Life for many of our Global Family partners is one of uncertainty and hardship, but it is in these troubled surroundings that our partners work to share the light and love of Jesus. Tamba M’bayo, our Global Family Leader in Sierra Leone, is one of these precious ministers.
Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries in Africa today, with infant, child and maternal mortality rates among the highest in the world. Due to high food and fuel prices, and reduced incomes from low pay and a lack of private sector jobs, the people of Sierra Leone find themselves faced with the ongoing issue of food poverty and struggling to afford everyday essentials.
The country has a large young population, with about 60 percent being under the age of 25, but high levels of unemployment among this group (60 percent of the youth) largely due to high levels of illiteracy and unskilled labour, which exacerbates the poverty.
Historically struggling with civil war and fatal diseases including Ebola, these people are no stranger to adversity, with illnesses such as malaria and Lassa fever still taking many lives today. These are just some of the reasons why education and support so vital for improving the lives of the Sierra Leone people.
Working through the Adullam Mission Preparatory School, Tamba works to bring freedom, hope and empowerment to the people of this country through the education and support of its children. He works under the shadow of political instability, with a failed military coup as recent as last November. Armed men broke into the armoury at a military base in Freetown, leaving 19 people dead from the attack.
His hope to “reach the un-reached and touch the un-touched with the gospel of Christ” is at the centre of his work, and it is our pleasure to partner with this school that leads 250 pupils through the nursery, primary and junior secondary levels of their education.
Based in the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, where 1.3 million of the 8 million population of the country live, the Adullam School aims to empower children to realise their God-given potential and lift their lives out of the poverty that surrounds them.
Without the hope that Adullam School provides, and the sponsorship that includes the poorest children in this education, the youth of the city are at the mercy of human traffickers that would supposedly offer a better life elsewhere.
In partnering with the Adullam School, through child sponsorship and supporting appeals as need arises, World in Need and our supporters have the opportunity to transform the lives of these children and through them, their families. The joy of seeing the children who have been given the opportunity for education, and value their place in society because they know that others see potential and value in them, is a privilege that we do not take lightly.
Spiritually, Sierra Leone has a long tradition of animistic practices and there is large Islamic presence, together with teaching from churches that incorporate non-Biblical beliefs, giving yet another urgency to the work of Tamba in Freetown. Raising a child to know the hope that comes from Jesus and setting them on the path to eternal life and relationship with God their Father is a priceless gift that we are delighted to be part of.
