Schools for Salone - About - Masanga Children's Fund

Joseph Lamin,
Founder and Executive Director
of Masanga Children's Fund
February 2009

Established: June 30, 2004
By Director Joseph Lamin
With the support of the
Danish Children's Fund

During his post graduate studies at the Department of International Health and Development Institution of Child Health, University College London (UCL), Joseph was actively involved in student politics as a student representative.

On January 30th, 2001, he attended a meeting on Sierra Leone peace processing at the Common Wealth Office in London. Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone participated in the meeting and successfully ended the salient issues. Through the head of his faculty, Joseph established a connection with a British member of Parliament, Mr. Andrew Rowe of Kent.

On March 8, 2001, Joseph attended a meeting on highly indebted countries at the select committee of the House of Commons in Westminster, London. One of the guest speakers was former World Bank President, Mr. James Wolfensohn. In this meeting, Joseph seized the opportunity and made an appeal for the land that he loved, Sierra Leone.

As part of the requirement for his Master of Science Degree, Joseph reviewed literature on the "Relationship between poverty and disability in low income countries." The findings of this research compelled him to recommend that the international financial institutions such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc. should cancel the debts of all highly indebted countries and assist these countries with soft loans and very low interest rates. His recommendation and thousands of appeals yielded good results for Sierra Leone and other indebted countries.

Joseph returned home to Sierra Leone in 2002 with a lot of political ambition. He attended political meetings and made some contacts in the country. He was re-employed in his old job at Adventist health System, Freetown/Waterloo as an administrator. The hospital was built during his leadership between 1999 and 2000. Due to personality conflicts with the treasurer and the medical doctor at the hospital, Joseph resigned in October 2002.

After a statement made by former President Ahmed Tejan Kabba that "politics are not the only area of contribution to Sierra Leone," Joseph discontinued his political ambitions.

During October 2002 and June 2004, Joseph did major research into how he might contribute to Sierra Leone, resisting his wife's continuing demands that he return to England. His friend/brother Desmond Dumbuya, former co-founder and Director of Swiss-Sierra Leone Development Foundation, now living in Sweden and England, said to him, "Joe, you have vast experiences and qualification than me. You can set up a non-governmental organization. Ya man." Desmond Dumbuya took Joseph to Mr. J.B. Turay at Ministry of Development and Economic Planning office in Freetown and the micro organization, Masanga Children's Fund, was given birth on June 30, 2004, with all modalities put in place with the government of Sierra Leone.

In 2006-2007, MCF's four workers were clustered on two tables at the computer center. The introduction of 5% administrative charge on all projects implemented by organization, approved by the Board, created major improvements in the working environment by moving into the upstairs office of the building.

This information was taken from "MCF Progress Report January to June 2008"
written by Mr. Joseph Lamin, M.SC. CDS. UCL UK,
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Masanga Children's Fund

with copies to:
Danish Children's Fund, Denmark
Schools for Salone & Partners, USA
Seventh-Day Adventist Mission, Sierra Leone
Co-Founder Mrs. Briggitte Kazen, Sweden
Ministry of Finance, Development & Economic Planning, Sierra Leone
Ministry of Social Welfare Gender & Children Affairs, Sierra Leone
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Sierra Leone

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