Cindy Nofziger served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1985-1987 at Masanga Leprosy Hospital in Tonkolili District. During that time, she befriended John Sesay. Those years in Sierra Leone and her lifelong friendship with John sparked the initial vision for Schools for Salone. Between 1990 and 2002, the civil war devastated the nation’s education system, highlighting the urgent need for rebuilding. In 2005, upon returning to Sierra Leone and reconnecting with John, Cindy established the first Schools for Salone partner school with Programme for Children (PFC). Over the next three years, Cindy mobilized resources in the US that funded the construction of seven more schools. Realizing the need to scale up, Schools for Salone officially registered as a U.S. non-profit in 2008. Between 2009 and 2016, the organization focused on deepening its impact by partnering with the Sierra Leone Book Trust and The Learning Foundation to improve literacy and teacher training. During the Ebola outbreak, the vulnerability of girls became apparent, prompting Schools for Salone to establish Uman Tok with Juliet Rhoman, a then social worker at PFC. Uman Tok was founded to provide support for girls’ sexual and reproductive health and menstrual hygiene in 2019.
Since then, Schools for Salone has expanded its reach, prioritized local leadership by partnering with Clinton Caulker, and intensified collaboration with PFC, SALBOT, TLF, and Uman Tok. As SfS celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, Schools for Salone transitions to new leadership, with Cindy Nofziger becoming Senior Advisor and Founder, and Allison Sinning assuming the role of Executive Director. As we look forward to the next decade, we are open to new partnerships, donors, and supporters who share our mission to give children in last mile communities access to quality education.
