Two American Students Fell In Love at Fourah Bay College in 1968 and This Happened Next
Cindy and David met and fell in love as foreign exchange students at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. They have been together ever since. A decade ago, they contributed to constructing the Mamboma Community Library in Bo District through Schools for Salone.
It's a bit early Tuesday morning, and I'm on a Zoom call with Cindy and David Harrison. The topic? Libraries, of course. But not just any libraries. We're talking about Mamboma Library in Sierra Leone, a place that's etched in their hearts. Their journey? It all started in 1968 when they landed in Freetown from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to study at Fourah Bay College. They fell in love under the Cotton Tree! Now celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary, the Harrisons are still connected to Salone.
The Importance of Imagination and Education
April 6th kicks off National Library Week, and I wanted to capture a story beyond brick and mortar. I wanted to show how libraries become the center of community activity, especially for kids and young people in Sierra Leone. And who better to speak with than Cindy and David, the passionate souls behind the Mamboma Library?
Constructed in 2015, the Mamboma Library in Bo District in Sierra Leone’s South Province continues to serve children and adults thanks to Harrisons’ support of Schools for Salone.
But why libraries? What's their connection? Cindy shared, “I loved reading and saw the value of education. What I found about libraries is that they are a refuge for the imagination. It was a place where you could go, and through those books, you could go anywhere and think about anything and not just learn, but it would just take you on flights of imagination that you wouldn't have if you didn't have books.” A refuge for imagination. I told her, “You should coin that. It's so great.” It’s perfect.
Image: View of Freetown and Mount Aureol, home of Fourah Bay College in 1968 where Cindy and David met. (courtesy of the Harrisons)
Image: View of a busy market in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1968 (courtesy of the Harrisons)
Her journey to Sierra Leone, alongside David, began with a desire for “an entirely different experience.” They attended Kalamazoo College in Michigan and participated in a study abroad program. David explained, “So we were quite an oddity at Fourah Bay College. There were some Biafrans (from Nigeria) there then and… this and that, but we were the oddity. There were 12 white kids in Freetown and three in Njala.” We were known as “the Kalamazoos,” which, I have to say, has a certain ring to it. This experience in 1968 was “formative” for both David and Cindy, shaping their lifelong connection to the country.
Cindy’s experience tutoring fourth graders in Freetown in ’68 struck a chord with her. “I found myself thinking this [Hamlet] has nothing to do with their world. They should be learning, reading their authors and… about their lives.” This sentiment, this desire for relevant and inspiring reading material, clearly fuels their passion for the library.
Building Mamboma Library
Aerial view of Mamboma Village
And how did Mamboma Library come to be? David recounted, “So Cindy Nofziger knew my Cindy’s background as a librarian. So Cindy N. suggested that we could help build this library; it was something that we knew we wanted to do.” It was a natural extension of Cindy's career and shared love for Sierra Leone. Nofziger is the founder of Schools for Salone.
Cindy H. added, “We thought it was appropriate and saw the need out there.” It’s that simple: a need, a passion, and a willingness to act. Since 2016, they’ve been involved, with regular meetings and a genuine interest in the library’s growth. Cindy mentioned the “challenges that the climate brings” and the difficulties of getting books to Sierra Leone. It’s not just about building a space; it’s about maintaining and ensuring it thrives.
The Enduring Connection to Sierra Leone
What I find most compelling is their enduring connection to Sierra Leone. David said, “Sierra Leone has been in our hearts since October 1st, 1968, as we learned about it before we went, but we arrived in the rain in a cloud burst on October 1st, 1968. And it's been in our hearts ever since.” It’s a love story, a commitment that spans decades. From Mount Aureol, home of Fourah Bay College, Cindy recalled that “you could smell cooking fires all over the city and… and you could hear the drums.”
Beyond their memories, Schools for Salone founder Cindy Nofziger’s exceptional work also plays a huge role in their continued support. “Cindy N. also did her part because she would feed us these pictures of those beautiful children in those schools and the library, and they're just so endearing,” David shared. I agree. Cindy N. has a “reverence for the communities she serves that makes it easy to support her work.”
Schools for Salone’s Inspiring Readers Program
Most recently, Schools for Salone, through local partner the Sierra Leone Book Trust (SALBOT), has introduced a new Inspiring Reader Program to get books to schools without community libraries. Cindy explained that the mission is to get kids’ books in any way possible. “It's not the building that we're talking about that is as important as the actual book and the mentor, whoever it is that helps that child with that first book.” It’s about human connection, about encouraging conversation and imagination. I was thrilled that schools set aside “two hours a week now that is free reading for the students.” As Cindy pointed out, many kids, especially girls, have chores and responsibilities at home. “Or taking care of your siblings. I mean, that's your job.”
This isn’t just a story about a library. It’s a story about love, commitment, and the power of books to transform lives. It’s about the Harrisons, who found a piece of their hearts in Sierra Leone and decided to build a refuge for imagination. And it’s about the children of Mamboma, who now have a place to dream.
The Transformative Impact of the Mamboma Community Library
Mamboma Community Library is still supported by Cindy and David Harrison through Schools for Salone.
Now, let's talk about Mamboma itself. In the heart of this rural village in Bo District, Sierra Leone, where farming and sand mining are the everyday hustle, a beacon of learning has truly emerged—the Mamboma Community Library. It's the first and only library of its kind in the village, and it’s become a hub for education, literacy, and community development. It's transforming the academic landscape for the kids and, honestly, for everyone.
A Lifeline for Education in a Remote Community
The library is 40 feet long and 25 feet wide, holding over 5,000 books, and can fit up to 60 pupils at a time. In a place where educational materials were once so scarce, this library is a lifeline. It's giving children essential reading resources, helping them build strong literacy skills. I spoke with Umaru Kpaka, the dedicated librarian, and he told me how crucial this facility has been in improving pupils' academic abilities. "Libraries like this are important in communities like ours because they help improve pupils' education," he said. It's become a sanctuary where kids can dive into books, expand their knowledge, and develop a love for reading—something that was just out of reach before.
Fostering a Culture of Reading and Learning
Librarian Umaru Kpaka reading to kids at the library on a Saturday morning
Image: Umaru Kpaka, Librarian, Mamboma Community Library, Bo, Sierra Leone
Schools for Salone partners SALBOT uses Mamboma Community Library to training library assistants in the district to expand their Inspired Readers Program
Before the library, kids in Mamboma had limited access to anything beyond their school textbooks. Now? Now they have a whole world of literature, storybooks, and educational materials. Reading has become something they enjoy, not just something they have to do. Kpaka shared how students’ attitudes have changed. “Because of the library, school-going children have developed a love for reading, and it sometimes prevents them from playing too much,” he noted. This shift shows how a library can positively influence behavior, encouraging constructive habits like reading. Plus, schools in and outside Mamboma are benefiting from these resources, extending the library’s impact even further.
“This library helps our children participate in reading and spelling competitions,” Kpaka explained, emphasizing how it boosts their confidence and academic achievements. But it’s not just for school kids. Adults, teachers, everyone in Mamboma now has access to books and educational materials. In a community where farming and mining traditionally define life,” I thought to myself, the Mamboma Library has sparked a vibrant new chapter of personal and community growth. It’s exactly what the Harrisons dreamed of, a testament to their enduring vision. And they’ve made it clear: their commitment to Schools for Salone and the Mamboma Library is unwavering, a promise they intend to keep for years to come.
