Meet the Founder.

A Note From Mariama

Little Mariama's Foundation is more than an organization to me. It is personal.

The name Little Mariama represents the little girl I once was, but it also represents so many children whose stories are still being written.

Mariama is my name, but it is also a name you hear often throughout Sierra Leone and the West African community. When I chose the name, I thought about Little Mariama — me. The younger version of myself who had no idea what life would bring, the challenges she would face, or the woman she would eventually become.

“And I know Little Mariama would be so proud of me today.”

My Story

Things were not always peaches and cream for me.

I experienced major changes in my life at a young age, and there were challenges along the way that shaped me in ways I didn't fully understand at the time. Looking back now, I can see how those experiences helped mold me into the woman I am today.

They taught me resilience. They taught me independence. They taught me how to keep moving forward even when life didn't go according to plan.

Giving back was something I had wanted to do for years, but for a long time, it remained something I told myself I would do “one day.”

Then I returned to Sierra Leone.

In 2023, I traveled back for the first time in almost 20 years. Going back as an adult changed my perspective on life completely.

I saw Sierra Leone differently. I saw the beauty, the community, the strength and resilience of the people. But I also became much more aware of the opportunities and resources that many children simply don't have access to.

I returned home looking at my own life differently.

The things I once considered small felt like blessings. And giving back no longer felt like something I wanted to do “one day.”

It was time to start.

The Women Who Made Me

Kono holds an especially important place in my heart because it is where my grandmother, Lilian Fasuluku, comes from.

My grandmother is a force.

She is a hustler, a businesswoman, and someone who will always show up for another person regardless of what she may be going through herself. She can be facing one of the hardest moments of her own life, and you may never know it.

“Miss Lilian Fasuluku does not fold.”

That same strength lives in my mother. And as I've gotten older, I've realized that it lives in me too.

There have been moments in my life when I've wanted to fall, cry, or give up. And sometimes I do cry. Sometimes I do get tired. But somehow, there has always been something inside of me that tells me to keep going.

I now understand that resilience didn't start with me.

It was modeled for me by the women who came before me.

Why Little Mariama's Foundation

Little Mariama's Foundation is my way of turning everything I've learned, experienced, and been blessed with into something bigger than myself.

I want children to know that where they start does not have to determine where they finish.

Sometimes a child simply needs resources. Sometimes they need an opportunity. Sometimes they need encouragement. And sometimes they just need someone to remind them that their circumstances do not define what they are capable of becoming.

Our first major giveback begins in Kono, but the vision for LMF extends beyond one community. As the foundation grows, my goal is to bring our givebacks and outreach to children and communities wherever we have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Kono, however, will always be home to a special part of this vision.

One day, I hope to establish a permanent Teen & Youth Resource Center in Kono — a safe place where young people can access resources, mentorship, guidance, opportunities, and simply have a space that reminds them that someone believes in their future.

“Kono is where our story begins. It is not where our impact ends.”

To Every “Little Mariama”

If there is one thing my own journey has taught me, it is that your current circumstances are only one chapter of your story.

You can cry. You can have difficult days. You can experience setbacks. You can even have moments when you aren't sure how you're going to keep going.

But keep going.

There is so much more ahead of you than what you can see right now.

Little Mariama had no idea who she would become.

Today, she is building something for the little girls and boys coming behind her.

“And I think she would be very proud.”