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Sierra Leone Rising

Field	Value
name	Sierra Leone Rising
type	Non-operating private foundation
(IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3)
founded_date
founder	Princess Sarah Culberson
location	Long Beach, California, and Sierra Leone
area_served	Bumpe, Sierra Leone
focus	Education, Eradicating Poverty
method	Donations and Grants
former name	Kposowa Foundation
homepage

(IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3)

Sierra Leone Rising (formerly the Kposowa Foundation) is a non-profit organization that fosters quality education, supports female empowerment, and ensures public health safety in Sierra Leone. They are based out of Long Beach, California, United States. It was co-founded by Princess Sarah Culberson and John Woehrle.

The Kposowa Foundation's purpose is to raise funds to rebuild a boarding school, provide clean drinking water, provide economically sustainable opportunities, and improve the general quality of life for the people of Sierra Leone, West Africa.

History

Bumpe High School (BHS) was ransacked and burned by the Revolutionary United Front rebels during the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone that lasted from 1991 to 2002. Most of the buildings and furnishings were destroyed or stolen. BHS was once a renowned boarding school with an enrollment of over 600 students from as far away as Nigeria.

Projects

The first goal of the Kposowa Foundation was to rebuild Bumpe High School. The second goal was to sustain the children who were educated there.

Completed projects

12 classrooms were rebuilt to help the school start functioning again.

Due to significant support from The Rotary Foundation, was used to construct new wells so that residents of the high school had access to safe, drinkable water.

The Kposowa Foundation helped to rebuild the home economics building at Bumpe High School which was burned down by the rebels during the civil war.

Boys and girls dormitories were built so that children who lived ten miles away did not have to walk to school every day. This improvement also helped to ensure that the children attended school on a regular basis.

The Bumpe High School library was rebuilt allowing students to have access to books which is rare in Sierra Leone.

Newly rehabilitated staff quarters for the recruiting of female teachers at Bumpe High School.

Bicycles are provided for students who walk several miles daily to attend Bumpe High School.

A new computer lab was built at Bumpe High School where girls are learning coding.

Ongoing projects

Because public school is not free in Sierra Leone, the Kposowa Foundation is looking to create a scholarship fund for those who cannot afford an education. The Kposowa Foundation is gathering supplies for the Home Economics Building such as sewing machines, pots, pans, utensils, gas cookers, freezers, etc.

The Dining Hall is being rebuilt. When the project is finished it will serve as not only a cafeteria but a central meeting place to share artwork, poetry, and to have discussions.

Future projects

The bathrooms in Bumpe High School are in serious need of repair. The Kposowa Foundation is looking to rebuild those bathrooms so that the children will have a better environment to learn in.

The health care system near Bumpe High School is almost non-existent. The Kposowa Foundation would like to bring in doctors and clinics to help the Bumpe community.

Agriculture is another field that is not developed to a sufficient level in Bumpe. The Kposowa is looking to encourage people to grow food for the local community, possibly using Bumpe High School to teach kids agricultural techniques.

There is no electricity at Bumpe High School. The students learn by sunlight and study by candlelight. The Kposowa Foundation would like to look into solar power to fuel Bumpe High School. With this source of energy Bumpe High School could grow in so many ways, but it would be ecologically friendly as well.

Dirt roads are prevalent in Bumpe. The Kposowa Foundation's goal is to pave a 14-mile road from Bumpe to Bo, Sierra Leone's second largest city. This would allow for trading of goods and ideas to happen more freely, and the economy would prosper as a result.

Once basic needs for the school are met, the Kposowa Foundation would like to provide an art program to enrich the children and show them how much beauty there is in world.

Media coverage

Source:

TV appearances

Good Morning America 9/19/06, with Robyn Roberts
Inside Edition / Cheryl Lamothe, minute, 9/19/06 with Kim
CNN The American Morning with Solidad O'Brien, 9/20/06
Southern California Life / KVMD TV Los Angeles, Feb, 28, 2007
Naomi Judd Morning show, March 13, 2007
WBOY Channel 12 in Morgantown West Virginia, Nov. 2006
Intel Campaign filmed 2008 on line "What inspires you", filmed by UNCLE - Rachel North Co-producer UNCLE

Magazines and newspapers

Positive People Magazine in London
Trace Magazine based in London
Newsweek
People, Maureen Parrington
Reader's Digest / Ken Miller Nov. 2007 "ken_miller@readersdigest.com
Corridor Magazine West Virginia
West Virginia Alumni Magazine
Los Angeles Times article (Front Page Sept. 2006)
Chicago Tribune 2006
Singapore News 2006

Radio

BBC/Owen Phillips Sept. 2006
Atlanta Radio "African Exp. Radio 2006
Oprah and Friends Radio show with Gayle King 2006
NPR (National Public Radio) with Farai Chideya May 1, 2007 (listen on the website) "Farai Chideya",
WCLG in Morgantown West Virginia with Becky Hun Nov. 2006
WAJR in Morgantown West Virginia with Becky Hun with Kay Murray Nov. 2006
Princess Sarah and the Kposowa Foundation have been featured in various magazines including People

Supporting foundations

Cowboy
Groove Wallets
The LemonAid Fund
Rotary International

References

[http://www.bumpefund.org The Kposowa Foundation - Rebuilding Bumpe High School]
(2009). "A Princess Found: An American Family, an African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All". [[St. Martin's Griffin]].
[http://www.bumpefund.org/News.html The Kposowa Foundation - Rebuilding Bumpe High School, News]

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

non-profit-organizations-based-in-california 501(c)(3)-organizations charities-based-in-california organizations-established-in-2005 2005-establishments-in-california

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