Our Story

EduNations was founded in 2004, not long after the end of the infamous twelve year “Blood Diamond War,” by five families who had adopted children from Sierra Leone.

With the appreciation that their children would now have access to abundant resources through quality education offered in the United States, and that family and friends of their children’s who remained in Sierra Leone would not, these families began to build schools.

Initially, EduNations focused exclusively on raising money to build schools, turning over the keys to “in-country” partners. Over time and with gained experience, particularly in dealing with the systematic corruption that comes from a prolonged and devastating civil war, EduNations began to build and operate schools as both a recognized NGO (non-government organization) in Sierra Leone, and an approved 501(c)(3) (non-profit) organization in the United States. The hiring of a fully Sierra Leonean staff, led by Mr. Samuel Sesay as In-Country Director, marked a new beginning for EduNations.

Today, Samuel Sesay serves as the President of EduNations with the support of a Board of Directors in the United States. The small U.S.-based staff and board serve to empower and enable the Sierra Leonean faculty, staff, and leadership by “igniting hope for the least of these” in the most under-resourced, difficult to reach, rural regions of northern province districts of Bombali, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Koinadugu in Sierra Leone, West Africa. EduNations currently has 15 schools with over 100 teachers and staff that serve over 3,000 students in six different communities.