WATERVILLE -- David Amadu and five other Colby College students didn't while away their time last summer; they saved lives.

On their own, they raised $23,000 to purchase 2,000 bed nets and cover the cost of their trip to Sierra Leone. The small west African country is plagued by malaria, a disease that accounts for 40 percent of children's deaths in Sierra Leone.

The bed nets provide protection against mosquitos, the insect that is the chief carrier of malaria, and yet most Sierra Leoneans are too poor to afford such a basic preventive measure.

Thanks to Amadu and his Colby friends, however, 2,000 beds in Sierra Leone have a bed net that they didn't have earlier this year, an addition that can mean the difference between life and death.

How the Colby students accomplished this mission is a story of caring and persistence.

Amadu and his classmates created a photo exhibit of their trip -- "The Road to Kendeyama" -- that is on display at the Colby art museum through the end of the year.

A Sierra Leone native, Amadu understood the malaria problem in this country intimately, but last spring, with no bed nets and little money, the idea of mounting a humanitarian mission to his homeland seemed far-fetched at best.

"It would help so many people," the senior biology major said, "but I didn't think we could embark on it now, because lots of things prevented us from doing it. One thing was money. The other thing was the time needed to organize it."

But then Erin Rhoda and Emily Mosites entered the picture, and suddenly the far-fetched became plausible, although not without a herculean effort from all involved.

Those involved turned out to be Amadu, Rhoda, Mosites and three other Colby students: Senior Peter Steinour, junior Jessica Emerson and sophomore Kirsten Duda.

Together they waged a furious fund-raising campaign to make possible the Sierra Leone Aid Project. Each member of the bed-net team worked several jobs and organized countless events -- raffles, suppers, concerts and auctions and sales of one sort or another -- to reach the $23,000, earning the final dollars about a week before their scheduled flight.

During the effort, they met regularly, often four times a week, to discuss their progress and the logistics of their mission, which Amadu dedicated himself to arranging, keeping in almost daily contact with various people in his homeland.

At times their fund-raising goal seemed daunting, especially since they lacked deep-pocketed major donors -- Colby as an institution did not contribute money because of liability concerns.

Still, the Colby six never wavered in their effort, nor in their faith that the goal would be achieved.

"Even when we were over here fundraising, we always hoped we were going," Emerson said. "I don't think we ever thought we weren't going to make it."

Getting to Sierra Leone was not just a financial challenge. Most of the students had to fight resistance from their parents, who feared for their security in a country that had recently endured an 11-year-old civil war of frightening brutality.

Yet the Colby group never encountered hatred or violence during their adventure; instead, what they experienced was overwhelming warmth and friendliness.

"Everybody there was just so appreciative and just had this quality -- they were all so friendly and willing to help.

That help came in many ways. In the exhibit, one of the photos shows men from the Kendeyama village carrying the bed nets, which came in 80-pound bundles.

The Sierra Leoneans insisted that they shoulder the loads. This was one way that the people could show their gratitude.

Along with distributing the bed nets, the Colby students also visited orphanages, a nursery school and two homes for polio victims and hired a drama troup to give a lesson on malaria prevention to one of the villages while they were there.

In truth, though, Amadu said the giving went both ways in Sierra Leone.

Without exception, Amadu said, the Sierra Leoneans made every effort to make them as comfortable as possible during their stay.

"We tend to look at this from our perspective," he said. "That we went there and sacrificed so much. The fact of the matter is we really learned from the people there. We gained so much from being there."

Amadu said most people who hear about their trip are astonished at what they accomplished. They also tend to dismiss the project as a once in a lifetime pilgrimage.

But Amadu does not share that opinion.

He and his remaining team -- Rhoda and Mosites have graduated -- already have begun the next fundraising campaign.

But this time, Amadu said, the plan is to bring the materials to make the bed nets, so that Sierra Leoneans can make them themselves.

"I tell people I can do this again," Amadu said. "Look how much satisfaction I got from it. It is about making up your mind to do something."

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com