By: Precious Miracle Kargbo
The United States Embassy as part of their mandate to support and promote growth in countries for diplomacy and good relation with member states. The United States ambassador attach to Sierra Leone, Ambassador Bryan Hunt has pledged allegiance and full support to by awarding a grant totaling $40,000 to five nonprofits organization in the country.
This donation was done through a ceremony held at the US Embassy consulate at Tower Hill, Freetown on the 15th November 2023.
Ambassador Hunt started by highlighting that the main reason for the donation is done, is for non-profit organizations who are presently and actively undertaking in projects that can improve the economic and social conditions in their local communities and the country at large.
He went on to ascertain that these grassroots- led projects should spread throughout Sierra Leone and serve as a reservoir of support to the dreams and aspirations of many citizens thereby building democracy, health and prosperity for Sierra Leone and United States.
Extensively, Hunt admonished that in this year the US government funds will be supporting programs that will serve as a source for clean water, conduct campaigns to promote hygiene and best practices to reduce the risk and dangers associated with water-borne diseases.
He continues that the US embassy will also ensure to create the platform of creating better learning environment which includes teaching and learning space for children in schools, he also said that they would help in providing access to sophisticated and improved health facilities which will serve as a main pillar to strengthen and improve the health service delivery in Sierra Leone.
Ambassador Bryan took his time to extend his congratulations to all the fortunate grantees of the funds and emphasized on the important role they need to play out as being beneficiaries of the fund in their different communities through the implementation stage, planning and sustainable impact and the importance of each project set to be established through this funding that has been received.
Furthermore, Honorary Hunt made it categorically clear that these funding’s are as a part of the initiatives which are funded by the Ambassador’s Special Help (SSH) program which supports small, community based projects throughout Africa. “The projects are designed in cooperation with community members in the US, who contribute their own resources, usually in the form of labor and in kind donations to help Sierra Leone and other countries that have these kind of projects” he intimated.
Conclusively, Ambassador Hunt on his remarks to grantees closed by maintaining categorically to the grantees that the Ambassador’s Self Help and the United States Government will continue to provide assistance and support the economic development in Sierra Leone by mainly responding through this means of support to requests made by grass-roots leaders to supports projects which are identified by them as affecting the society, prevalent pressing barriers which are major deterrent to the growth of the community and society as a whole. He asserted that all they are worried about is to see that there is wellbeing and prosperity in the communities which will in turn empower Sierra Leoneans to help themselves and the country in the present and future.