Mohamed Fofana Memorial Foundation

Our organization has four key desired outcomes:
* Provide education to the underserved community of Siguiri, Guinea (hometown of Mohamed’s father)
* Transition children out of child labor and into the classroom
* Offer a safe space for girls
* Create an opportunity to heal for students and community members impacted by the loss of Mohamed in the Lilydale, Minnesota landslide

Our organization is building the Mohamed Fofana Memorial School in the rural village of Siguiri, Guinea. The land has been purchased and an architectural layout for the grounds has been designed. Constructing a school in this rural area is the first strategy to increase child enrollment. The biggest issue is a simple lack of access, so building a school near hundreds of children will make education an attainable asset to local people. Another key strategy our board employs is the incorporation of multiple perspectives. We have board members who grew up and attended school in Guinea, so their knowledge of the system gives us a greater understanding of how to build a school that improves the local norm, but can be sustained by local people. A frequent downfall of similar organizations is that well-intentioned people enter from the outside and expect locals to adapt, but our organization will create a school with Guinean lifestyle in mind. This will increase the benefit for families in the area and keep the school thriving for years to come. Additionally, the many educators on our board will be able to design a curriculum that teaches real-world skills instead of the traditional memorization of the current Guinean system. Our board members' combination of knowledge is a key strategy that is essential for success.

Effectively building a school internationally requires both a knowledge of local norms and a desire to improve the status quo. Our board members include:
* West African Community Members and Cultural Liaisons
* Experienced School Start-Up Coordinator (30+ schools)
* Licensed Minnesota Educators (over 40 years of combined experience)
* Corporate Designer/Architect
* Minnesota Business Owners
* Chamber of Commerce Executive
* Certified Public Accountant
* Attorney (Real Estate)
* Development Director
* Student Leaders

This board combines local Guinean knowledge and discipline-specific expertise.

The Fofana family used their settlement from Mohamed's loss to purchase land for the school in Siguiri, Guinea. They also constructed ten classrooms on the grounds. After that, they reached out to Twin Cities community members and the organization became a 501(c)3. The organization assembled a board and continued to raise funds. Multiple scouting trips to Guinea have been made by board members in order to establish connections with local construction and security personnel. Our next steps require meeting our construction and operational budget goals to proceed with the project.