The Village Link’s pilot program, Project : Golu, finished construction of its first resource center in Golu, a village tucked away in Sierra Leone's Southern Province, in January 2013. Mostly consisting of subsistant, rice farming villages, Baoma Chiefdom struggles to recover from Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war (1990 - 2001). The Village Link seed was planted in 2011 when the Golu community asked TVL's Founder + returned Peace Corps volunteer (1977 - 1979) RoseAnn Rotandaro to help them rebuild their small, school library. RoseAnn decided to fund it as a collaborative project : The Village Link launched in 2012. Villagers in Golu provided labor and local materials for our pilot project. SBTS Group, a technology consulting firm based in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, recruited essential volunteer help from dedicated, Sierra Leonean university students. SBTS has also assisted The Village Link with in-kind donations such as servers, computers and critical operations’ advice. TVL intends to source funds internationally from individuals, corporations and government grants to complete construction.
Once running, the center will provide 300+ eLearning courses / certification programs for computer technology, business, + life skills, bolstered by cell-charging + a print / copy station to generate revenue. These services will complement the durable eReaders gifted to establish basic literacy as the baseline, not a privilege.
Help us complete the project. We plan to install solar panels to power the Golu Center: One Center for One Village, replicable worldwide, opens a world of possibility. Join us.