Mayinto is located in Kholifa Rowala Chiefdom, Tonkolili District and has about 25 houses with a population of around 300.

Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully in the village and there is both a mosque and Wesleyan church in the community. The village chief, Pa Abu Kamara, is charged with taking care of the village. Mayinto has vast land that is suitable for agriculture purposes.

The Illinois District began a partnership with the people of Mayinto Village, Sierra Leone in November 2015. Facilitated by World Hope International, Illinois District’s generosity has helped to promote leadership development, safe water, and improved farming techniques in the small, rural village located in the Bombali District.

Agriculture

One limiting factor for food production was a lack of seed. WHI established a seed bank within the village and also facilitated the Village Development Committee (VDC). The community selected the members in the committee and WHI trained them in leadership techniques.  

Last year, 80 bushels of peanut seed and 60 bushels of rice were distributed by the VDC as part of the seed loans to community members. All 25 households received two bags of peanuts and at least one bushel of rice. All beneficiaries had either rice or peanut farms and used the new seeds to enlarge their farms. Once the harvest was ready, farmers paid back to the community seed bank.

The VDC and five other farmers were also trained on how to care for livestock and how to grow and manage rice, groundnuts, cassava and potato productions. Without knowledge of the correct practice, livestock and produce could be lost.

Water Wells and Sanitation

In October 2015, WHI drilled a water well in the community of Mayinto. The well is protected by a bamboo cane perimeter fence. The village enforced strict rules to ensure the water well is kept in good condition and can be fully utilized by the community.

Mosquito Nets

Malaria, a preventable and curable disease caused by parasite and transmitted by mosquito, becomes life-threatening in peak periods of the rainy season in Sierra Leone. Infants, children under five years of age, pregnant women and patients with HIV/AIDS are at a higher risk of contracting malaria.

200 mosquito nets were distributed to women, lactating mothers and the elderly in August to fight against malaria. The nets were treated with insecticide to help reduce the risk of contracting malaria by repelling or killing the mosquitos.

A New Church

The community provided the land, local building materials and unskilled labor in order to build a new church in Mayinto! The church began meeting in 2014 under a mango tree. Since then, the new church has increased the attendance and the church building has multi-functions where meetings and trainings can accommodate the whole community.

Construction of Drying Floors

It is common for villages to go with very little food for two months of the year, a time known as “the hungry months.” This happens when a family’s supply of dried food runs out or goes bad. The main staple foods are rice and peanuts, and drying is one of the few ways that people have to preserve food between harvests.

WHI assisted in constructing two drying floors, where people can spread crops on these slanted structures for water runoff and provide efficient and safe methods for drying crops.