Craving some uplifting news? We’re excited to share a glance back through 2019 with you – and take a moment to say thanks – as we publish this year’s Annual Report. Take a look and marvel with us at the growth and progress continuing because of your support (or visit ltlol.com/annualreport)!
We start with a reminder of what Let Them LOL has always stood for, at the core:
With this basis, we can stand in amazement at all our connected communities can build together. Let’s start with water.
In 2019 together we were able to provide consistent daily access to clean water for 49,300 people with 14 new wells drilled and 175 well maintenance visits by our Sierra Leonean staff, funded by you, bringing the total to 130 LTLOL wells!
Not only this, but Let Them LOL had the privilege of drilling two wells as a unique honor to dear friends and loved ones lost. One of these is pictured above! Can you imagine the joy and meaningful legacy established for generations to come by such love and generosity? Members of both families had the opportunity to see these memorial wells flowing in person in 2019. We are grateful to support something so poignant and beautiful (read more here).
In the category of children, we are thrilled to report 2,753 visits to our medical staff and specifically 850 student malaria cases treated. These numbers represent lives saved as 510 students in our school, including 32 in full time care (often even extending to surrounding family members and villages), would otherwise have struggled for the means but with your support have full access to consistent, quality healthcare.
As if this isn’t enough to celebrate, we can also look back in amazement at the continued growth surrounding our school Hope Rising Academy. In 2019, this included bringing on an additional social worker, building two new classrooms, expanding our jr high program, and the solarization of the school well, plus bringing running water to the kitchen. All this is possibly only with people like you, choosing to care. Thank you! You can read a little more in detail here.
This brings us to campus development, where a seemingly endless list of improvements, new builds, and expansions continued to propel our Hope Campus from its foundations into a thriving source of life for the community. Among these improvements was the solarization of the entire campus bringing power to street lights across campus, computer lab, medical building, water tower, admin offices, resource center, library, and internet equipment, eventually also connecting the Girl’s Empowerment Dorm. Additionally, several upgrades continued to improve the level of healthcare our Health Center could offer, helping us facilitate the full rehabilitation of 3 malnourished children, and treatment for their mother suffering from Leprosy. Last but certainly not least, we celebrated our incredible first Let Them LOL birth on Dec 31! Mom and baby are healthy, and his name is Wonder. So many unbelievable miracles made possible because of you!
Next up, take a look at agriculture! Let Them LOL’s farming program not only encourages the community and local economy, it’s integrated in our academic programs as well with 3,500 pineapple plants, 80 citrus trees, 1,700 coffee plants, and 1,000 cocoa plants to speak of in 2019. Not only this but our program supported 162 chickens, 4 pigs, and 8 goats. Perhaps even more exciting was a partnership opportunity developed in 2019 with a nearby village called Levuma. As we were able to work hard to improve their community access and clean water situation, we were able to help establish an empowering agricultural connection, developing jobs and establishing a mutually beneficial connection. Click here to read more about the details you helped make a reality.
Here in Buffalo, NY we were excited to see our Hope Rising Buffalo program gain traction as well. We operated from our Buffalo Volunteer Center, remotely managing 55 Sierra Leonean employees with 2 full-time US based staff, 3 part-time staff, and our board of Directors. Thrilled to see an endless stream of incredible volunteers, it was you who made not only our annual events and initiatives possible, but came together to support a collection of school supplies for children in our community as well as allowing us to donate a brand new van to deserving community members of a local Buffalo Block Club. We are thrilled to keep investing as a community here with a community there, and see all that’s still to come! Click here to read further.
We know the point of an Annual Report is to bring all the numbers together. But if you ask us what’s the most important part of 2019? You.
Without you – our donors, supporters there is no story to tell, no Let Them LOL. Without you there are no lives changed to celebrate, there is no ten year journey. Without you there is no Kid’s Gala, no Running Buffalo 5K event, no grassroots fundraisers, no wells drilled, no school, no Water Gala, and definitely no Hope Rising with the sound of laughter.
But with you? With you all this and far more is possible. With you there is clothing and vehicles donated, children sponsored, clean water flowing, nutritious meals packed and served, jobs sustained, lives saved, and hope steadily restored in two communities at once. With you there is prayerful hope for a future.
So we want to say thank you. Imagine all we can continue to do together!
Buffalogirls empowerment programHope Rising AcademyHope Rising Buffalohope rising health centerInfrastructureSierra LeoneStoriesSustainabilityten years
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