My
name is Mark Spratley also the CEO of the Spratley charity foundation
swing of success aged 42 from the UK.
I have a background within the electronic industry i.e sister company to NASA and De beers diamond trading company as a test technician. This is now my past past, I’m strongly involved in charity work in Sierra Leone and here’s why about seven years ago I was driving in the capital city of Sierra Leone, when a child came to the side of my car window.
Everyone else asked me not to speak to this child as he was just begging but this little child changed my life in a wonderful way. I Lowered down the window and asked the child what he wanted, this child was the same age as my son back in the UK the child looked at me in silence with a disturbed face so I asked him again do you need money he answered no, I asked him do you need food yet again this child replied no. I asked him again what do you want the child replied ‘just change my life’. The only thing I I could do at that moment in time was to give him money.
This incident led me to work for many foundation and charities distributing toys and clothes down 100 ft drop embankment in many slum area’s in Freetown. After meeting Attor Gbongboto we started to work on developing are own charity, filling up a van and taking food and donations from Tesco’s and £4000 worth of toys to where many people wouldn’t dream of going after the Ebola epidemic. We made sure that we visited orphanages that the public had forgotten about.
The Spratley Charity Foundation – swing of success won best NGO (non-profit organization that operates independently of any government) for 2017/2018. We had gained so much respect from the Country in the whole and we are one of fastest growing foundations in the whole of Sierra Leone. AYV empire MOU the owner of the company becoming our ambassador, many followed after this including Africell and the head of Anti-Corruption Commission (Francis Ben Kaifala ) also accepting his ambassador role. We have been organising a charity concerts in the UK with artist such as Livley, Kizzy S. Wavey and also in Sierra Leone to raise funds and build awareness of our organisation. The Obama foundation recognised our work and as a result highly respected artists such Bizarre, a member of Eminem group D12 have shown support for our movement through my friend Chris aka Lively.
80% of our artists are in Sierra Leone even more have joined the movement including Arkman, Yankee, 441 group Slim K, Memish, Chada king, Leonus, Dallas bantan, Fada cross, melody, and Rap Gee. I can’t name all the artists as the list would be endless.
This has also brought attention from the media sector and yet again tv anchors and presenter also joined the foundation as Ambassadors including Bash from Star TV, Ransford of AYV, TV and radio presenter DJ Real with promoters Bankey and Lawrence. We have also had a lot of support from movie stars. At the last count we have made 100+ video drops, this has helped the foundation to go viral, with the help of Prince as the Head of Social media. We are continuing with charity concerts world wide to raise funds to build play parks and the schools program (Borku talk school program).
There are others side projects such lights for the slums and the first ever solar powered Taxi transportation scheme. I give thanks to Spratley charity foundation team especially Attor Gbongboto the International Program Manager and to God for giving me this chance to help the world to become a better place and to be a part in humanity. I have encouraged my children to start their own You Tube channel called Foundation kids as I believe many children would love to experience this from the Comfort of their own home.