Reflections from a trip to the Magbaikoli Community: Last November, I had the chance to do something I don’t get to do nearly often enough: visit one of the communities Develop Africa serves in a partnership capacity, in person, on the ground.

Develop Africa serves as a fiscal sponsor for the Pa Karim Memorial Foundation’s work in Magbaikoli Village.  Since I was already in Sierra Leone, it made sense for me, as President of Develop Africa, to go see it for myself. I spent the night in Makeni. The next morning, we made the drive to Magbaikoli.

Freetown, Sierra Leone — Develop Africa Sierra Leone (DASL) has been recognized in the July 2026 edition of the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO) Newsletter for its impact on education through the Year of the Pencil initiative.

The feature highlights Develop Africa's commitment to expanding access to quality education by removing one of the simplest yet most common barriers to learning: the lack of basic school supplies.

Do you ever wonder if your donations are really making a difference?

The answer is a resounding YES.

Meet Mattia.

The community of Magbaikoli Village in Sierra Leone recently celebrated a major milestone with the official opening of a new Junior Secondary School and the extension of its Primary School facilities.

Mishael was in Class 3, about 8 years old, when Develop Africa first stepped in.

Sixteen years ago, a young girl named Isata spent her days helping her mother sell charcoal to support their family. School was not an option. Her mother, a hardworking single parent, simply could not afford the cost of education.

In 2010, everything changed.

Mishael's journey demonstrates what is possible when students are given the support they need t

I've spent two decades building an organization that most people will never find by accident.

That's not a complaint. It's a systems problem — one I've had to learn how to solve piece by piece, grant cycle by grant cycle, partnership by partnership. And it's the same problem facing thousands of credible, community-rooted nonprofits across Africa.