Team Members

Amber McMains, Founder & Executive Director. Amber McMains has always been interested in children's education and international development. These interests first brought her to a shelter for abused women and children in Tijuana, Mexico, where she taught kindergarten and English. Ms. McMains also worked with Habitat for Humanity and Food Bank, building houses and providing food in low-income communities in San Diego, as well as with Colegio de la Esperanza, building schools in Tijuana.

Her heart has always been with African development and culture, however, which led her to become involved tutoring Somalian refugees and eventually to focus her attention on Sierra Leone and its people. Ms. McMains currently lives in San Diego where she raises her infant son, writes poetry, and is active in the Baha'i faith.

Amara, Co-Founder & Co-Director. Amara Momoh is a Critical Care Registered Nurse and a poet residing in San Diego, California. He was born and raised in Sierra Leone but migrated to the US just before his home country will be plunged into a decade long brutal civil war. In 2004, after the war, Amara returned to Sierra Leone for the first time in sixteen years and this is what he had to say, "During my visit, I saw a desperate need to assist in educating my fellow Sierra Leoneans, to help in the rebuilding process." Upon his return, Amara became a pioneer, and he continues to be a vital component in the machine that runs the Next Generation Sierra Leone Project.

Mohamed Nyandemoh. Mohamed Nyandemoh is a young, enthusiastic Sierra Leonean dedicated to serving his country and building its economy. Mr. Nyandemoh came of age during the horrors of the 11-year civil war that plagued his country, and felt firsthand the atrocities that plagued its citizens. Mr. Nyandemoh is determined not to see history repeat itself, to turn the country around so that new opportunities may be unearthed out of the ashes of war. He is currently studying Environmental Chemistry at Njala University in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and managing our in-country administration.

Gunny Cory Lee, Technical Officer & Researcher. Cory, a computer scientist and usability specialist, is passionate about using technology to empower kids in underserved communities around the world. As a graduate student researcher, he investigates how digital media can be used to help kids learn to harness their creativity and trust their abilities. He also investigates how technology can confront the obesity epidemic in the United States, and has published several academic papers in this area.

His past volunteer experiences include teaching math to underpriveleged middle school kids and developing educational software in collaboration with NASA. He likes to spend his free time playing the guitar, swimming, and traveling to different places.

Alot more coming soon...