EAA Youth Series: Ousman Camara

I had written and oral Arabic skills, but I needed to improve my English skills to go to college. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to attend the Academic Bridge Program (ABP) at Qatar Foundation thanks to a full scholarship from the office of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser. My hard work and dedication during my education journey inspired many to support me along the way. I eventually applied and was accepted to Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

As my own academic dreams came to fruition, my thoughts always returned to the Quran Boarding School in my country that started it all. I made plans to help renovate the school once I graduated; however, at the end of 2018, I heard that the school would not last through the rainy season. Realizing that the time to help was now, I started contacting friends at GU-Q, in Doha, and beyond. My plan was to raise 100,000 Qatari Riyals to build a brand new school.

As a founder of the Educate A Generation foundation, I raised 60,000 Qatari Riyals through donations from my Qatari friends, more than enough to start construction. In May of 2019, I flew back to The Gambia to help build the foundation. Upon completion, the school will have electricity, room for 200 students, a septic tank for the bathrooms and a water pump for ablution outside. The students would also have access to the 3800 books my foundation donated to the University of the Gambia.