 Sponsor a student
Operation Connection
Reverend Edward Kamara, United Methodist Church District Superintendent for the Northern Province, administers the scholarship program in Sierra Leone. He and his wife, Aminata, have identified needy students who require financial assistance to continue their education. These students have drafted letters outlining their situation and needs.
Reverend Kamara and Aminata will see that the school receives the appropriate tuition fees and that the balance of the funds is used for books, uniforms, and related education expenses. Rev. Kamara maintains detailed records on the disbursement of funds for/to students. When your money is sent to Sierra Leone, I will also provide your name and contact information so that the student can contact and thank you. This will also enable you, if you so desire, to develop and maintain an ongoing “connection” with your student. To date over $20,000 has been raised in scholarships. Some sponsors are now supporting students for the second and third year. In many cases, a strong connection has been formed.
In most instances the scholarship funds you provide will be used for educational expenses for the upcoming school year. However, in some instances, a student may need money to pay the balance of this year’s fees in order to continue in school. In these situations, Rev. Kamara will distribute what is required to meet these needs.
I have found that the mail service in Sierra Leone is very unreliable. Letters you send to your student may not always reach them nor will their letters always reach you. To insure more consistent correspondence between you and your student I have made the following arrangements. If you wish to send a letter to your student, mail it to me. I will send a package of letters every month to our United Methodist Church offices in Freetown where mail delivery service is more dependable. These letters will be taken to Rev. Kamara who will distribute them to the appropriate student. Likewise, Rev. Kamara will gather letters that students may have written and send them to me in a single package on a monthly basis also. I will forward these letters to the appropriate sponsor.
Letters you receive may contain requests for additional financial assistance. You are not obligated to support these needs. However, if you wish to provide additional financial support for your student, send your check to me (again payable to Lake Harriet United Methodist Church). If money is to be used for a specific purpose, please provide this information so Rev. Kamara will know how these funds are to be used. A general rule for currency conversion is 1 US dollar is equal to 3,000 Leones. I will also wire monies to Rev. Kamara at the end of each month. This same process will be followed if you desire to support your student’s educational needs in subsequent years.
Some students may request your phone number as mobile phones are the main means of communication in Sierra Leone. You will need to determine if you want to give out your phone number; however, this is not required. Internet service is becoming more prevalent in Sierra Leone so this may become a better way to stay in touch.
If you have questions about this program, please contact me and I will answer them. Thank you for you interest in this program. Likewise, if you know of others who might be interested in supporting a student, please have them contact me.
If you would like to support a student’s education, please contact me.
Larry Shelton
4609 Washburn Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
612-920-9039
lcshelton@earthlink.net
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