 In 2006 Zainab "Zee" Beckett an American citizen for the last 14 years, saw a special report on CNN called Cry Freetown. A small boy was begging for his life before a group of soldiers. When the child turned and walked away, they shot and killed him. As a heart wrenched mother, Zainab knew she had to go immediately home to her native country, Sierra Leone.
Ariving in Freetown, Zainab was horrified by the post 10 year rebel war conditions. Seeing the ravage in her birth country, the destruction of physical property, and the scores of maimed individuals that were on the streets of Freetown was devastating to Zainab. Travelling up land to the villages, she saw contaminated river waters, make shift housing, and the poor sanitation conditions, that men, women, and children were living in and knew that this pain of her countrymen was her call to action.
The ZCD Foundation, with it's motto Water is Life, was formed January 2008 with the profound purpose and commitment to ease human suffering that grew out of this shattering experience. With the support and encouragement of her friends Tom Tucker of London, John Sisay, Brima Mansaray and Abu Bangura of Sierra Leone, and John Beilinski and Dallas Sisolak of Las Vegas, Nevada, the ZCD Foundation began its mission. In March of 2008 Zainab and Dallas travelled to Sierra Leone to build the first well.
In less than two years, with money and materials raised from sources as diverse as the business community in Sierra Leone, London Mining, Sierra Rutile, Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns and philanthropist Mary Hayes of Las Vegas, the ZCD Foundation has built 23 water wells that has thus far contributed to saving the lives of over 14,000 people in Sierra Leone. The ZCD Foundation, with the tremendous support of London Mining, also built a memorial of remembrance for all the innocent men, women and children that died in the horrific war.
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