Our Beginnings

Our ministry was founded in October 2010 with a dedication and purpose for sharing the Gospel and caring for orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa. We have established a child sponsorship program for more than 100 children and have developed partnerships with other non-profit organizations and businesses to leverage support the the orphanages and surrounding villages in Sierra Leone.

The story behind our name, "Komeo" (pronounced ko-MAY-o) is an interesting one! Komeo is an ancient Greek word meaning "tend to" or "take care of." After choosing the name through much prayer and consideration, we learned that the word also has a very significant meaning in one of the African tribal languages spoken in Sierra Leone. The phrase "kom mio" in Temne actually means "to give birth to" and it is what orphans cry out to people when they are asking for someone to take care of them! It's also what people cry out when they ask God to be their heavenly father. We believe our name was God-given!!

We work with two orphanages located in Wellington and Waterloo. Many of these children lost their parents during the 12-year civil war that was waged by rebel forces in 1991 over the country's diamond resources. Peace was declared in 2002, but not before 75,000 people were killed, 20,000 were mutilated and left to live as amputees, and 80% of the country's infrastructure was destroyed.  In 1995, during the height of the war, Pastor Hassan Mansaray began taking in children whose parents had been kidnapped or murdered.  Before long, he had 64 children in his care and no source of funding, as most missionaries and aid groups had fled the country.  But, by faith, Pastor Mansaray persevered and relied on God to provide day-by-day for their needs.  Today, the more than 100 children at the orphanage call Pastor Mansaray their father.  They are incredible kids who have been raised as Christians in a primarily Muslim country and they feel called by God to rebuild their nation.  They aspire to be bankers, lawyers, economists, government officials, doctors, and professional athletes.  But beyond that, they have a heart for ministry and want share Christ with all who cross their path.  They love preaching and leading worship in their church, as well as participating in outreach projects to remote villages. 

We are immensely grateful to the Lord for all He has done and we are blessed to witness His work in the lives of the kids. We know that He will continue to do great things through Komeo and ultimately raise up these kids to be future leaders in their country.