Our Community NEEDS You.

Khadarlis For Sierra Leone 501(c)(3) (USA) 99Academy Ave. Providence, RI 02908 (401) 454-6916 www.khadarlis.org

We are also registered in Sierra Leone as an NGO

Connecting present participle of con·nect (Verb)

1.      Bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established. 2.      Join together so as to provide access and communication.

Changing present participle of change (Verb)

1.      Make or become a Different  substance entirely; transform.

Give

To present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; to place in someone's care:  to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone: Give me a chance. To impart or communicate:

 Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is changing lives and transforming Communities one day at a time with our work in Rural Villages in Sierra Leone.  Don't you want to be a part of it?

 Khadarlis seeks your support right now to help us continue our work in these developing communities! What can you do to help??
-  http://www .khadarlis.org  Donate:  NOW to support positive and lasting change.

 - Spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, and email.
-http://www.Facebook.com/khadarlis  To view more picture of our work visit- and experience these connections and changes for yourself. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/khadarlis1- To view video about Khadarlis.

Thank you.

Fundraising can be so compelling when there is passion involved

Khadarlis For Sierra Leone is moving ahead in the midst of all the odds and this forward match in the midst of gigantic challenges is only  possible because of the  efforts, resilience and support by our dedicated volunteers. Our volunteers are doing  a wonderful job that cannot go unacknowledged on the official blogspot of Khadarlis for Sierra Leone.

In the midst of numerous efforts from various volunteers that Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is presently pursuing, the role of Serina Inversa, the event coordinator, Asley Tyson, the Volunteer Coordinator and Velarie Chase, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator deserve a conspicuous place in the history of Khadarlis for Sierra Leone.

Serina and her sister (Rachel Condron)  have gone the extra mile to organize a bracelet campaign in which the most fashionable brand of silver plaited bracelets and another depicting the national colors of Green, White and Blue placed on another. For an American to fall in love so much with your native Sierra Leone precipitated by universal love, sympathy and empathy for victims of the Blood Diamond genocide is not only unprecedented but remarkable. The painting of the national colours of Sierra Leone on the wall overlooking the Director's seat depicts the office with true nationalism and patriotism painted by no less a person than Serina Inversa. If you have never been to the Providence office of Khadarlis For Sierra Leone, you are indeed missing a picturesque scenery!

Khadarlis for Sierra Leone also take this opportunity to thank the 3V Art Video Summer Camp for their marvelous support in moving the Bracelet Campaign forward. You  have been so special to Khadarlis for Sierra Leone, and the Khadarlis team in the  US and in Sierra Leone keeps you in a special place in our hearts!


As for you Serina, you are also very  magical for linking our Development Director from the Freetown office to the US office, come August 2nd, 2012. Indeed, your services to Khadarlis for Sierra Leone are invaluable, and on behalf of all the victims of the Blood Diamond conflict living in Africa or Europe, United States and indeed the entire globe, we are so grateful!

To all our volunteers we appreciate you guys so much,  Ashley Tyson and Velarie Chase,  you guys are so fabulous and we simply do not know what Khadarlis for Sierra Leone can  do without you! Ashley's classroom to classroom project which will invariably link Schools in Sierra Leone with Schools in the US is such a unique Learning experience that Khadarlis will not wait to see it through! Diana Crow, John Tetreault, Sherry Carlson, Jeremy Garcia, Desmond, the social mobilizer, Babuka Gaye, the well organized Cook-out was just so special, the fun,the interactions, the food, the Timing are just memorable and refreshing!

Thanks to all our numerous readers and friends as we come to you with the little things that our volunteers are doing to see that food is placed on the tables of vulnerable groups in far away Sierra Leone; that clean and safe drinking water is provided in rural communities,  that health delivery is provided adequately,  that women and youths are empowered and above all that children are provided with quality education.

Please come one, come all, volunteer, comment, sympathize, empathize or support the cause of Khadarlis for Sierra Leone.

The neglect of rural development: a precarious imbalance in the aid industry

It is an established fact that "people living in rural peripheries, especially women, shoulder the burden of the world's poverty."

