Restarting The Movement

Hi, I'm Dennis and I have been volunteering with the Twenty-First Century African Youth Movement (AYM) for over 20 years. I personally lived in Sierra Leone for more than five incredible years, building the youth entrepreneurship program there from scratch.

We started by focusing on Community Vegetable Gardens and Ecotourism, until we eventually created the Social Enterprise Center in Mattru Jong. We were improving many people's lives in our area and expanding the programs, and I could see the ripple effect extending into the surrounding communities. We were truly making a difference.

That all changed in 2014 when the Ebola pandemic ravaged Sierra Leone.

The night after evacuating on one of the last flights out of the country, we had a break-in at the AYM Social Enterprise Center where they stole numerous cell phones and other items. We had no choice but to close the doors and put the program on hold.

In 2019, I returned to Sierra Leone on a two-week trip of evaluation and planning as we were preparing to restart the program in 2020. Then the COVID-19 pandemic delayed our plans again.

As things are now returning to normal, we have decided to jumpstart our youth employment initiatives in Sierra Leone again.

This time around, AYM's founder and president, Abu-Hassan "Askia" Koroma, will be moving to Sierra Leone to restart the operations himself.

We have secured a living compound in Mattru Jong where Askia will be staying. We plan to restart our former operations and add new initiatives, and the local team is ready to implement them with Askia's leadership.

In addition to continuing our agricultural activities and reopening the Social Enterprise Center, we will also start a new-to-the-region method of block-making to bring in revenue and build more infrastructure for the AYM.

We have purchased the new block-making machine, shipped it to Mattru Jong, and have already trained four young men to operate it. We are ready to begin production as soon as Askia arrives.

We have also received two pallets of vegetable seeds donated from West Coast Seeds in Canada to restart our vegetable gardens. Everybody is excited to get to work!

For over 20 years, I have continued donating my money and time to AYM. I know firsthand the difference our program has made and will continue to make.

**WE NEED YOUR HELP**

As a nonprofit organization, we rely entirely on community support. None of our efforts would be possible without the help of donors, volunteers, and supportive community members like you.

Please join me in donating whatever you can afford. Then join in the celebrations as we post updates to see how your contribution has helped!

Will you JOIN the Movement?

We appreciate all your support. Thank you for being a part of our community and our story.

Learn all about AYM here