Our two-country model cultivates the best in youth
and adults. American youth, while developing technical skills learn service
and compassion for youth in a distant land that live beyond their experience.
We bring together not only youths but teachers from both countries in an effort to solve Sierra Leone's educational crisis. Since the civil war which ended in 2002, schooling has been inadequate - part-time at best - for most of the country's children.
Candidates are chosen based on financial need and
academic performance. All applicants must take a screening test to establish
academic level in order to enter the program.
Feeding Hungry Minds supports and practices Sierra Leone's national initiative: THE GIRL CHILD PROGRAM. This program encourages the recruiting of more girls into educational programs, in an effort to balance the gender divide in senior high school and college level programs.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS IN USA
Leon Johnson
- Executive Director of Ubiquitous Vision, Johnson is an American citizen born in Sierra Leone. In 2004 Johnson was visiting Freetown, Sierra Leone.
There he met Mohamed Bangura, a high school drop out, who was working as a security guard at the hotel where Johnson was staying. It was Mohamed's passion to improve his life through education and Johnson’s desire to help the youth of his war torn homeland that brought the two together to form Feeding Hungry Minds. The program's aim is to help victims of the war regain their academic advantage. Johnson is the founder and main financial provider of the project.
Rick Tucker - Executive Director of Novato Public Access Television, Rick Tucker has extensive industry experience in television production and Technical training. He was given the opportunity to design and build a three channel broadcast studio and a state-of-the-art production facility to serve the City of Novato. Tucker has 11 years of teaching experience. He has been a friend and a mentor to the program since its inception.
Erik Gordon Bainbridge - Writer and an adjunct Computer & Information Sciences instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College in California. His novel Warrior Brothers was published in 2006. He is on the board of directors of the Miwok Archeological Preserve of Marin, which educates the public about California Indians and their history. In his free time, he directs public access television, researches local history, and builds and restores traditional California Indian village structures.
John Macleod - Executive Director of Intel Computer Clubhouse. Macleod has been working with technology and youth here in Marin for over fifteen years. His mentorship has been invaluable to the project.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS IN SIERRA LEONE
Mr. Bundor - Vice Principal of PRINCE OF WALES
Mr. E John- Senior Teacher at ST. EDWARDS SECONDARY SCHOOL
Miss Conteh - Core Teacher at FREETOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
