The Ebola crisis in West Africa resulted in the closure of schools in Sierra Leone for 9+ months as an attempt to lessen the spread of Ebola. Even still, Ebola rates in Sierra Leone surpassed that of surrounding West African countries. This devastation overshadowed the pre-existing limitations to education access because of poverty and recent civil war in Sierra Leone, which has a human development index rating of 177/187 countries despite its rich natural wealth.
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Our MissionPrimary goal
To provide education centered on health and diseases prominent in Sierra Leon as well as those prevalent in other western African countries as a mean of:
Secondary goals: include increasing English literacy, math literacy, and interest in the science professions. To provide tools for students to learn when other means are not easily accessible. |
Our Values
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What We DoWe have completed our on-site 3 week training with faculty and students at Annie Walsh Memorial School in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We are currently in our pilot phase with 180 junior secondary school (JSS) students, ages 12-14 years old. We are actively assessing our curriculum through monitoring the students' performances on pre- and post-lesson activities with the help of our on-site partners.
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Keep an eye out for our story competition!
The We Sabe project seeks to empower students to look through lenses of creativity and draw new ideas from what they have learned and to inspire others. To promote imagination and creativity, each student in our pilot classes is working on a fictional story about health and science (see “Our Core Pillars” in Curriculum). One winner will be selected at the end of the academic year in June/July.
Our Team.
Lauren Kurlander, MD
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Dr. Mafudia Suaray, MD, MPH
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Efua H. Bolouvi, MD Candidate
Senior Director
Meet Efua, a fourth year medical student at Rutgers RWJ Medical School who is taking leadership of We Sabe. Efua is passionate about global health and education, and she hopes to improve health conditions, especially those that are preventable diseases. She is excited about We Sabe because she gets to learn about a community close to her own, as she was born and raised in Togo, and invest in the community to combat illnesses and diseases that are devastating too many families and communities. In her free time, you can find her playing tennis or volunteering her time teaching children to sing.
Anthony Yung, MD Candidate
Junior Director
Meet Anthony, a first-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Growing up as an immigrant, he realized the constant challenges that persisted in health care institutions. Lack of adequate healthcare resources placed a burden on the already underserved population, which significantly impacted the health and quality of life of members of the community. As he traveled outside of the United States to other developing countries years later, he noticed the similar disparities to those in the United States. Members of the underserved groups often suffer chronic illness due to a lack of resources, access, knowledge for proper healthcare, which give him yet another perspective on the impact of economic disparity in health outcomes and treatment options. These visits certainly shaped his life. As globalization continues, he realized that he wants to become a citizen of the world and an advocate for the underserved population in the United States and others globally. That is why he joined We Sabe to provide health literacy globally.
Lantern Light Media.
Bridget B., TV producer
Producer/Editor Meet Bridget, a TV producer who volunteered her skill-set to produce, film, and edit our curriculum pro bono. She's excited about We Sabe because learning is fun! In her free time, you can find her eating pizza or writing short horror films.
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Derek H., TV editor
Producer/Editor Meet Derek, a TV editor who volunteered his skill-set to produce, film, and edit our curriculum pro bono. He's excited about We Sabe because he's passionate about helping others. In his free time, you can find him cooking or listening to podcasts.
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Pilot Team: On-Site Implementers.
Noor Shah, MD
Implementation Coordinator Meet Noor, a brilliant surgeon whose time tragically ended too soon. She was instrumental in implementing We Sabe and had an unmatched gift of connect with people from all backgrounds. She sought to give back to the international community by helping young students learn more about staying healthy and introducing them to the health professions. Our greatest hope is to carry out Noor's dream through We Sabe.
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Abraham Khanu, MD
Liaison Officer Meet Abraham, a now practicing physician at Sierra Leone, who joined the team as a final year medical student at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences University of Sierra Leone. He is excited about We Sabe because he wants basic medical skills and education to reach secondary school students. In his free time, you can find him dancing and listening to music.
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Kakpama S.K. Jusu, MD
Liaison Officer Meet Jusu, a now practicing physician at Sierra Leone who joined the team as a final year medical student at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences University of Sierra Leone. He is excited about We Sabe to help pass on health education to our young ones in secondary schools. In addition, the project will help improve the knowledge of students in subjects like integrated science, home economics, and physical health education. In his free time, you can find him reading and listening to cultural music.
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Annie Walsh Memorial School Partners.
Helen Hamilton, Former JSS Principal
On-site Partner Meet Mrs. Hamilton, the former principal of the junior secondary school at Annie Walsh Memorial School. She is excited about We Sabe because the children know and learn more when they are able to find out things themselves through researching and self-directed learning that can take place on the tablets. They are also more exposed to health information through We Sabe. In her free time, she enjoys reading and singing; she loves music.
