The Peace Diamond Village
Koyardu · Kono District, Sierra Leone
The Village Story
Koyardu is a small farming and mining community in the Kono district of eastern Sierra Leone — the place where the Peace Diamond was found, and the lives it has changed since.
The Choice
Kono District was the epicenter of Sierra Leone's "blood diamond" crisis. During the civil war, people — children among them — were forced at gunpoint to dig, and the stones were smuggled out of the country to fund the fighting.
When diggers unearthed the 709-carat Peace Diamond near Koyardu, Pastor Emmanuel Momoh could have smuggled it to Belgium and kept the fortune for himself. Instead, he handed it to the government — so the money would reach his community.
Diamonds that once funded war now fund development.
What the Diamond Built
The diamond sold for $6.5M. The village community and chiefdom received 25%, which after expenses — shipping, travel, government — came to roughly $1.6M. Here is what that built.
A landmark
At the entrance to the village stands a 22-foot clock tower topped with a diamond symbol — a permanent monument to what the Peace Diamond made possible.
When the national government changed in 2018, the incoming administration honored the previous pledge and completed the projects — proof that commitments made here get kept.
Village · The School
The anchor of everything the diamond built — a proper school for the children of Koyardu, replacing the crumbling building that came before.
A single crumbling mud building — 135 pupils and four untrained teachers, with some children learning under a tree.
Bright, solid classrooms full of uniforms and futures — a school the community is proud of.
students served across the school today.
The structure spans nursery, primary, and junior secondary — with senior secondary now starting.
A computer lab and tech room with internet — the direction the school is working toward, not yet built.
[Quote from Abubakar to be added — a few words on what the school means to the children of Koyardu.]
Village · The Medical Center
Before Pregnant women had to travel 30–40 minutes by motorcycle, on a dirt path, to reach care.
After They can now deliver safely, in their own community — the difference between danger and a healthy child.
Clean Water
Clean-water wells ended the long daily walk that once fell to every household — and to the children sent to fetch it.
Solar Power
Solar power brought light after dark to a village that had never had electricity — and current to the buildings that need it most.