Our people

2YoungLives is a truly global project with staff and volunteers working from both Sierra Leone and the UK

The founders: Mangenda Kamara and Lucy November started 2YoungLives in 2017. Mangenda oversees the project in Sierra Leone and is the full-time research assistant for our new pilot trial. Lucy is based at Kings College London.

Our Lifeline Nehemiah Projects team:

  • Philemon Kamara, Administrative Director
  • Francess Williams, Lead coordinator
  • Alfred Gbembo, Finance officer
  • Prince Tommy Williams, Executive Director

Our amazing teams of mentors: meet our 6 pre-trial teams and watch this space for our 6 new pilot trial teams

  • Coconut Farm team
  • Punduru team
  • Port Loko team
  • Kuntoloh teams
  • Bumpeh team

The mentees: So far, with our original 6 teams, 250 young women have been part of 2YoungLives. These young women are resilient, resourceful and committed to creating a positive future for themselves and their children. They support and encourage each other throughout the process and many of them create positive friendships beyond their time as a mentee.

  • Three friends in Kuntorloh
  • An important call at the graduation
  • Mums and babies at graduation
  • Mother smiling holding baby
  • Mentor, mums and babies
  • Mother and baby
  • Mother and baby at celebration
Aisha* is one of our mums. She was just 16 when she found out she was pregnant. She had to leave school, had nowhere to live and felt very alone and hopeless until 2YoungLives came into contact with her. Now she has returned to school, runs a small business and has reconciled with her family thanks to the support of her mentor. She has grown in confidence and is helping other pregnant teenagers by sharing her own experience and using the 2YoungLives materials on safe pregnancy and birth. Eisha is proud of her achievements and we are too. She has great strength, is able to support her family and is determined to be a great mother. She is role model, a friend and peer mentor in her own right. *name changed