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Antoinette Horton, JSS Principal
On-site Partner Meet Ms. Horton, the acting vice principal of the junior secondary school at Annie Walsh Memorial School. She is excited about We Sabe because it is a new approach to education that allows the pupils to learn to explore and not be limited in their area of studies. They're usually afraid of the sciences so this will help them to brighten and broaden their horizons. Exploring outside of the school teaching syllabus also helps them to adapt new ideas and have new perspectives. In her free time, you can find her reading and surfing on the Internet.
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Michael Fornah, JSS Vice Principal
Head of the Sciences On-site Partner Meet Mr. Fornah, who is the current vice principal and the head of the sciences of the junior secondary school. He is excited about We Sabe because it is a video innovation that helps the pupils to have a practical experience of what they're learning already. It also helps him and his colleagues as teachers to communicate with the pupils more easily. In his free time, he watches football (i.e. American soccer), sings in the chorus, and plays the keyboard.
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Maurice Kanu, Teacher
On-site Partner Meet Mr. Kanu, the integrated sciences teacher for junior secondary school class 3-3. He is excited about We Sabe because it is important to develop the nation and help pupils get great careers in the sciences. He is also excited for the pupils to increase knowledge in health and medicine, especially how to control disease and increase interest in medical careers. In his free time, he likes to watch football (i.e. American soccer) and read.
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Mohamed B. Kargbo, Teacher
On-site Partner Meet Mr. Kargbo, the integrated sciences teacher for junior secondary school class 3-2. He is excited about We Sabe because he loves teaching and sees the need to increase science education. We Sabe will help the girls gain important health knowledge. In his free time, he likes to watch football (i.e. American soccer) for fun.
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Student Ambassadors.
Olabisi, JSS 3-1
Student Ambassador Meet Olabisi, a JSS3 student (representing class 3-1!) who wants to be a pediatrician. She is excited about We Sabe because she loves to learn about new things and has already shared what she has learned so far in the We Sabe curriculum with her mom- they're both VERY excited! In her free time, you can find her reading novels.
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Abimaq, JSS 3-2
Student Ambassador Meet Abimaq, a JSS3 student (representing class 3-2!) who wants to be a dentist. She is excited about We Sabe because the topics about the human body connect with what she needs to know for dentistry, and she particularly wants to learn more about the teeth. In her free time, you can find her reading or relaxing.
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Mariama, JSS 3-3
Student Ambassador Meet Mariama, a JSS3 student (representing class 3-3!) who wants to be a lawyer. She is excited about We Sabe because she wants to fight for people and stop injustice in the country, and learning through We Sabe about health will help her do that. In her free time, you can find her listening to music.
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Unit Coordinators.
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Oana Barbu, MD Candidate
Unit 2 Coordinator Meet Oana, a now practicing physician who joined the team as a third year Rutgers RWJ medical student interested in Pediatrics. She is excited about We Sabe because teaching children brings her joy. In her free time, you can find her running, reading, or learning to cook.
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David Janhofer, MD
Unit 3 Coordinator Meet David, a now practicing physician who joined the team as a third year RWJ medical student interested in reconstructive surgery. He is excited about We Sabe because he loves teaching, having previously taught middle school chemistry in Washington DC. He is thankful for the opportunity to help students learn strategies for disease prevention, and he hopes We Sabe will foster student interest in science and medicine. In his free time, you can find him playing football (i.e. American soccer), drawing & painting, and enjoying time with friends.
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Maciel Jiménez, LMSW
Unit 4 Coordinator Meet Maciel, a school social worker for the NYC Department of Education where she develops and implements treatment plans that support student self-determination and provides trainings and workshops to school-wide staff and parents. She is excited We Sabe because she was given the opportunity to share the importance of an often-underrepresented area, by creating a unit on social emotional learning. Lessons hone in on self-management, self-awareness, diversity and social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. In her free time, you can find Maciel singing and dancing to “The Wheels on the Bus” with her amazing nephew.
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Nicole G. Heath, MD
Unit 5 Coordinator Meet Nicole, a now practicing physician who joined the team as a third year Rutgers RWJ medical student pursuing research on communicable diseases. She is excited about We Sabe because she loves promoting health. In her free time, you can find her reading novels and visiting art museums.
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Visuals and Evaluations Team.
Natalie L., Biomedical Sciences graduate
Illustrator Meet Natalie, a Biomedical Sciences graduate who dedicated her artistic skill-set to complete our incredible We Sabe illustrations pro bono. She is excited about We Sabe because it's a chance to share the fascinating world of the human body. In her free time, you can find her drawing, traveling, or listening to good music. |
Jeffrey Jiménez, MPA Candidate
Evaluations Coordinator Meet Jeffrey, a student in the Masters of Public Administration program at NYU Wagner where he will be specializing in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment. He is excited about We Sabe because his humanity is tied to the humanity of all of our global brothers and sisters, and Ebola was a call to action to Sierra Leone. In his free time, you can find him watching "One Minute Physics" videos or playing chess. |
We are funded by:
The We Sabe Grant -Anonymous
University Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response
University Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response