Support Sierra Leone
Njama · Sierra Leone

Building a place to learn, gather, and grow.

Njama is the village in Sierra Leone where I was born. With Quincy SDA Church (CA), our partners in Sierra Leone, and people like you, we're putting up a multipurpose building there, plus a hand-pumped well and an outdoor kitchen, so families can learn skills and earn a living.

Give to the project →See what we're building
Maryann Kokes as a child at the orphanage in Freetown
Maryann, age 8, at the orphanage in Freetown, before her adoption to California.
Maryann's story

This is home.

"I can't help everyone, but I can help one village at a time. And this is mine."

My name is Maryann Kokes. I was born in Njama, a small village in Sierra Leone, into the Mende tribe and into the middle of a civil war. My family lived through things I still struggle to put into words. At eight years old, after time in an orphanage in Freetown, I was adopted by a family in California and given a completely different life.

But Njama never let go of me. For years I dreamed of going back. In January 2025, my husband Petr and I finally did. It was the first time I had seen my village since I was a child.

When we met with the village council, I asked what they needed most. Their answer was clear: a place to learn skills that earn a living. Today that building is almost finished, and you can be part of it.

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."Psalm 121
Our team

I'm not doing this alone.

Support Sierra Leone started with my story, but it's the people around me who keep it going.

At the heart of it is the Quincy (CA) Seventh-day Adventist Church. They created a dedicated “Support Sierra Leone” fund, they're leading the fundraising, and they've brought a whole community along with them. Without my church family, this would still just be a dream.

And in Njama, a dedicated local team in Sierra Leone does the work on the ground. The architect who designed the multipurpose building is on the ground throughout, overseeing the build, leading the crew raising the walls, and guiding the digging of the well. I'm so grateful for every one of them.

We need each other, here and there, and we'd love to have you with us too.

Why a multipurpose building

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

A well-known proverb

That's why we're doing this. When people learn a real skill, they don't have to depend on anyone. They can stand on their own and provide for their families. I can't fix all of Sierra Leone at once, but I can focus on one village at a time. For me, that starts with Njama.

The project

What we're building in Njama.

The village council told us their greatest need was a place to learn marketable skills. Here's what we're building and where each part stands right now.

The multipurpose building in Njama with its roof, porch columns, and walls up
Finishing touches

The multipurpose building

Our multipurpose building, with a wrap-around covered porch. The roof, windows, and doors are almost done, and the money for the finish work has already been given.

Villagers pumping clean water at the new hand-pumped well in Njama
Nearly complete

The hand-pumped well

Clean water close to home. It's already mixing concrete for the build, and it will be finished as soon as the rainy season ends and the groundwater level drops.

The finished outdoor kitchen in Njama with its green roof
The outdoor kitchen while it was being built
While building
Roof is on

The outdoor kitchen

An open-air community kitchen for gatherings, training days, and shared meals. The walls and roof are up, and Phase 4 will furnish it.

Women learning to sew at a class in Bo, near Njama
Starting soon

Skills & livelihoods

The first classes in sewing, trades, and entrepreneurship start as soon as the doors open. Sewing machines and agricultural tools are part of Phase 4, and an extra 5-acre plot for agricultural training is in the works.

Programs & classes

What people will learn.

Along with trade skills, these are the classes we're planning. They're open to everyone, young and old.

Sewing & tailoring

Learning to sew on our new machines, from mending to making clothes to sell.

Building & trades

Hands-on construction skills, learned by building for the village.

English classes

Reading, writing, and conversation for every age and level.

Computer classes

Hands-on basics like typing, documents, email, and the internet.

Financial literacy

Saving, budgeting, and managing money for households and traders.

Interview skills & practice

Practice speaking with confidence and getting ready for a job.

Sustainable living

Farming and everyday habits that take care of the land and our health.

Small-business skills

How to turn a skill into a steady income.

We'll add more classes as the village tells us what they need.

Who it's for

The people of Njama.

This is who it's all for.

Children of Njama smiling and making peace signs
Children in Njama
Maryann with a community member and children
With neighbors in the village
Walking through Njama at golden hour
An evening walk through Njama

Njama from above.

Drone photos of the village where we're building.

Njama village seen from above
Aerial view of Njama village, the river and the road leading in
The road into Njama, and the river beside it.
Aerial view of Njama village with neighbors walking the main road
Rooftops and the main road through the village.
$80,000
raised of our $80,000 goal to build the multipurpose building
100%, goal reached!
Next up, Phase 4: we still need $10,000 to furnish and equip the building
Help furnish the building →
Progress in Njama

The story so far.

Updates from the build site. Projected completion: November 2026.

2025

Where it started

After our trip to Njama in January 2025, Quincy SDA Church (CA) and I started fundraising. We bought a 2-acre plot in the middle of the village and cleared it.

Underway

Well, kitchen & foundation

The hand-pumped well is mostly done and its water is already mixing concrete. The outdoor kitchen is 80% complete, and the building's foundation trenches are dug with a thousand blocks molded.

July 2026

A small church group starts

The first Bible worker has been in Njama since early July, befriending neighbors and forming a small group that meets in a local home. The multipurpose building will also serve as a community gathering place, including a place of worship.

September 2026

Goal reached: 100% of $80,000!

Every time I thought we'd hit a wall, God moved in a way I couldn't have planned. The full $80,000 has been given! The roof, windows, and doors are almost done, and the hand-pumped well will be completed as soon as the rainy season ends and the groundwater level drops. The purchase of an additional 5-acre piece of land for agricultural training is pending.

Phase 4 · Right now

$10,000 to furnish & equip the building

Every gift now moves us from “almost” to “open.” Phase 4 furnishes the multipurpose building and the outdoor kitchen and buys vocational equipment like sewing machines, agricultural tools, and an audio-visual system. Additional funds improve the access road and add solar street lights. A part-time manager for the multipurpose building is being hired alongside the Western Sierra Leone SDA Conference.

January 2027

The doors open & a visit home

Eight of us plan to travel to Njama, each raising our own travel funds, to celebrate the opening and offer health education, dental services, children's programs, and Gospel outreach. Once the doors open, the first vocational classes in sewing, trades, and entrepreneurship start right away.

From the build site

Marking out the foundation
Marking out the foundation
The village builds it together
Neighbors helping on the build
Footings and steel go in
Footings and steel go in
Blocks, sand, and stone on site
Blocks, sand, and stone on site
The first walls begin to rise
The first walls going up
The outdoor kitchen going up
The outdoor kitchen going up
September 2026, the roof goes on
September 2026, the roof goes on
Trusses in place inside the multipurpose building
Trusses in place inside the multipurpose building
The outdoor kitchen, roof on
The outdoor kitchen, roof on
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