Mission
Sherbro Foundation
Sherbro Foundation : To help rural Sierra Leone move from poverty to self-reliance through education and economic empowerment.
Sponsoring P&G Alumni
Sponsoring Alum: Arlene Golembiewski
30 years at P&G in Product Supply, Cincinnati, OH USA and Brussels, Belgium
Arlene is the Founder and the volunteer Executive Director of Sherbro.
Arlene writes: “I founded Sherbro in in 2013, forming a joint vision with Bumpeh Chiefdom’s Pwaramount Chief Charles Caulker; our goals were to send girls to school & grow fruit trees to self-fund chiefdom education programs. From our very first grant of $600 to today, the first of 4500 coconut trees planted over 5 years are beginning to fruit, producing steady income for ongoing funding of the community education programs. We initially sent 59 girls to 7th & 8th grades, with the goals of advancing to junior high, keeping them in school & avoiding early marriage. Over 6 years, 800 girls attended secondary school, many advancing to senior high with scholarships for 2-4 years totaling over 2000 scholarships. I could not be prouder of this accomplishment. Further, the first year of the Let Them Earn project exceeded my expectations. There had never been a project in this part of the country with individual $220 loans for subsistence farmers – and interest free. They’re seen as bad credit risks and too hard to reach in isolated villages. We accept and mitigate the risk with capacity building training and close supervision over 12 months. We’re proud that 90% of money loaned out in 2024 was repaid in the project’s first year. It was immediately reloaned to start to start the second group of trainees for 2025.”
Let Them Earn
The Rural Bumpeh Chiefdom is agriculture based; most people either farm or trade in farm produce. Generations have been trapped in subsistence lifestyles, barely feeding and caring for their families. Farmers grow what they eat and barter for other life basics, leaving them with little cash to expand a business; 80% are illiterate. This project targets village women and young people who need working capital and skills to develop small, sustainable agriculture businesses that can continue to grow and employ more people, specifically active women farmers and traders. As Let Them Earn enters its third year, village farmers and small traders will be screened for 50 project positions. Interviews and farm visits will confirm that trainees have demonstrated growing or trading experience and that their businesses are large enough to reliably repay loans. Interest free loans are available up to $210; payback is based on crop growing schedules with full repayment within 12 months. Participants will be trained on crop growing and marketing and managing small businesses, geared to participant level of literacy and the village environment.
Practical hands-on training will occur in trainee farms where farmers apply what they learn step by step. A computerized records system will be added this year to
1) help farmers keep expenditure and income records,
2) analyze farmer issues and trends, and
3) assess overall program results and identify improvements.
2025 Grant
Our $24,500 grant will support the Year 3 expansion of the project and impact nearly 1200 family and community members, train 55 people and lead to 5 new business ventures.
Funds will be used to
1) provide small ($210) interest free loans focused on growing and marketing fruit and vegetables for urban customers (the most profitable agriculture sector),
2) provide training on growing, marketing and small business management geared to trainee level of literacy and the village environment,
3) expand a tree nursery to grow seedlings for public sale (income will fund project admin when the grant ends), and
4) serve as a model for change in village cultural practices (women can manage their own businesses, children can be students instead of farm laborers, project loans can jump start hiring labor to operate and expand small farms).
Success Story
In her sponsoring letter, Arleen provides some wonderful perspective regarding the outstanding success of the first two years of the LTE project….”Let Them Earn (LTE) is one of the most significant projects Sherbro Foundation has undertaken in its twelve years, and one with the greatest potential to impact the lives of those at a subsistence level. In its first year and a half, LTE is truly making a difference in villages inaccessible to other NGO’s. Lives of hundreds of family members have been changed as farmers quickly earn more money. They invested in their futures using project loans to enlarge their farms and grow new cash crops. Farmers with no education who’ve been in the financial dark ages are learning practical skills to run a small business, like budgeting and figuring profit/loss.
The project is also initiating significant social change in a traditionally male dominated society. Women are at the forefront of the project learning new skills. As loan recipients, they’re increasing their decision-making authority for family farms. They’re helping their families earn more, and with that comes respect. Their self-esteem has visibly grown. They now assert themselves and speak up in village meetings. Children are in school and not used as day farm labor. With loan money, parents can hire labor. These economic and social changes in small hard-to-reach villages in less than two years are impressive. The effect on villages is becoming transformative.”