Institution Building
A primary responsibility of all executive committees is to protect and ensure that our institutions are functioning in a way that enhances professionalism and demonstrates integrity, competence, accountability, and transparency.
The Advisors
Our former chairman and founder initiated the formation of the advisors' committee with a visit to Joseph Jallow, the former Managing Director of the National Association of Corporative Credit Unions (a highly respected public, church, and private senior citizen), at his residence in 2002/2003. Mr. Jallow (our founder's mentor) welcomed the idea of a committee that will perform board functions and accepted the invitation to join, promising to bring on board Maria Dacosta (who served as director and board member in various government institutions) to chair the committee. The committee met regularly with the executive, reviewing activities, finances, and plans until 2014, when our founder moved to America and handed over the responsibilities of convening advisors-executive meetings to the executive. Handover notes
The committee of advisors is comprised of some of the nation's renowned public, church, and private sector executives with years of experience. Among them are project management, administration, management, finance, accounting, and education experts.
The president (right) and one of the advisors, a renowned public and private educationist, Harry Badjie
Management committees
Three management teams, founded by the executive in 2012, to provide oversight and adequate checks and balances: (1) finance and administration (headed by the chairman), (2) school management (headed by the president), and (3) community volunteering (headed by the vice-chairman).
The executive committees met, with meals and refreshments sponsored by the organization, to study issues, financial reports, plans, proposals, and budgets before meeting the advisors .
The executive reviews financial and activity reports and makes them available to members and advisors for scrutiny
Bookkeeping and reporting
A highly qualified accountant (an employee of SOS Hermann Gmeiner in Bakoteh) gave our former chairman and founder permission for the executive and advisors to write a letter to him to volunteer at our schools. His specific task was to work with our school administrator to ensure consistency in bookkeeping and producing timely and accurate financial reports for the executive and committee of advisors meetings. A copy of the letter.
Executive-Diaspora committee of current and former presidents, chairpersons, and other executives
In the absence of the executive-advisors meeting since 2014 (when our founder moved to America), the former chairman and founder and the leader of the executive (the president) met on the phone and exchanged text messages on WhatsApp several times to work with the executive through the president to create this committee. WhatsApp records of text messages of the process of forming the committee.
The committee was founded on September 6, 2020, by the six most recent chairpersons, two of the previous presidents, former vice-chairpersons, and other past executive members. At the time, key leaders of the executive today (photos above) who have continuously served as executive members well before 2013 were in the executive to facilitate the founding of the committee.
Zoom video recording of the meeting to create the committee and participants introducing themselves
Meeting minutes of the forming of the committee
Board of Directors
In 2021, our former chairman and founder of the CCLK brought the advisors back to resume meeting the executive for the first time since 2014. The meeting restructured and upgraded the advisors' committee to a board; agreed to hire a new accountant who will also coordinate board meetings; and purchased a new accounting software and a new computer. The executive's role in keeping the board working effectively demonstrates a commitment to upholding the culture and values of the organization
