When My Personal Puzzle Became a Bigger Purpose
When My Personal Puzzle Became a Bigger Purpose
The Puzzle I Was Solving Was Bigger Than Me ...
There are moments in life when we believe we are simply trying to solve our own problems, make sense of our circumstances and find a way forward through uncertainty. Only later, often after considerable struggle and reflection, do we discover that the challenges we were trying to overcome were also preparing us to understand and help address the challenges faced by others. My journey began during one of the most difficult periods in Sierra Leone’s history, when, in 1997, while completing my undergraduate education, my country was experiencing an elongated war and a profound political and social upheaval. I became a refugee in Guinea, and like many others who were displaced by the conflict, I suddenly found myself confronting questions that no classroom could fully answer. I had to think about how a society recovers when its democratic institutions have been disrupted, what happens to young people when war becomes part of their childhood, how a nation rebuilds trust after violence and division, and what an individual is expected to do with his or her life when the world around them appears to be falling apart.
While seeking refuge in Guinea, I joined compatriots in the newly formed Campaign for Good Governance, Democracy and Human Rights, an organization created in exile during Sierra Leone’s crisis. We believed that exile did not have to mean silence and that displacement should not hush us or remove our responsibility to remain engaged with the future of our country. We produced advocacy materials, mobilized support and participated in efforts calling for the restoration of constitutional democracy and the return of Sierra Leone’s democratically elected government under President Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. At the time, I did not fully understand where those experiences would lead me, but I knew that something larger than my personal circumstances was unfolding. I was learning that citizenship is not defined only by physical presence, and that even in moments of displacement, people can continue to contribute to the political, social and moral reconstruction of their country.
Eventually, I returned to Sierra Leone in 1998 and completed my undergraduate degree in International Relations, English and Civil Law. My original intention was to continue toward postgraduate legal studies, and I initially imagined my future within a more conventional professional path. However, life had introduced me to another kind of classroom, one that was not defined by lecture halls, examinations or academic credentials, but by the experiences of communities struggling to recover from conflict. It was the classroom of society, and the questions that increasingly occupied my mind were no longer simply academic. They were human and immediate. I wanted to understand what happens to children who have experienced war, how former child soldiers find a place in communities that have been deeply wounded, how young people can move from being viewed primarily as victims of conflict to becoming architects of peace, how education can serve as an instrument of reconstruction, and how technology can connect young people to one another and to opportunities that previously seemed beyond their reach.
Over time, I began to understand that the greatest challenges facing society cannot be addressed through one discipline or one professional perspective alone. They require the combined contributions of law, education, diplomacy, technology, economics, culture, leadership and human imagination. They also require the willingness to listen to people whose experiences are often reduced to statistics, labels or policy categories. For that reason, I moved away from the path I had originally imagined for myself and became more deeply involved in activism, peacebuilding, education and youth development. I began working with children and young people affected by Sierra Leone’s civil war, and that work eventually contributed to initiatives designed to connect young people across schools and communities through education and technology. Through these experiences, I came to recognize that the circumstances that disrupt our plans can sometimes reveal responsibilities and possibilities that we would not otherwise have seen.
My own life had become a puzzle, but the more pieces I put together, the more clearly I understood that my personal experience was connected to the experiences of thousands of other people. A child’s access to education, a refugee’s dignity, a community’s recovery, a young person’s opportunity, a nation’s democratic future and a society’s capacity to forgive, rebuild and imagine something better are not isolated concerns. They are connected parts of a larger human challenge. The education of one child can influence the future of a family and a community. The restoration of dignity to one displaced person can challenge the assumptions that allow exclusion to continue. The opportunity given to one young person can create a wider sense of possibility among others. In this way, the work of rebuilding society is not always carried out through dramatic or highly visible acts; it is often advanced through patient, sustained efforts that help people recover their confidence, develop their abilities and participate in shaping their own future.
A Message to a Generation
To the young person who feels that life has not unfolded according to plan, I would say that a detour should not automatically be understood as a defeat. The road you did not intend to take may expose you to questions that you are uniquely prepared to address, and the degree you completed during difficult circumstances may become more valuable because of the adversity surrounding it. The country you were forced to leave may teach you something about belonging, the community that wounded you may eventually teach you how to help others heal, and the crisis that interrupted your plans may awaken a sense of responsibility that would not have emerged under easier conditions. The puzzle you thought you were solving for yourself may turn out to be preparation for addressing a much larger challenge, even if that purpose is not immediately visible.
My journey from Sierra Leone to Guinea and eventually back to Sierra Leone taught me that education is not merely about acquiring credentials or preparing for professional advancement. It is also about developing the capacity to see more clearly and to understand the individual behind the statistics, the child behind the conflict, the refugee behind the label, the community behind the development indicator and the possibility behind the crisis. Education should help us recognize the dignity and potential of people whose circumstances may otherwise cause them to be overlooked. It should enable us to connect knowledge with responsibility and personal achievement with the wider needs of society.
That is what I believe leadership should ultimately be about. It should not be limited to climbing higher, gaining influence or accumulating recognition; it should also involve seeing farther and understanding how one’s knowledge, experience and opportunities can become useful to others. Leadership requires the ability to recognize that personal progress is meaningful, but that its greatest value may lie in what it makes possible for other people. It asks us to consider not only what we have achieved, but also whether our achievements have helped create greater access, dignity, opportunity and hope for those who are still facing barriers.
