Mission Trip to P.K. Memorial Primary School

Gibril's father, Professor Mohamed S. Mansaray, hailed from Magbaikolie (pronounced Ma-bi-ko-li), a small town in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone in West Africa.  In 1999 after a visit to Sierra Leone to pay his last respect to the death of his mother, Prof. Mansaray took it upon himself in response to the cries and wishes of the community of Magbaikolie to put up a school building that will provide the opportunity of western education to the kids in the village. Prof. Mansaray named the school after his late father, Pa Karim Mansaray. Since late 2000, Prof. Mansaray has embarked on active financial support in the construction of a school structure that now holds over 250 pupils from Kindergarten to grade six.  Initially, Prof. Mohamed Mansaray paid the salaries for all the teachers (they now receive a government stipend) as well as paying the cost of school supplies and other school amenities.

(Pa Karim and son, early 1970s)

As the school approaches twenty years of existence, repairs are needed, as well as the expansion of the facility to accommodate more children.

Gibril and his wife Maurisa are looking to expand the efforts his father for both the school and the community by gathering resources and increasing awareness about the needs of these precious youth and the community in which they live. They are currently raising funds with a goal to make a mission trip to the school to deliver supplies to the students in December 2020. 


To better serve the current children, future children, and the village, the needs are listed as follows:

School functional needs

·      Sustainable power source

o   Short-term: Generator (4 Kilowatts power minimum)

·      Furniture

o   40 Twin Benches for the classrooms

o   5 Office tables and chairs for teachers

o   3 Blackboards

·      Addition of a third building -

o   The building would hold a new library and computer lab

·      Remodeling of the two current structures

 

Student learning needs

·      Textbooks

·      Reading books

·      School supplies

·      Computers

·      Calculators

·      Laptops

·      Shoes and clothing

·      Expansion of meal plan

·      Student sponsorships

 

Village Needs

The village of about 1,500 inhabitants are mostly peasant farmers living off around 1.3 million Leones ($150 U.S. a year)

·      Tractor for farming

·      All farming supplies and tools

·      Lightly used clothing and shoes of every variety

·      Opportunities for economic development and empowerment