By: Aruna Kamara (BO)
Over one hundred going school going girls in Barrie and Koya Chiefdoms have benefited from the 2022/2023 Karma Cola Education Support Fund to compliment President Julius Maada Bio’s Free and Quality Education(FQE) program.
The communities where the children are residents that benefitted from the educational support include Saahun, Boma, Niahun, Kambama, Jene in Barrie Chiefdom in Pujehun District and Giema, Mapuma and Segbema in Koya Chiefdom in Kenema District.
Presenting the educational support to the parents of the beneficiaries, the Board Chairman of the Karma Cola Education Support Fund, Joseph Munda Bindi, who doubles as the Chairman of the Bo District Council said that they have brought ten million four hundred thousand in old Leones as support to fifteen school going girls in Saahun village, where they started disbursing the educational support fund.
Mr. Bindi said that in addition, five million eight hundred thousand Leones has also been provided as tuition fee for a student in the university and called on the beneficiaries to use the money for the intended purpose.
The Scholarship Committee Chairman, Chief Alhaji Mohamed Kamara at Saahun Village in Barrie Chiefdom said‘’ I am happy for the support for the children who are less privileged, orphans and the physically challenged, adding that it is good to hear that fifteen children are benefitting to compliment the effort of the President Bio free and quality education.
Giving the background of the support to the less privileged school girls in six communities in Barrie Chiefdom in Pujehun and Koya Chiefdom in Kenema districts,
The Project Coordinator of Affa Karma Cola, Michael David Sellu said Karma Cola as a Company, needed Cola nuts to make a drink and there was an advertisement for the production of Cola nuts and there was no country to produce the cola nuts except a small Village called Boma in Barrie Chiefdom Pujehun District in the southern part of Sierra Leone.
‘’ We produced the Cola and sent it to New Zealand in 2012 and it was highly appreciated after a year Karma Cola called us to say that they have produced a drink called Karma Cola that is in high demand in the world,’’ he explained.
He said that ‘’ the people wanted to know where the cola nut is coming from so that they can help the people and in 2013 they came to see the Boma Village and realised that it is highly underdeveloped and the children are finding it difficult to go to school because of lack of support’’
Mr. Sellu said that when the people came they found it difficult to access the Boma village because the road leading to the vehicle was not motorable, adding that there was interest by the visiting team to help the people in Boma village, but later there was support from them to make the road.’’
He added that they also started giving scholarships to 15 girls, building classroom structures and providing rice processing machines, coupled with the cash support of three million old Leone’s business enterprise to enhance the livelihood of the money.
Mr. Sellu went on to say that the community people were also provided health funds to help them get medication for the complicated illness.
He said that there is a scholarship Committee to screen the children who want to benefit from the Karma Cola Education Support Fund and bye-laws have been formulated to ensure that the children treat education with the seriousness it deserves, adding that orphans and the physically challenged children are among those benefiting from the Karma Cola Education Support Fund.
According to Mr. Sellu, the outbreak of Corona Virus stopped AFFA Karma Cola, a company from visiting Boma Village, adding that the support has been extended to other communities in Pujehun and Kenema Districts respectively.
A Head Teacher at Saahun Village, James.T Koroma, said that ‘’ we have received a lot of support as teachers, especially the volunteer teachers to go to college and for the pupils they have been without school materials and this support to the education a huge boost.
Mohamed Sannoh, who is one of the inspectors of Schools in Potaru said that they are grateful for the educational support for their school children and that this will go a long way to give a boost to free and quality education.
Councillor Sheku Magona said that Karma Cola has done well in five communities by giving scholarships to school children from class one to SS3 level and also paying College fees for a university student, Adama Alie, adding that the empowerment of the women to do business is key to enhancing their livelihood.
He said that the bye-laws developed will be implemented to ensure that girls that get pregnant and the other beneficiaries that failed three times, will be disqualified to benefit from the scholarship.
A parent Massah Kallon assured Karma Cola that they will monitor the children to study at home.