06/01/2026
Equipping Educators & Healing Hearts
Yesterday, we joined in faith and collaboration with the Child Welfare and Development Project (CWADeP) and the Kono Bui Foundation to facilitate a Trauma Healing workshop for educators in Bo, Sierra Leone. This biblically based training equipped educators with practical skills to identify signs of trauma and respond scripturally, particularly when ministering to vulnerable and underserved children. Together, we cultivated a safe, sacred space for these educators to grow in knowledge, ultimately enabling them to create environments where hurting children can heal, learn, and become impactful leaders in their communities.
This effort holds a deeply personal significance for me. It represents a journey that began over 25 years ago in a classroom at George Mason University, where the late Dr. Hazel McFerson (May 15, 1942 – February 27, 2021) encouraged my research and passion surrounding the civil war in Sierra Leone, Africa. The tragedy of that war, marked by the indelible scars of trauma and the deep suffering of communities displaced by the blood diamond trade, left a profound imprint on my heart. God used that imprint to fuel a burning desire within me to seek justice, bring Christ-centered healing, restore silenced voices, and nurture transformative change. I believe that academic pursuit was a seed planted by God. It was one that the Lord faithfully watered through the Methodist Church in 2009 when I accepted an invitation to serve at the Children’s Rescue Center (CRC) located in Bo, Sierra Leone.
During that mission trip, I met a young man named Ganda Bassie. As one of the first children welcomed into the CRC in 2001, Ganda spent much of his childhood there. He emerged as a leader who joyfully cared for the other children. They looked to him for guidance, a responsibility he embraced not as a burden, but as a blessing. Ganda possessed a profound passion for uplifting his community, which later led him to establish the Child Welfare and Development Project (CWADeP) after graduating from college. This organization is deeply committed to addressing the social and economic challenges that hinder the protection, development, and well-being of vulnerable children and families in his community.
Over the years, I have watched Ganda serve tirelessly. Today, CWADeP supports vulnerable children and families, ensuring they receive the educational resources and Christ-centered teaching necessary to remain in school and have the resources they need to build bright futures fueled by hope and healing.
In 2025, our paths crossed again when Ganda traveled to the United States. He was selected as one of just 65 participants out of more than 12,600 applicants to serve in a prestigious Community Solutions Program focused on youth advocacy. After prayerful consideration, we launched this ministry collaboration to serve the people of Sierra Leone. Through this vision, we were also connected with the U.S.-based Kono Bui Foundation. Founded by Sia Moiwa, a Sierra Leonean native, the foundation shares the exact heart and passion for improving the mental health and well-being of the Sierra Leonean people through education, awareness, and advocacy.
This video captures the unity of three distinct organizations, brought together by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit for a single purpose: Glorify God. By equipping His people with knowledge, understanding, and truth, we seek to build up the Body of Christ, transform lives, and see communities flourish through genuine encounters with Jesus and the hope of true healing.
God is moving powerfully in Sierra Leone through unity and faith. We invite you to co-labor with us in prayer, advocacy, and support as we continue to establish the work of equipping and healing in Sierra Leone and beyond.
