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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Going Beyond "Blood
Diamond", Sierra Leonean Expatriates Help The
Nation Of Their Birth Washington, D.C.
- December 11, 2006 &endash; Amidst all the
buzz circulating over the Leonardo DiCaprio and
Djimon Hounsou movie "Blood Diamond" set in Sierra
Leone, expatriates from Sierra Leone are maximizing
on the increased attention to their country to do
their own part to help their native land. The
Sierra Leone Fund will launch its fundraising and
awareness campaign this Thursday, December 14th
from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Africare House in
Washington DC. Members of the international
giving and awareness community, dignitaries and
celebrities will dine on authentic Sierra Leonean
cuisine in an atmosphere for networking and
discussing the Fund's mission. The Fund
Founders of the
Fund, Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt and Nanatu Scott, two
professional women (and moms), decided that rather
than idly wait for others to assist their war-torn
native country, they ought to step to the plate and
begin initiatives themselves. The Sierra
Leone Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The organization
undertakes philanthropic efforts to aid Sierra
Leonean children. Presently, the Fund has
gathered school supplies that will be delivered to
Sierra Leone in December 2006. During the
forthcoming delivery mission, the Fund intends to
conduct research and assess future projects which
include a well- and latrine- building campaign and
an operation to deliver dump trucks and other
sanitation equipment. "The Fund is interested
in more than just distributing consumable supplies
to the poor in Sierra Leone," said co-founder
Nanatu Scott, "We are working to help the poor help
themselves with long-term sustainable
projects. Future plans to donate farming
equipment and support training programs will assist
with this effort." Blood
Diamond depicts a fictionalized story set in
1999 during the horrific terror-filled 10-year
civil war in Sierra Leone fueled by an illicit
diamond trade. The Sierra Leone Fund is
hoping that the awareness and empathy the film
evokes are converted to positive reaction for
change. While Sierra Leone is currently
rebuilding itself, the Sierra Leone Fund is looking
to focus the debate away from the topic of
"conflict diamonds." The Fund would like the debate
to shift to economic development and long term
sustainable growth for the country. " Sierra Leone
is a small country with a very fragile economy that
is experiencing a renaissance of post-war
reconstruction. It is finally beginning to
engage the international investment and trade
community to assist in this rebuilding campaign,"
says Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt, co-founder of the Sierra
Leone Fund and a native Sierra Leonean. "In
poor countries where economic opportunities and
options for viability are slim, there is a lure to
exploit natural materials and the potential for
explosive reaction to a depressed state always
looms overhead. Key to eliminating such conditions
that create blood diamonds is hope for economic
stability. People must not underestimate the
importance of being able to feed one's family and
not rely on aid and assistance from outside
sources. These are the themes that should be
debated." Guests attending
the event will also have an opportunity to view a
ten minute presentation of " Sierra Leone:
Open for Business." A promotional video
created by the United Kingdom Department for
international Development will be presented by the
Sierra Leone Network, an umbrella organization that
aims to collaborate with businesses, charities,
social and philanthropic organizations to
facilitate development and, investment, including
tourism and trade in Sierra Leone.
The Sierra Leone
Fund extends an invitation to members of media
organizations to meet emerging and innovative
Sierra Leoneans and others dedicated to rebuilding
their country and securing a future for their
children on Thursday, December 14th at Africare
House at 440 R Street, NW, Washington, DC
from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Contact: Fatima
Fofana at Press@sierraleonefund.org Phone:
301-476-4530 |
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has
invited, but has not confirmed attendance of "Blood
Diamond"'s Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and
Jennifer Connelly; Sierra Leone activist Michael
Douglas; and Grey's Anatomy's Isaiah Washington who
recently discovered his maternal ancestors are from
Sierra Leone and has been raising money to build a
hospital in Sierra Leone. Representatives from
Isaiah Washington's nonprofit will attend the
event. As will, Sorious Samura, the
consultant to Warner Brothers and director Ed Zwick
on "Blood Diamond"; Goodwill ambassador to the Fund
WJLA /ABC reporter Sam Ford; and the ambassador
from Sierra Leone to the United
States.