Who is Idrissa Paul Bangura?

Our guest for this story, Mr. Idrissa Paul Bangura, currently lives in Monrovia, Liberia where he works with children and young adults — promoting accessible education, increasing literacy rates, and providing a comfortable place for learning. Paul was born in Sierra Leone but lost his parents while growing up and was left with only his sister. Unfortunately, during that time, there was a civil war in Sierra Leone, where he was separated from his sister. From there, he had to move forward with his life, and during these difficult times, he was encouraged by other people to go to school.

In school, he learned that through reading and getting good grades, he could obtain support and scholarships from outsiders. After graduating from college, he realized just how pivotal school was in his life and, since then, he has “turned back to using the same idea and giving the same opportunity to those who do not have access or who do not have the opportunity to go to school.” Even after facing so many hardships in his life, Paul has managed to use his experiences and strengths to give back to his community and help empower the next generation.

What problem is Paul solving?

In Liberia and Sierra Leone, education is plagued by three main problems: school dropout rates, the cost of education, and low literacy rates. Many kids drop out of school due to family issues or external factors and go their whole lives without getting a formal education. On top of this, many private schools are too expensive for kids to afford and public schools, while cheaper, are not accessible to the general population. These two issues lead to very poor literacy rates because not only do kids not get taught how to read but they also lack access to books to help them practice. The lack of education can prove very stifling for the creativity of children, and so, Paul aims to educate kids free of charge.

How is he solving this problem?

To improve the state of education in his country, Paul has created multiple programs, the first being the Free Quality Education School. It’s a school designed to give mentorship, free education, and reading resources to marginalized kids and orphans. It was started in 2020 and currently has hundreds of students, some of whom have received free book bags and uniforms. Paul is very dedicated to this program and focuses on interacting with the children; he says that it is important to “know their pain, go through their stories, listen to them, talk to them, eat with them, play with them, and also teach them, in terms of discipline and education.” He also lets them be leaders and make their own choices, overall creating a friendly environment for learning.

His second main program is the Reading Competition: Ecowas Reading Championship, which is a competition that has students from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. They give out prizes to all participants and the winners get $100, $250, or $500. Through this program, he can further promote reading literacy and get more kids engaged and involved in their education.

What obstacles or issues did he have to overcome?

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Paul, he faced multiple obstacles that he had to overcome or adapt to. One of the major obstacles was that, sometimes, the movement of students was limited due to the instability of the government. They had to be on their toes and always make sure to watch out for changes in the political landscape of the country. An even bigger challenge was funding, as putting together a school and providing for all these students cost a lot of money. Paul was able to put together various grants, donations, and partnerships to fund his different programs. Finally, he also had to find a venue to host his school that was big enough for all the kids and had all the proper facilities. After lots of searching, he was able to find a great building for the kids!

What has he accomplished?

Paul’s programs have been wildly successful so far with multiple donations of books and food arriving since he started. These books are used to supplement the kid’s reading education and give them something to practice with. In his school, he has gone from just 5 students to almost 300. He now has 10 classrooms and an office to support all the people who attend daily. In his Ecowas Reading Challenge, he was able to get 25 schools from Liberia, 15 from Sierra Leone, and 3 schools in Guinea to participate. In the end, 9 kids received cash prizes, 25 got gift baskets and everyone received some kind of prize for participating. But most importantly, Paul’s efforts have transformed his students into leaders who change their community for the better.

What are his goals for the future?

Paul has ambitious but targeted goals for the future of his programs including creating a library for his students, and ultimately, starting a university so his students can continue their education. Currently, his focus is on the library project which gives kids the opportunity to sustain their education, learn about the world and technology, collaborate with students worldwide, and practice public speaking. He wants to build two libraries — one in Bo Town, Sierra Leone, and the other in Monrovia, Liberia. Paul estimates that his libraries will serve 300 children in Liberia and 225 in Sierra Leone. In addition to this amazing project, he wants to help kids continue their education after high school by building his own university. In the next 5 years, he hopes that it will be one of the best universities in all of Sierra Leone and Liberia!

How can you help?

Anyone interested in helping or getting involved can do so through a variety of different ways including partnerships, pen-pals, donations, sponsoring a child, and more.

1. Partnerships: Paul’s organizations are credible and are open to collaborating with other initiatives to help further their impact and effectiveness.
2. Pen-Pals: Paul is looking for students from different parts of the world to write back and forth with his students to learn about their lives and become friends. Students will have Pen-Pals of the same class level and age group and letters can be sent through postal services or DHL. Paul would also like to organize a Zoom meeting once a month where students can connect face-to-face. Teacher Pen-Pals who can share their values and experiences would also be appreciated.
3. Donations: Any kind of donations would be welcome and will be put towards his existing projects or creating a library. If you wish to donate materials, the following are items that Paul needs to start his library:

• iPads
• Cameras
• Laptops
• Books
• T-Shirts

4. Sponsoring a Child: If you wish to sponsor a child, it requires about $75-$100 yearly to pay for their tuition and necessary items for school such as books, shoes, uniforms, stationery, and a backpack.

Contact Information

If you wish to support Paul information such as postal services, money transfer agencies, addresses, and contact information can be found below:

Address:

Idrissa Paul Bangura

LY2NK Leadership School Board, Inc.

New Look Community, Brewerville City

1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia

Contacts:

1. +231-777-477-288
2. +231-888-843-515
3. paulbangs2017@gmail.com
4. paul@ly2nk.org

Postal Services

1. DHL
2. UPS
3. FedEx

Money Transfer Agencies (Address to Idrissa Paul Bangura)

1. Money Gram
2. Western Union
3. RIA

Paul’s story stands as a testament to the transformative power of education, and the unwavering commitment to uplift communities. It’s a reminder of how one person’s determination can spark positive change in a community. I hope you are inspired by Paul’s journey and can help support his efforts to create positive change in his community.