After completing separate study trips to Guinea, West Africa, 25 years ago, Helen Bond and Amy Lusk met when they returned to the U.S. to talk about their experiences. They discovered they shared a love of the traditional West African music that had brought so much joy to their lives and also a desire to give back to the creators of the music.

Together, they established the Motherland Rhythm Community, part of our focus is to address the health, education and basic needs of children, families and communities in Guinea. Motherland Rhythm Community is a partnership between long standing friends, musicians and community leaders in Guinea and hundreds of donors, and friends in the United States and other countries.

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Or work is focused on the belief that we are all human beings, living together on our planet, sharing similar hopes, joys and sorrows as a human community. Over the years, we've found that the ties of friendship and creative expression we've established through our love of West African music have allowed us to come together across cultures and across the miles to make a difference in the face of ongoing suffering and seemingly intractable problems in Guinea.

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People in Guinea struggle daily with deep and persistent poverty, rampant disease and malnutrition, high rates of infant mortality and limited educational and economic opportunities. Over the years, Motherland Rhythm Community has launched a succession of successful projects that have improved the quality of life for many people and communities in the country. These have included:

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• Drilling and repair of wells in rural and urban areas giving free community access

• Fabrication and distribution of innovative Biosand Water Filters to provide clean water to thousands of families (over 100,000,) including public education supports in health and sanitation throughout the country

• Construction of a new school building and renovation of the existing school in Sangbaralla village in the Hamana Region

• Building a Women’s Market facility where village women can sell their produce (including building nearby toilet house)

• Distribution of the Universal Nut Sheller device to prevent exposure to toxins and support income generation for women and children shelling peanuts by hand

• Construction of a Maison de la Jeunesse, a village youth center (including building nearby toilet house)

• Vehicles, tools and supplies for the collection and disposal of litter in villages

• Stable and regular employment for our staff

• Tuition and scholarships to individual students to advance their education in elementary, secondary and university programs

• Funding of life saving medical treatments

• Emergency food distribution to families in need
   

Our initiatives have gained the attention of government and international relief agencies in Guinea and other West African countries that are looking for effective and scalable solutions for pressing health, education and economic development challenges. They are often interested in not just what Motherland Rhythm Community has accomplished, but how we do our work in communities in Guinea to support success and long term impact.

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Most recently, our well established clean water and health projects have proven particularly essential during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea. Clean water and soap for frequent hand washing are critical preventing transmission of the virus, but too many Guineans continue to lack access to these basic resources. 

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The need remains great, but through Motherland Rhythm Community's efforts, we will continue to improve lives and build a better future in Guinea, working together -- person to person, hand to hand and heart to heart.

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Helen Bond and Amy Lusk

Co-founders