In a ceremony that celebrated the very best of community spirit and professional excellence, the Save Our Youth Initiative’s “Bombali All Walks of Life Awards” reserved one of its most resonant honours for an educator who embodies its ethos. The esteemed title of Lecturer of the Year was awarded to Mr. Shebora Samba Kamara, a personality whose impact goes beyond the confines of the classroom setting.
For students at the University of Makeni (Unimak), Shebora is a very familiar and inspirational lecturer at the faculties of International Relations and Communications. In that highest learning institution, he throws himself wholeheartedly into shaping the minds of young students, teaching them intricate concepts for global and communications-related modules with a fervor that converts mere ideas into reality. The reputation he holds at Unimak is that of a very demanding yet motivational tutor, who holds profound faith in the academic caliber of every student under his tutelage.
It is his commitment to the broader community that defines his work and illuminates the reason for this award. In a powerful demonstration of the belief that education is a right and a tool for redemption, Shebora Samba Kamara regularly conducts pro bono lectures for inmates at the Makeni Prisons. This initiative is not merely an act of charity; it is a statement of faith in the power of knowledge to rehabilitate, uplift, and offer new perspectives, affirming the dignity and potential of every individual, regardless of circumstance.
Moreover, his commitment to improving the educational foundation of Bombali District can be seen in his work as a trainer for school principals, heads of departments, and senior teachers in this region. It is through The School Leadership Program that Kamara shares his knowledge for those who actually shape and influence the learning environment of innumerable young learners in this country, as Shebora, through his empowered leaders, creates a ripple effect for innumerable learners in a school community.
“The ‘Bombali All Walks of Life Awards’ is an attempt to pay tribute to those people whose day-to-day activities are an addition to the fabric of society and morality of our region as a whole. In awarding Shebora Samba Kamara the award of Lecturer of the Year, Save Our Youth Initiative has chosen to acknowledge a singular blend of scholarship and civic commitment that resonates as a powerful paradigm of ‘the modern educator’ who does not merely stay within his building but goes out and participates constructively in the process of ‘national building’ from the lecture theater to prison and from seminar to seminar at teacher training institutions.’
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It is a recognition of not merely the skill of a teacher, but a recognition that the most valuable lessons are frequently those which teach us about the things that we share in common, the things that can be changed, and the things that we can all do for one another. The people of Bombali, and of Sierra Leone itself, are better off for him.
