13/06/2020
*A call to Support the Establishment of the Yele Friendship Center*
My name is Foday Kanu aka DJ Fame. I am a 27 year old disc jokey based in Yele - a small town in central Sierra Leone. In case you are wondering where Sierra Leone is, check out Google map and you will find it located along the West Coast of Africa.
With a population of 7 million people, Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and years of social and political unrest and high level state corruption mean citizens continue to live a of penury and deprivation. The country had long returned to normalcy but the vices that led to the unrests remain.
In the midst of this uncertainty, young people are always caught in the middle - as victims and perpetrators. As a young person myself, the temptation to participate in the unproductive activities is ever present but I am different and I want to help make a change.
*The Yele Friendship Center*
In my little home town of Yele, I am currently constructing a multipurpose center that will primarily serve as a social cohesion point for young people (see picture). This small center will help promote peace and development as part of the proceeds would be dedicated to supporting a campaign against the use of narcotics and teenage pregnancy in my community. Drugs and teenage pregnancy are very serious problems facing communities in Sierra Leone. Whilst there are no reliable statistics available, it is very coming to see around 70% of girls in Yele and its surrounding communities getting pregnant before they reach 18. This has resulted in massive school drop outs especially among girls.
Drug abuse is on the rise too. Recently we took count of over 25 drug joints in a town of less than 1,000 inhabitants.
The Yele Friendship Center will be hosting around 100 people at a time and some of the events it will be hosting include quiz competitions, dance competitions, literary debates, social evenings etc.
*Funding the Yele Friendship Center*
The center is already 50% completed but funding remains a major problem. There is an urgent need to raise funds to support this noble cause and the required amount is US$ 10,000 (Ten Thousand United States Dollars). I am therefore calling on all well meaning friends from the Netherlands,America,UK,Itly and many more for their support towards this glorious venture - in helping to make a difference in the lives of our youths in Yele.
I have been privileged to visit the Netherlands two times and d
