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My name is Mohamed Emmanuel Nabieu
And people call me Nabs. I come from Sierra Leone which is a small country in West Africa. It is very beautiful and green. Friendly people, Muslims, Christians, and over 16 tribes living peacefully. However, the country has had many challenges. We are one of the poorest in the world. High illiteracy rate, high infant mortality and the majority of people living on less than $1.25 a day. One of our darkest times was 11 years of brutal civil war that tore the nation apart. It was during that war my dad was killed and I ended up on the streets separated from my mom. I was taken into the orphanage where I lived for 10 years, not knowing my mmm's whereabouts, or even if she was alive. I had three meals a day shelter, but I longed to be back with my mom, brother and other family members. I missed my community and I missed my home. I later went to college and soon after that I became the director of the orphanage called Child Rescue center. This was the same orphanage where I grew up. I didn't want kids to be separated and grow apart from their families and communities like I had. So, my staff and I began looking for the families of all the children in our orphanage. Now, every child from the Child Rescue Centre is back home with your family and doing incredibly well. Because of this, we changed the name to Child Reintegration Centre with a new vision and focus. Our goal is to not only rescue, but see families preserved, strengthened and children reintegrated safely back home. I believe this should give us a united and sweeter Sierra Leone as well as encouraging other organizations and countries to do likewise. Because children are both our present and our future. |