www.impactsierraleone.org so we can purchase more seeds and tools. United We Stand and Together We Rise!