Mother’s Last Gift of Protection: Saving Her Son from Abuse

Meet Ibrahim, a young boy from Sierra Leone, who grew up surrounded by silence, sorrow, and pain. Orphaned at the age of 2, he lost both of his parents before he could even understand what loss meant. By the time he turned 3, Ibrahim found himself living in his uncle's house—a place where love was absent, and violence became a language spoken far too often.

From a young age, Ibrahim’s life was marked by hardship. His small body bore the weight of beatings that were masked as "discipline." His cries for mercy echoed in the walls of a house that never felt like a home. When the pain became unbearable, he would escape to the bush, hiding among the trees, tears streaming down his face as he begged for someone to notice his suffering. But no one ever came.

"I felt hopeless and homeless," Ibrahim recalls. "Because a house full of violence and abuse can never be a home."

The torment continued for years, leaving scars on both his body and spirit. Then, one day, something remarkable happened. Between the ages of 15 and 18, his uncle called him over and told him about a dream. In it, Ibrahim’s late mother appeared, warning him to stop the abuse or she would come to take her son away. That dream marked the end of Ibrahim’s suffering. His mother’s final act of protection, even from beyond the grave, saved him.

But while Ibrahim’s personal pain ended, his story was far from over.

Instead of letting bitterness consume him, Ibrahim found purpose in his pain. He made a promise to himself and to his mother’s spirit: he would dedicate his life to protecting children like him—children who had nowhere to run, no safe place to call home, and no one to speak up for them.

That promise gave birth to Future Leaders Initiative SL (www.weareflisl.org), a nonprofit organization based in Sierra Leone working to end violence against children in schools, homes, and communities. For the past six years, Ibrahim has been at the forefront of this mission, transforming his tragedy into a beacon of hope for others.

Today, Ibrahim is not just a survivor; he is a protector, a leader, and a voice for the voiceless. Under his leadership, Future Leaders Initiative SL has been tirelessly working to provide safe spaces, child rights education, No Hit Zone workshops, counseling, and empowerment programs for children and families affected by violence. The organization’s goal is simple yet powerful: to break the cycle of abuse and give every child the chance to grow up in a world where their rights are respected, their dignity protected, and their future is filled with possibility.

But Ibrahim knows he cannot do this alone.

Now, he’s inviting you to join him in this mission. Future Leaders Initiative SL is working to raise $5,000 by the end of the year to establish a safe center where children, women, and girls can escape violence and begin their journey toward healing. This center will provide:

- Emergency shelter for survivors of abuse.

- Counseling and psychosocial support to rebuild lives.

- Programs and resources to empower children to become future leaders.

“This center is more than a building,” Ibrahim says. “It’s a lifeline. It’s a place where children can transform their stories from fear to courage, just like I did.”

Ibrahim’s journey from victim to protector is a testament to the power of resilience, compassion, and hope. He is asking for your support to ensure that no child, woman, or girl in Sierra Leone has to endure what he did.

Will you help Ibrahim keep his promise to protect Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable?

Together, we can provide children with the tools, spaces, and opportunities to rewrite their futures. Together, we can turn pain into purpose, and tears into triumph.

Your support can make all the difference.

Please donate here and help share

Thank you for believing in this mission and standing with Ibrahim to build a brighter, safer future for Sierra Leone’s children.