These are teachers of the SDA Primary School at the Masanga village in northern Sierra Leone. It was opened by the Seven Days Adventist Church Mission (SMD Mission) to give formal education to the children of Masanga village. Presently, this school is staffed with 12 teachers and 431 pupils.

This is the first loan these teachers are requesting from SMT/Kiva Lenders. School staff from this institution, like many other school's staff within SMT’s operational areas, comes to SMT to apply for loans. With the help of these loans, they can accomplish certain tasks that they would otherwise not be able to accomplish with their mere salaries alone. But with the help of this loan, some can pay school fees for their children; others can use the loan to buy pieces of furniture, a plot of land, house-building materials, or invest in a business. At the end of each month, these teachers can repay the loan out of their monthly salaries. The institution’s bursar is directly responsible for deducting the repayment and paying SMT on their behalf.

James H. G., who is pictured on the right in the back, is the head teacher and leader of this group. Mr. G. has taught for 32 years now. The 56-year-old James was born in Koya village. He is married and has three children. One of his children is in secondary school, one is in college and the other is a school teacher. James is seeking a loan of SLL 2,000,000 in order to buy pieces of furniture like chairs, a bed, tables, a radio, etc.

(Attached to this photo are some snapshots of borrowers who were not able to be present for the group photo).