Memunatu Dura Kamara, of Romano Village, Yoni Chiefdom, Sierra Leone, came to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in September 2001 after a 7 year experience in the Mola and Kalia 2 refugee camps in Conakry, Guinea. She was forced to leave her village when rebels killed her husband and most of the other men in the area, burning the village to the ground. While in the refugee camps Memunatu was unanimously elected president; a dubious honor since the refugee camp president receives the most targeted abuse and is frequently in the greatest danger. Although it is uncommon for a woman in Africa to be asked to serve in a position of authority, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes of conversation with Memunatu to be overwhelmed by her vision, charisma and organizational skills.

While in the camps, Memunatu worked tirelessly with the United Nations and NGOs to address issues of gender violence, community health, education, voice and advocacy. She started a distribution centre and an agricultural store, placing representatives from all tribes and clans in charge so there would be equitable distribution. She promoted religious harmony by having Christians build a Mosque and Muslims build a Church within the camp boundaries. Memunatu was able to bring international attention to mistreatment of refugees by local residents through writing, directing and producing a play that graphically illustrated refugee abuse. When local officials, NGO representatives and UN officers saw the play, they took measures to rectify the issues.

After a horrific and traumatizing effort to escape the refugee camps and seek asylum in Canada, Memunatu wasted no time learning in her new country. She began improving her English skills through LINK classes, rising to the top of her class in all subjects within a short time. While dealing with culture shock, finishing ESL and adult basic education, and struggling to feed and care for her six children as a single parent, Memunatu began the groundwork for rebuilding the primary school in Romano Village making arrangements for concerned Canadians to contribute towards this project. After completing her upgrading and training to become a nursing assistant through Norquest College, Memunatu began working in the health care sector in Edmonton, Alberta. The interest in her school project had grown and the Tamaraneh Society for Community Development and Support was formed. To date the society has build and maintained a primary school and a junior high school, two community farms and purchased land to build a health centre. Plans are underway to dig a new well, put resources and structures in place for primary health care, encourage local entrepreneurship and initiate professional exchanges.

In Edmonton, Memunatu has volunteered with Action for Healthy Communities and Changing Together: A Centre for Immigrant Women. She is constantly helping new immigrants with life skill development and settlement issues and is in regular demand as a guest speaker for a wide variety of organizations.