In an environment where there is no exit out of poverty, the widening gap between rich and poor worldwide is a major threat to global security and economic integration. About half of the planet's population are poor, living on less than one dollar a day. Poverty is a vicious circle, being both the major cause and the effect of a situation in which no opportunities seem to exist for the poor to help themselves.

A staggering 75% of the world's poor live in rural areas. And yet, resources and policies continue to be biased in favor of urban development.

It is as a result of combating this apparent imbalance that Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is championing the cause of a segment of the rural population in Sierra Leone. The civil war exacerbated the plight of the rural population in Sierra Leone especially women and children. Rural development and gender equality are key elements of strategies to reduce poverty and create income and employment opportunities.

Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is occupying a strategic position in the aid industry in Sierra Leone and we hope that development partners will partner with our team to stimulate development that will be innovative and sustainable. That is because Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is concerned not only about the migration of rural men to urban areas in Sierra Leone leaving unbalanced family structures behind, but also a great more about those who migrate from Sierra Leone  to the United States.

Presently, projects are being designed through which the organization hopes to partner with other organizations and financial institutions like the World Bank to implement projects in diaspora related initiatives on behalf of Sierra Leoneans in the United States, their families back home and the government of Sierra Leone as a formidable partner.

We solicit the goodwill of our readers, friends and philanthropists to lend their support to this great diaspora initiative launched by Khadarlis for Sierra Leone.

Does Trends and Challenges in the Humanitarian Space in Favour of Small But Innovative Non Profits?

According to a  publication of April 2012 Edition of the H&G Report 32, the authors Sarah Collinson and Samir Elhaway both  argued that " there appears to be an overwhelming consensus among humanitarian actors in a world where  humanitarian space is contracting... and that the greater respect for the principles of human action such as impartiality, neutrality and independence are more of myths than looking into an introspective analysis of the nature of the humanitarian system itself and its evolution over time."
 The phenomenon in the socioeconomic landscape in most parts in Africa including Sierra Leone and Liberia has been leaning towards politics as the surest means to an end. Some social commentators are of the opinion that majority of those who have access to economic power have in one way or the other allied themselves with the corridors of power but what they are doing with these monies concentrated in their hands is just another thing altogether. Whether this assertion is true or half true is left with readers to digest.
What really transforms economies from one level to to the next whether in Europe, United States or Asia is strengthening the private sector including the humanitarian industry and that is what we should be addressing.  This innovative transformation does not only provide jobs but also help to spread wealth through the complementary roles of nonprofits at the community level.
Unfortunately, this has been a critical intersection and a daunting challenge for emerging democracies in Africa.
We often hear that philanthropy seems overwhelming; that social issues are complex and each one requires a customized approach. The paradigm shift that I would like to propose in the current humanitarian landscape is one that would seek the strategic implementation and support for creative and innovative initiatives  like Khadarlis for Sierra Leone with its unique flavor of attracting investment, programs and projects in a north-south or south-south knowledge transfer mechanism including diaspora engagements and trade links.
However, the culture of donors dealing with big NGOs and the  constraints in the way of grass root nonprofits accessing funding has militated against most small nonprofits to close down due to lack of funds. That in itself does not sound too pleasant but who really cares? Khadarlis for Sierra Leone does not intend to fall into such a vicious cycle, and that is why our strategic thinking and strategic planning  prioritizes creating programs and at the same time seeking sources of funding for such programs and at the same time making sure that our potential donors understand fully the impact (and limitations) of their donations.

At the moment, we are seeking funding for institutional capacity building to provide much needed equipments and resources to enhance our operations.
We have completed proposals ready for submission for water and sanitation to be scaled up in our project areas.
We are also working closely with "CWB" who are dedicated to solving humanitarian problems by mobilizing the resources and expertise of the global community  to have them involved with our schools and Universities in Sierra Leone.
Besides, a number of our volunteers  are pursuing projects in the realm of knowledge transfer through classroom to classroom initiatives in areas like English Language  proficiency and transfer of learning materials to rural schools in Sierra Leone.
We welcome  the humanitarian gestures that you would like to extend to making the success of these projects a reality on behalf of the people we are serving in the remote parts of Africa, they too belong to our world and they too have their stories to tell. If you want to hear their stories, please get involved, send your comments and responses to http://www.khadarlis.org.

