Founder, Lans A. Fofana grew up in Sierra Leone (West Africa) along with his older sister Awie G. Turay. They resided in an over-crowded house, with no parents.  Lans and Awie’s childhood endured such mistreatment as starvation, whippings, doing manual laundry, and cooking for the entire family, which generally consisted of thirty- people or more. As if that was not enough, they would seek solace at night while sleeping on cold concrete floors---- all the while caring for their maternal family members. The reasoning for this was because their mother was in the United States trying to earn money for them. As children, Lans and Awie walked between 6 - 10 miles round-trip daily to their elementary school, mostly on an empty stomach. Multiple times Lans and Awie had to endure severe punishments that included being beaten with a bamboo cane, ruler or belt for failure to pay their school tuition. When their mother sent money, their maternal family would use the specified funds on themselves and their own children, leaving Lans and Awie always lacking.

Having endured such circumstances, Lans and Awie understand the importance of education, and what the students of Sierra Leone experience today.  They realized from an early age that education was going to be their way out of a dismal and hopeless life. While growing up they were denied the right to study, and if caught, were severely punished. However, because of their perseverance, they would sneak in a foul bathroom to study, using the only light available from a burnt newspaper.

In the early 1990’s, at the young ages of fifteen and seventeen, Lans and Awie relocated to the U.S. (Alexandria, Virginia), where they were re-united with their mother. After all these years, helping others has been an ongoing mission for them, as they witness the devastation and suffering of war in their homeland and other countries.

Upon graduating from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Lans immediately enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps active duty as an Aviation Accountant, and later enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve/Active Guard Reserve as a Financial Management Specialist. Lans proudly served in the Marine Corps and Army for 9 honorably years. During this time he also volunteered for a tour of duty in Korea and Kuwait in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). He now holds a Master’s degree from University of Phoenix in Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Hawaii Pacific University. Given opportunity, he has held several corporate positions. Lans now resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, where he owns and operates FO Fitness LLC, as a certified Personal Fitness Trainer and works as a consultant for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).

Awie was also empowered by the opportunities the U.S. had to offer. This allowed her to “take the lead” by changing her tomorrows as she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from George Mason University. She also received a Master’s of Public Health from Walden University. Awie is now a Project Manager in the Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance Department at Human Genome Sciences (HGS) Inc. in Rockville, Maryland. She is a current member of the Sierra Leone American Business Association (SLABA), and Sierra Leone Arc of Hope (SLAH), both 501C-3 non-profits in the Washington D.C. area. In 2009-2010, while working in the nonprofit sector, she completed a graduate volunteer internship at the Alexandria Health Department in Northern Virginia, in the Office of Infectious Disease (2009 – 2010). She coordinated the development and implementation of the Rainbow Tuesdays Clinic, a community partnership for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). This experience reinforced her passion to make a difference in her native country. She does this by supporting Lans vision to empower and equip the children of Tomorrows Future. She resides in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and two young daughters.