Help Kadiatu Kamara Walk Again

In 2024, my friend Craig Merkle and I traveled to Sierra Leone. I was wrapping up an SLVP project in Kpetema and visiting my former Peace Corps village, where I had spent two wonderful years. Craig was also reconnecting with his old community and searching for some of his long-lost friends he made as a Peace Corp Volunteer.

One person we were both eager to find was Kadiatu Kamara, the former Peace Corps secretary in Makeni. We last saw her in 1994 but had since lost touch. With the help of our friends Abu, Shamie, and Sox, we began asking around in Makeni. Neighbors told us that Kadiatu had moved from Makeni to Mamama, a small village along the Freetown highway near Waterloo—and that she had suffered a serious accident.

When we finally found her in Mamama, we were heartbroken. Kadiatu was living alone in a small room with a leaky roof, relying on a stick to walk. She had no phone and was partially disabled after breaking her leg in a fall down a flight of stairs 4 years ago.

We helped her purchase a phone and arranged for her to visit Lunsar, where a team of visiting German doctors examined her and took X-rays. The good news is that her leg can be repaired through surgery. The cost is approximately $750, and we are raising $900 total to cover the surgery, transportation, and a small supply of rice while she recovers.

Kadiatu served in the Peace Corps office in Makeni for nearly 13 years, supporting countless volunteers and staff. Now, she needs our support in return.

Any contribution—large or small—will go directly toward her surgery and recovery.

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.