The world does not need a generation that waits for perfect conditions before acting, because perfect conditions rarely arrive and the most urgent problems are often experienced by people who cannot afford to wait. It needs a generation willing to examine difficult problems honestly, gather the scattered pieces of incomplete solutions and begin putting them together through practical and sustained action. That work may take place through one child’s education, one classroom, one community initiative, one idea, one act of courage or one decision to remain engaged when withdrawal would be easier. Progress is often built through these connected efforts, and although each individual contribution may appear modest, together they can influence the direction of families, institutions and nations.
Perhaps that is the deeper lesson of my own journey. I thought I was trying to solve my puzzle, understand my circumstances and find a meaningful direction for my life, but I was also learning how to help address the larger puzzle of society. The experiences that shaped me did not provide simple answers, but they taught me to ask better questions about responsibility, opportunity, recovery and human potential. They also taught me that no one solves the most important problems alone. We depend on the knowledge, courage and participation of others, just as others may depend on what we have learned through our own experiences.
The invitation before all of us is therefore to consider not only which puzzle we are trying to solve, but also how our efforts might contribute to the lives of others. We should ask what our experiences have taught us, what responsibilities those experiences may have created and whose life might become better because we chose to use our knowledge and opportunities in service of something beyond ourselves.
His higher educational journey began in 1993. in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, Civil Law, and English from Fourah Bay College, in 1998.
In 2000, Andrew travelled to Beijing, China, where he presented at an international Education and Resource Network conference on Sharing and Understanding Tele Education in the twenty first century, exploring the future of technology enabled learning and exposed to online collaborative global innovation education projects. These experiences culminated into his vision of creating one of the first non-profit innovation center, in using information technology to support war-affected youth and children in Sierra Leone. In 2001, he continued this work at the University of Capetown in Capetown, South Africa, speaking at an international forum on Education on the theme 'Education in the Internet Age' and the transformative potential of the internet for education across Africa and the developing world.
In 2002, in Moscow, Russia, Andrew presented his vision of Humanware Before Hardware and Software, emphasizing that technology should ultimately serve human development.
In 2003, his international leadership continued to gain recognition. He received the Cable and Wireless Childnet Award at the London Science Museum for contributions toward creating a safer and more enriching internet environment for children. That same year, he was selected for the Africa Canada Youth Leadership Symposium at Saint Francis Xavier University Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, and became a United Nations Fellow at the UN 1st World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva.
In 2004, Andrew was a Guest Speaker at The Hague International Model United Nations, (THIMUN) where he addressed the 36th Annual Hague International Model United Nations and was later featured in book publication Shaping Tomorrow, 50 Years of Inspiring Youth. That year, he was also shortlisted for the Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship at Stanford University.
From 2004 to 2005, Andrew was a Jeanne Sauvé Scholar at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, joining an international community of emerging leaders committed to public service and global change. Whilst at McGill, he was frequently summoned as a Guest Speaker and spoke at several events including the International Cooperation Days (ICD), hosted by the Canadian Government, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This was an annual event to "discuss the prospects for the world's future in the context of the global roadmap for change." The group focuses on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and hosts participants from organizations around the world.
In 2006, he was selected by the World Bank as one of twenty five Young Global Leaders at the World Ethics Forum, held at Keble College, Oxford University. In 2007, Andrew was a distinguished guest speaker at Education Without Borders at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, contributing to conversations about education innovation and global educational opportunity. Andrew was Guest Speaker at the campus-wide lectures series 'Children of the Crossfire' held at Kenyon College Ohio and Mount Vernon Nazerene University USA in 2007.
From 2010 to 2011, he contributed to the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha, Qatar, participating in the second and third WISE Summits. In 2011, he was named an ITU Telecom World Digital Innovation Fellow in Geneva, advancing the role of information and communication technologies in global development.
In 2012, Andrew presented and exhibited his Digital Hope Project at ITU Telecom World in Dubai, showcasing technology as a tool for education, opportunity, and social change.
In 2014, he became a Build Peace Via Technology Fellow at the MIT Media Lab in Boston, presenting his work at the intersection of technology and peacebuilding.
In 2015, Andrew participated in the Hive Global Leaders Program in San Francisco, joining an international community focused on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact.
In 2018, he participated in the Nexus Global Summit in Washington, D.C., engaging with global leaders working across philanthropy, innovation, entrepreneurship, and social change.
In 2019, Andrew advanced his entrepreneurial leadership through the Kauffman Foundation’s ESHIP program in Kansas City, a program focused on strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems and leadership.
In 2021, Andrew was recognized by the Heather Heyer Foundation with an Award for Social Justice for his longstanding commitment to human dignity, equity, and civic engagement.
Across more than two decades, Andrew’s journey has connected Freetown to Beijing, Cape Town to Moscow, London to Geneva, Oxford to Boston, and communities across the Global South and beyond. His work reflects a continuing commitment to using technology, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership as instruments for human development and inclusive opportunity. Andrew is a Master of Science in Law Candidate at Francis King Carey School of Law.
Montreal Institute for Global Security Montreal AI Ethics Institute Jeanne Sauvé Foundation ITU Academy International Telecommunication Union World Bank Development Economics Andrea Rivas José Ramón Iturriaga University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Comments