Posts by Bobbie Mustapha

“Challenges abound” here in Madina, and Mende is my life’s hardest. (That’s the language everybody here speaks, except me. I’ve gone from hearing about 1% to hearing about 10% ) Tokpo yawomoi = palm tree trimmerNdenga nyandengowesia = beautiful childrenKinawove ta ngi nyahawove = Old man and his old wife.LOL. See what I mean? Plus…

Bird’s Eye View See Madina Village School from above! During February and March, Phil Elam, Vice Chair of the MVS Board of Directors, has been in residence at Madina, helping plan the power system and using his drone camera to view MVS from the sky. On Sports Days, here is what the birds saw –…

Learning to read is important, but when you learn to LOVE reading the whole world opens up to you! At Madina Village School reading is priority #1. It doesn’t come so easy, though. It’s a challenge to learn English and reading at the same time, so it is hard work. It’s kind of hard to…

Our Facebook post in October led to an outpouring of loving concern for seven-year-old Rashid, who is deaf, and was not in school. Because of this, we were able to secure a place for him at a boarding school for the deaf in the town of Bo. Here he is, modeling his new school uniform.…

We are back in Sierra Leone, just ahead of the big storm in the midwest USA. We have been blessed with a new (well, not new – 2007 – but new to us) vehicle that can do better on the unpaved roads we travel. It sits high, 4-wheel drive on big tires, and they sure…

Can you find the one crying child? It was an exciting day when the Madina Village School Preschoolers got their new bed nets to sleep under. These treated mosquito nets are very successful in reducing the number of students who get malaria from mosquitoes. But somebody got left out, and she’s not happy about it.…

His flights are over!  Francis is back in Fort Wayne, sleeping off the jetlag.  But that would make a boring picture, so here’s one from last week, before he left our little blue house in Madina.  We can use the same title:  His flights are over.  The hunter became the hunted, as Francis proved he can still protect the dwindling…

The 40-foot container finally arrived at Madina Village School.  Francis cancelled his flight and stayed behind to see it all safely stored until the Health Center is finished. Many thanks to our partner S.O.S. (Supplies Over Seas) of Louisville, Kentucky, for all the supplies and equipment!  Many hands lined up in a “bucket brigade” make light work…