Edited from Sheku Sherif's diary
On Sunday Sep 1st 2013, Tegloma Federation will elect a new executive to lead the organization for the next 2 years. The leadership contenders are Mustapha Sheriff, former Vice Chairman
of the Board of Directors from Tegloma Chicago Chapter and Mrs Julia
Hawa Conteh, outgoing President of Tegloma New York.
Tegloma was founded by south-eastern Sierra Leoneans in 1975 in
Washington DC as a cultural and self help organization. The founders of
Tegloma wanted an organization that would unite them and
help promote cooperation and cultural awareness. Tegloma membership grew, and succeeding
leaders opened the organization to all Sierra Leoneans who
needed assistance and who needed to feel at home away from home. Today,
Tegloma has Sierra Leonean members from all across the country, though most are from the southeast.
Tegloma is now a federation of 24 chapters with members of
non-Sierra Leonean origin, a
tax exempt philanthropic organization that has undertaken many
humanitarian ventures in Sierra Leone.
During and after the war Tegloma
shipped supplies of rice to be distributed in Sierra Leone and is
currently awarding scholarships to 41 students around the country.
In
2011 Tegloma shipped over $40,000 worth of medical supplies that
were distributed to the Moyamba and Kenema hospitals. These
included beds, mattresses, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and
other medical supplies. Tegloma has collected more medical supplies that are in
storage and is getting ready to send another major shipment to Sierra
Leone after the Minnesota Convention if the new executive approves.
Tegloma has acquired 5 acres of prime land
in Bo. Sierra Leone and members are currently debating the projects to
undertake on the land, with ideas ranging from the construction of a
multipurpose complex to a skills training center.
The Minnesota
Convention will concentrate on electing the new leaders of the
organization and streamlining philanthropic projects to achieve greater
impact in the lives of poor communities back in Sierra Leone.