Turning your Wishes Into Your Needs

Most of us have the “wish” to make this world a better place, more peaceful and a place where everyone has at least a way to meet their “needs”.

It doesn’t make sense that so many people around the world suffer, we have so many resources, and so many people feel the same way.

What makes this so difficult?

I don’t know exactly why, but I do know that if everyone would “do" in their lives what is human and right, this wouldn’t be a problem.

Some people in power from many countries around the world do not think this way, and they are greedy. These people are not trying to meet only their “needs”, but they have turned their needs into their “wants” and they put their wants in a deep hole without end.

I am not trying to ask you to be Robin Hood because that is not the answer either.

But I believe that if we have this “wish” to make a better world, turned into a “need” to make this world a better place for everyone, a lot of good things can happen.

I am only a blogger mom that tries hard to spread the word and open the eyes of people that are already in search of their call, of their mission in life, and for those who need direction and want to make a positive impact in the life of those less fortunate.

I do have the “need” of sharing, I do have the “need” of spiritual food, and the only way I feed the spirit is by doing positive things in my life. My spirit feeds on good deeds, feeds on love, feeds on compassion, feeds on understanding, feeds on truth.

Many don’t even know the horrors that happen all over the globe; we live sometimes in a bubble. I want to thank to everyone out there that is making the change, like Khadarlis Change and all the contributors to this amazing and humble organization.

 

***Gisela Badal***

Rallying around the Vision of Khadarlis For Sierra Leone: Join the team and share your input to promote a noble cause.

The vision of Khadarlis For Sierra Leone is to rebuild villages destroyed by the 11-yearlong civil war that ended in 2002. Khadarlis is implementing programs to provide villages with safe drinking water, solar electricity, housing, health care delivery, agriculture,  education, women's empowerment and child protection.

The Khadarlis Team believes that the solution to helping communities become self-sufficient and move past their physical and psychological scars lies in doing something tangible to impact their lives positively.

It is sad to note that Sierra Leonean government has yet to seriously consider eliminating extreme poverty and hunger in line with the UN's Millenium Developmnent Goals (MDG's), set by world leaders.

According to the UNDP-MDG Progress Report 2011, Sierra Leone is among the world's poorest Countries. Decades of economic decline have added to widespread poverty with more than 70% of the population living below the poverty line, and the country ranks last in the Human Development Index, the report maintains.

Khadarlis volunteers have always been at the forefront to share the pains of the people of Sierra Leone, especially in the villages of  Jimmi, Senehun, Bandajuma and Kpawama in southern Sierra Leone,  where our humanitarian work is ongoing. Even though they have not visited these project areas, students from Bryant University in April 2011 implemented creative strategies to raise money for one water well in Jimmi. Another class project gave a comprehensive artistic presentation of what has been achieved spanning 5 years of operations. They called their project : " Plant a seed of hope and let it grow." What a beautiful artitistic exibition standing in a corner of the office on 99 Academy Avenue with a beaming smile to all visitors!

In recognition of such service learning projects, the Bryant University authorities have awarded Khadarlis three certificates of recognition in the last two years in appreciation and gratitude for Khadarlis's support.

At the same time, individual volunteers are working on insightful projects such as the "Classroom to Classroom" educational project led by Ashley Tyson, Volunteer Coordinator for Khadarlis; "Improving the teaching of English through Story Telling Techniques Leading to Good Writing Skills" is another educational project currently  led by Sarah Van Horn.

Meanwhile, the Event Coordinator for Khadarlis, Serina Inversa is in the middle of organizing a fund raising event so that we can continue running our ongoing projects.

The members of the grant writing team including Diana Crow and our professional grant writer and   supervisor, Danika Thompson have made strong commitments to work with the staff  of Khadarlis diligently to ensure that funding for proposals become a reality.

We look forward to welcoming more professionals and development practitioners to join our team both in the US  and in Sierra Leone to lift  our people from grass to grace and once more put a smile on their faces. Thet deserve nothing less than that!